The BCS has shot down the "Plus-One" model as a quasi-playoff system for college football. I never was a big fan of the "Plus One" model, except perhaps as baby steps towards a real playoff. Why not "plus one"? It emphasizes the worst of both systems. It keeps the bowls and fan inconvenience in place. It lengthens the season for some teams, and one more team ends up the season a loser. What's the advantage? Well, now the complaints about the BCS come from the fifth place team, not the third place team. And we've now got some sort of answer when there appear to be more than two title worthy teams.
I'm not a fan of the current bowl system. Don't get me wrong... I've had fun in places like Miami (love the weather, hate the travel) and Phoenix at New Years. (Even Pasadena can be enjoyable if you don't go intoside that toilet of a stadium.) But getting travel plans is frequently difficult and expensive. For the 1996 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, I had two choices: fly out of Omaha and pay nearly $1000 a ticket, or fly out of Kansas City for half that, but fly back at 6 am New Years morning, only about 7 hours after the game ended. Yuck.
Before "alliances" and the BCS, New Years Day was a football party, with three early games to choose from, followed by the "Irrelevant Yawner Bowl" from Pasadena, and the night cap of the Orange and Sugar Bowls in primetime. And for a few years in the early 90's, the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls were played opposite the Rose Bowel, meaning you had football nirvana.
Not anymore. The BCS spreads the big games out single file, and the early games are pretty much over before some people recover from New Years Eve. (WTF is the point of starting two games at 10 am on New Years morning?) Add in four minute commercial breaks and bad matchups, it's just not what it used to be.
I like the BCS system for ranking teams, though I still think strength of schedule needs to be brought back into the system. It might have saved us from watching Ohio State get blasted in January. Even better is if you'd take the BCS rankings and seed a playoff.
If we're going to have the current tedious games and matchups like Georgia/Hawaii, we might as well do it as part of a playoff.
Last season, our opening matchups in an eight-game playoff would be:
#8 Kansas @ #1 (yeah right) Ohio State, 2 pm
#7 USC @ #2 LSU, 5 pm
#6 Missouri @ #3 Virginia Tech, 11 am
#5 Georgia @ #4 Oklahoma, 8 pm
Those primetime matchups look pretty good to me, and you still could have the bowls for the other teams. Play these games in lieu of the conference championship games or the next weekend. Ohio State, LSU, and Oklahoma all have stadiums larger than the bowl games, so you have better attendance and better atmosphere. Assuming the higher seeds win, turn around and have the following matchups the next week:
Oklahoma @ Ohio State, 2 pm
Virginia Tech @ LSU, 7 pm
(Yes, I know that the visitors in those games would have been Missouri and Georgia.) Again, some good matchups to watch on TV, and nearly 200,000 fans would attend those semifinal games.
The Journal-Star debates this internally and makes some good points on both sides. Tom Osborne surprised me with his support of the current bowl system. If you want to do a playoff, don't mess around with "Plus One". Why make fans travel twice in one week? And why take the higher attendance possibilities of home games off the table. If you want a playoff, do a playoff. But if you keep the bowl system, fill New Years Day up again instead. There's a reason why the NCAA basketball tournament is so successful, and one big reason is that they play 4 games simultaneously all day, and rotate you around the games if you don't have a regional interest in a game. If the NCAA took the bowl game approach, the first round would take a week and a half to play, and those blowout first round games would kill any buzz that a Davidson could provide.
I'll take a playoff over the current BCS setup. But we'll have to wait until 2014 and the end of the BCS to make it happen. My guess is that someone is going to put together a billion dollar proposal that will get the attention of college football's power brokers and make it happen. It'll be HUGE.
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Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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BCS Scuttles a College Football Playoff
Posted: May 4th, 2008, 2:47am CDT by Husker Mike
Plains Feeder
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Mannie Leibovitz and the Naughty Nymphette
Posted: May 4th, 2008, 2:24am CDT by ptg
Miley Cyrus as "Art"
When an adult male queer gets young men to expose themselves sexually under color of "art photography", I'd be inclined to call it child molestation. When the boy's parents not only agree to the lewdness, but prosper therefrom, I'd call it child abuse. Why should it be any different if the child is female and the photographer is an aging bull dyke? Isn't the result kiddie porn of one degree or another?
Mannie the Molester
"Take off your top, Miley..."
So much for the old feeder's thoughts on the Miley Cyrus - Annie Leibovitz flap. Since Miley's parents agreed to her being debauched by horrible old Manny, (they were present at the photo shoot) I figure its a lost cause. Nobody is going to get in trouble for this nonsense; nobody really cares. One more little girl's chances for a normal life shot to hell. Perhaps its just the price of liberty. Or a sign of the times.
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Mythical nymphets as art.
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Afterthought: The high-school old feeder, posing as an ordinary teen-age shutterbug, used to volunteer to help the school photographer take the yearbook portraits. Our school had the ladies draped for a consistent visual theme. I got to adjust the girls' drapes before the shoot. In those days, I had to take my thrills where I could find them.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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It's good to be an Esch
Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 3:30am CDT by Street Sweeper
It's good to be an Esch
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Big 12 Roundtable - Spring Roundtable
Posted: May 1st, 2008, 4:40pm CDT by Husker Mike
The Crimson and Cream Machine from SoonerLand has requested another roundtable, so here are my thoughts...
Who are some of the new faces that emerged in the spring who could be serious playmakers for your team this fall?
