I, Paul Kix, today become columnist 14,362 to write a Year in Review column.

The temptation to write one was simply too great.

A Year in Review column means a rather comprehensive list of events. A rather comprehensive list of events means 700-plus words are banged out rather easily.

The list please.

9. The Iowa game.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Iowa State and Iowa waited for other conferences to say, “Yes, we will play football this weekend” before saying themselves, “You know what? We will too.”

Then, on Thursday, Sept. 13, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he would cancel his weekend’s games, which play a day after college football, and suddenly, Iowa State and Iowa (and the rest of the nation) can’t spit it out fast enough: “Off, off. The game is off.”

Kudos to Tagliabue for making what should have been a no-brainer decision.

8. I wanted to see wrath.

After ISU dropped baseball last year, purists screamed “No. Not baseball. Anything but baseball.” Flyers went up across campus, “Don’t miss the last games of ISU baseball EVER.”

It became chic to attend and show the Man how much you cared.

For sure, I thought, this public outcry would carry over into this year.

Hello? Outcry?

7. Upholder of the Constitution. Kind of.

A few weekends back, ISU softball coach Ruth Crowe said she was in protest of the games played at Baylor because there was a prayer held before the national anthem each of the two days.

Eternally vigilant, Crowe. But separation of church and state is hard to come by at the “largest Baptist university in the world,” as Baylor’s Web site claims.

Crowe has yet to file her protest with Baylor.

6. Finest performance

I’ve seen.

On Dec. 5 last year, the No. 5 ISU women’s basketball team played at No. 24 Drake.

The Cyclones creamed `em. By 30. Angie Welle, Lindsey Wilson and Tracy Gahan’s combined 66 points outscored the Bulldogs.

The team shot 60 percent from the three-point line in the first half, and made nearly 60 percent of all shots for the game.

The 90-60 win was so dominating it looked effortless, no, scripted, no, effortlessly scripted.

“That was a performance we’d all like to bottle and save forever,” head coach Bill Fennelly said.

Never had losing to BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament seemed more unlikely.

5. Yeesch.

A week and a half later, the men’s team played at Drake. They lost, 72-58.

Unlike the Drake women, the Drake men this year were horrible: 9-9 in conference play.

And remember, conference play for the Bulldogs is in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The 14-point loss was enough for the Cyclone coaching staff to bar the players from speaking to the media following the game.

4. Cael Sanderson was in my kitchen this morning, smiling.

Ripped open my Wheaties today, the one with Cael on the front. Thought maybe, after eating, I’d write like a champion. Or at least learn how to cradle like one.

This is a big deal, this Wheaties box.

Honk if you’ve ever been on it. Do you know who has though? Michael Jordan.

Do you know who else? Lou Gehrig.

Do you know who else? Tiger Woods.

‘Nuff said.

3. Worst performance of the year.

Iowa State was 5-2. Kansas State was 4-3. Kansas State won the football game 42-3 at Jack Trice.

‘Nuff said.

No wait. Robert Downey Jr. after a bender looked better than the Cyclones that day.

Now, ’nuff said.

2. Shreveport, Shreveport. It’s a hell of a town.

The MainStay Independence Bowl – which is a vague corporate title – was once called the Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl – which is not.

Unfortunately, Iowa State played in the MainStay Independence Bowl. Like the bowl game last year – Insight.com Bowl – this year’s game was played days before a real bowl influenced college football’s national championship.

After watching Tony Yelk’s kick shadow the right pole, I thought “Eh. At least they still get money.”

1. 159-0

Really don’t think this man can be praised enough.

A perfect collegiate record. This. Has never. Happened. Before. I think Cael could kick Zeus’ ass at this point.

And he lives among us, in our neighborhood. And he’s getting better.

Think about it. Ames is now like living down the street from Mozart in Vienna or working at the Kansas City Star when a young Hemingway hands you his copy.

But these two are disputed as greatest-ever.

Cael, if he wins gold in Athens in 2004, will have no doubters. Lucky him.

Lucky us.

Paul Kix is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Hubbard. He is sports senior reporter for the Daily.