So there I was, peacefully sleeping when my alarm went off at 4:34 a.m. I hit snooze once then got up and threw on my clothes from yesterday and jumped into my car to head to Radio Shack. I finally got the laptop I desperately needed - I guess that's really an important thing for a reporter to have.

Since I was up, I went to Wal-Mart where the traffic was wall-to-wall people. I couldn't even find the $2 DVDs but that's just as well. I have enough to do without watching movies.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the rare privilege (?) of watching my Seattle Seahawks lose to the Cowboys - an event in which my cousin's 9-year-old son took much delight.

Matt Hasselbeck (brother-in-law to Elizabeth, who is the only reason "The View" is worth watching) has battled chronic back problems all season, necessitating the insertion of Iowa State's own Seneca Wallace into the starting lineup during a four-game stretch earlier this season. And, in a fittingly tragic turn of events, the Seahawks matched the Cyclones' season record (2-10) with yesterday's loss.

It's a shame Wallace has been relegated to backup QB duty during his six NFL seasons. Many have said he could be a Pro Bowl-caliber wideout if he were given a chance, and he has made several big catches while lined up at receiver. You may remember the 28-yard TD catch he had from Hasselbeck in the 2005 playoffs.

And with the rash of injuries the Seahawks receiving corps has experienced this season, this was Wallace's prime chance to make his mark - until he hurt his calf during warmups before the team's second game.

At any rate, the Seahawks' reign of supremacy (if you can call it that) of the NFC West is at an end. With an aging Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander's demise (due in large part to Mack Strong's abrupt midseason retirement last year), injuries at wide receiver and sub-par performance from Julius Jones, the Hawks appear to be headed back to their mid-90s performance in Mike Holmgren's last season.

All right, on to lighter subjects:

Akron-Westfield's Joe Sievert is ranked third among the state's 1-A 171-pound wrestlers. He was the only local one I could find, though I did scan the list rather quickly. Here's the link to the Des Moines Register for the entire rankings.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article...

No local boys basketball teams ranked in the DMR preseason poll. Here's that poll if you feel inclined to look at it.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pb...

All right, that's all for now. I'll leave you with a youtube video of "The Run" that Seneca Wallace turned in against Texas Tech in 2002.