If You Build It, They Will Come

I don't know if I've posted a definitive definition of my Iowa Collection, mostly because its very fluid and still always changing.  What constitutes an Iowa Connection?  What about an Iowa Fuzzy Connection?  Can someone fall off the list?  I'm going to answer these for you (and somewhat myself) here.  As I said, everything is fluid (as you will see below). What is a Iowa Connection? As it is currently, a person could have been born in Iowa, gone to school in Iowa, or lived in Iowa.  I suppose the idea that a person's time in Iowa forged something in them that made them great.  Or greatness seeks out Iowa, for those who moved there later. Born in Iowa is the typical connection. When local news talks about someone representing Iowa, they are typically talking birth place.  When SI does a story about the best athletes from Iowa, they are talking birth.  So think Bob Feller, Kurt Warner and Dan Gable.  But this also includes guys like Darre...

        Profile Buddy Biancalana was born in California and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals.  He played six years in the majors, finishing with the Houston Astros.  He had a  career WAR of -1.6, but also one World Series ring* of which he played a vital role.   ...scanning...no Iowa connection found... Now, I know that people typically don't move to Iowa unless they have some sort of connection. However, Buddy is a bit of an exception here.  Buddy moved to Fairfield** years after his MLB career was over, attracted by the chance for personal growth.  With his business partner Steve Yellin they formed Perfect Mind-Perfect Motion, a company that helps athletes get "in the zone".   * Won with John Wathan (Cedar Rapids) and Jim Sundberg (UofI) ** Discovered while I was writing the post of Matt Stutzman.   Personal Notes I don't know about you, but I've spent some of my pandemic time organizing.  I'm tr...