My family attended a Des Moines Buccaneers hockey game this weekend for the first time this season. It was an exciting game: Bucs won 3-2 in overtime after blowing 2-1 lead with 58 seconds left in the third period. The only thing I disliked about the evening was the diehard fans who felt the need to boo and taunt the other team repeatedly. We’re trying to set good examples for our kids, and some guy a few rows down is all, “You suck!” “You still suck!” “Why do you suck?” the whole game. Grow up and just cheer for your own team, man.

Near the beginning of his inaugural address on Friday, Governor Terry Branstad got in a little dig at Chet Culver: “Even though Governor Culver is not with us today, I want to thank him on behalf of Iowans for his service.” It would have been a nice touch, had he mentioned even one thing Culver did that made Iowa a better place. Since he didn’t thank his predecessor for any specific accomplishment, it looked to me like Branstad was just calling attention to Culver’s absence. I don’t know whether Culver declined to attend the inauguration before or after Branstad decided not to attend Culver’s final address to the state legislature, nor do I care. However, I would be curious to read the hand-written note Culver left in Branstad’s desk.

This is an open thread. What’s on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers?

UPDATE: I didn’t watch the Miss America pageant Saturday night, but apparently when contestants were asked to provide a “pithy” sentence about their state, Miss Iowa said this: “Leading the state in ethanol production, my state gives you gas.” And that wasn’t even the worst of them.