Good day everyone, and welcome back to another year of Rory’s extraordinary sports commentary.

Well, I feel I must open up this semester’s talk on the subject of Iowa State’s first loss in men’s basketball.

Sorry, I decided not to rip on the Cyclones, even though they deserve it for their lackadaisical efforts on the court, or in the instance of Kenny Pratt, busy with two courts.

Rather, I find solace in demeaning our opponent, Marquette.

To be more specific, Anthony Pieper. I give Pieper my first sportsman of the month award. Yes, Mr. Pieper, you earned it.

For those of you who attended the game, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

But for those of you gone for break, I feel the urge to inform you of Pieper’s outstanding skills in mastering the English language, and also in his control of his bodily movements.

First, I will start out with his defensive moves. He beautifully swung his arm at the guy he was guarding.

I think the technical term for it was a Peter McNeeley Arm Movement. It garnered so much attention, several TV news shows decided to show a replay of it. It was an open-handed slap to Jacy Holloway that earned him a technical.

Marquette Head Coach Mike Deane doubted that Pieper intentionally threw his arm with the intent to harm. To quote Deane, “Pieper is not that type of guy.” Deane went on to talk about how divine Pieper is.

I would have shrugged off Pieper’s actions as being unintentional had it not been for his post game commentary. I feel no one ever gains from the use of vulgar language, but maybe Pieper’s case is different. That is why I decided to quote Pieper after the game, during his jaunt across the court to the locker rooms.

“We kicked your f—ing ass. We f—ing kicked your ass,” Pieper shouted incessantly at the crowd.

Wow! I went to a Catholic school back home, and they never taught me that word. But maybe at the prestigious private Catholic school that Marquette University is, they teach individuals the proper pronunciation and usage of such slang terms.

I like hearing players talk trash, but one should be able to back it up.

Pieper had 14 points in the game. Good, but not great. And surely not giving him the excuse of lambasting the crowd with profanities.

Say what you want about our basketball team. Sure, it has some problems off the court, but as a team, they are a class act.

Marquette had better savor this victory, for they had a lucky break in handing the ‘Clones their first defeat. In closing, keep on supporting the ‘Clones, as they are well on their way to one of their best seasons ever.

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Rory Flaherty is a junior in construction engineering from LeMars, Iowa.