Way to go, Iowa High School Athletic Association

1. Good for the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

It announced today that, starting in 2016, it will cut its number of state football playoff qualifiers in half and have more time between playoff games.

Sixteen teams per class is plenty. Thirty-two was ridiculous. Football isn't the same kind of sport as basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball - in which every team in the state enters postseason play. No 3-6 or 4-5 team was ever going to reach a state football title game. They were never going to reach the semifinals. Or quarterfinals.

And having teams play four games in just over two weeks was just wrong.

This may cost the IHSAA some money, and it buys it some respect.

2. Byron Buxton is a Minnesota Twin

. He debuted in the big-leagues Sunday and scored the winning run in a game against the Texas Rangers.

Buxton went 0-for-4 in his debut. He'll do better.

Two years ago, it was the Spring of Buxton in Cedar Rapids. He played in 68 games for the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels, hitting .341 with 15 doubles, 10 triples and 8 home runs. He drove in 55 runs. He made spectacular catches in center field.

You said 'Major-leaguer in two years.” Sometimes you don't have to be a scout to know these things. They're as obvious at a minor league game as goofy promotions.

The one time I saw Buxton in Cedar Rapids, he hit a walk-off grand slam homer. Here's my column from that night.

After that game, he was getting interviewed by Cedar Rapids' own Bob Brooks when a teammate slapped the old shaving cream pie in Buxton's face. Brooks has interviewed everybody under every circumstance, but I'd bet that was the first time he did a Q&A with someone's face covered in shaving cream. Then again, probably not.

By the way, shaving cream attacks on baseball players doing postgame interviews ... we've seen it. It's tired.

This year, Buxton had 12 triples in 59 games at Class AA Chattanooga. Triples aren't tired.

(UPDATE: Buxton hit a triple in his second game with the Twins.)

By the way, Part II: The Kernels are in the midst of a homestand that began with three games against the Great Lakes Loons and three against the Lansing Lugnuts.

That's right. The Loons and the Lugnuts.

When you hear baseball 'purists” put the knock on any other sport, they're either lugnuts or loons.

Buxton, however, is going to be a lot of fun for Twins' fans who are used to the five-tool players wearing only visitors' uniforms.

3. LeBron James and Stephen Curry. They are good.

They are really, really, really good.

If you don't enjoy watching them, you don't enjoy basketball, you may not enjoy sports, and you certainly don't enjoy greatness.

While the NBA playoffs are mercurial, and no one's good health is guaranteed (see the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 2015 playoffs), look for defending-champion Golden State to have a Finals rematch with Cleveland next year.

Fred Hoiberg's job in Chicago is to get the Bulls past Cleveland. With a healthy Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao playing with James, just how does Hoiberg do that?

4. Read Norman Chad's latest 'Couch Slouch” column for some good laughs. An excerpt:

Amazingly, the ambidextrous Venditte has been doing this since pre-K. When he was 3 years old, he was taught to throw with both arms by his father, Pat Sr., who, strangely enough, also taught him to punt a football with both legs.

My father, meanwhile, taught me to talk out of both sides of my mouth.