The biggest "new" face has to be wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen. It looks like it's easier to spell his name than catch him, as he's got speed to burn. If he can consistently catch the ball, he'll provide a deep threat that's been a rather rare commodity. An old face in a new place would be Cody Glenn, who moved from I-back to linebacker and basically won a starting job. (Of course, that's in part due to the lack of depth at linebacker!) Also making an impression at linebacker is senior walk-on Tyler Wortman, who might have been the star of the spring game on defense. And while he's not a "new" face, since we saw a glimpse of him last fall, Roy Helu is going to challenge Marlon Lucky for serious playing time. That might free up Lucky to line him up elsewhere on the field to take full advantage of his speed.
What is your biggest concern following the spring?
Wide receiver. Nate Swift and Todd Peterson are nice possession receivers, but the Huskers need some of the youngsters to step up: Gilleylen, Menelik Holt, Will Henry, Chris Brooks. Names that we heard more about before they arrived in Lincoln than after they enrolled.
Any major changes (philosophy, coaching or personnel) that you are concerned or worried about?
Didn't you see how last season ended? Major changes were called for in Lincoln, and we're getting them. I think that, without exception, every new coach is an upgrade over his predecessor. Blankman will disagree with me over Barney Cotton, but considering how the synergy between Dennis Wagner and Barney Cotton worked out, that's got to be an upgrade as well.
Looking over the 2008 which home and away game will be the most difficult?
Home: Missouri (That's easy.) I'm not completely sold on Kansas, and Virginia Tech lost eight players to the NFL draft, not to mention their top two running backs to suspension and injury, off a squad that lost to Kansas in the Orange Bowl.
Away: Oklahoma (Also a no-brainer.) Texas Tech isn't going to be all that easy either, but I like our chances to do better than the last time the Huskers traveled to Lubbock.
Time for your way too early predictions (Yes, you can change them in August). Rank how you see your division finishing up next season.
First of all, there are two teams that are huge wildcards in the Big XII North. The Huskers and Kansas State. With the Huskers, the question is how much of the problem last season was coaching and how much of it was talent. I think it was largely a clusterfool of coaching, though others will argue that it's much deeper in the program. Then there is Kansas State, who signed 19 JuCo's this spring and . Usually, you sign JuCo's because you have a pressing need...and with that many JuCo's signed, it sure appears that Ron Prince thinks he has a lot of needs. If it all works out, K-State could surge. But, for right now, I've got to assume there are big problems in the Little Apple.
1. Missouri (No duh... with all those players returning from a Top Five squad?)
2. Nebraska (Call me crazy, but I think Billy C is going to look even more inept this fall...)
3. Kansas
4. Colorado (Hawk Love has the Buffs on the move upwards)
5. Iowa State
6. Kansas State
For more, check out the Crimson & Cream Machine... -
The NCAA Commits to 20+ Years in Omaha
Posted: April 30th, 2008, 5:12pm CDT by Husker Mike
Well, chalk up one more criticism of the new stadium debate down the tubes. Today, the NCAA made an unprecedented commitment to keep the College World Series in Omaha for a minimum of 20 years. And just like everything else in this whole bizarre debate, it rated a ho hum from many.
I usually enjoy listening to KOZN radio's Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe, but on days like today when their position against the downtown stadium go down in flames, it was almost like listening to a funeral. I mean...the College World Series staying in Omaha until 2031 is good news, isn't it?
Well, not if you were looking to Save Rosenblatt. Which meant we were treated to even more conspiracy theories and black helicopter talk about how this whole new stadium idea was some sort of unnecessary ego trip by the Mayor forced on the City and the NCAA. Of course, nobody brings any substantial proof behind those charges... just more half-truths, idle speculations, and rumor mongering.
My favorite is the idea that the NCAA would never move the CWS. Let's break that argument up into two parts: would another city bid for the CWS, and would the NCAA ever leave Omaha? We already know that other cities would bid for the CWS; even Hal Daub acknowledged it. Would the NCAA ever leave Omaha? That's a loaded question, and the answer depends on the timing. The NCAA College World Series is a unique event. Omaha knows it. The NCAA knows it. The history of the CWS in Omaha counts for something, and the NCAA knows that they have something good going in Omaha. So the answer is...as long as Omaha shows that we're serious about wanting the CWS in Omaha, we'll probably keep the CWS.
Now some people want to twist this around and read into that statement that the huggable NCAA just loves the CWS exactly the way it is...which couldn't be further from the truth. The NCAA had a list of things that they wanted addressed in order to obtain a new contract: clean zone, new locker rooms, etc. That bill was likely to run over $30 million...and probably would have garnered Omaha another five year extension. But what after that?
That's when the $80 million renovation idea took hold...but even that wouldn't solve everything at Rosenblatt (open concourses, hotels). But is that necessary for an extension starting in 2011? Nope. But when you look at everything that the NCAA has suggested, you know that at some point, the NCAA would be making requests for those other things.
From my perspective, a new stadium for the CWS was inevitable. If not in 2011, then 2016 or 2021. Should we have waited to find out? Perhaps...but you run the risk that very likely the changes made at Rosenblatt for 2011 would have been demolished in 2016 or 2021. That would be money wasted.
The NCAA looked long term at this. Mayor Fahey looked long term. Omaha's philanthropic community looked long term at this. That's why Omaha is building a new stadium. It wasn't necessary to keep the College World Series in 2011...but we would have been kicking ourselves in 2016 or 2021 when we ended up building a new stadium anyway despite tossing $30 million into the Rosenblatt money pit.
And yes. I do believe that, in the end, the Royals play in the new downtown stadium by 2012 too. Yes, it's probably too big for the Royals. I don't believe La Vista is going to be able to justify a $25 million subsidy for a new stadium when Omaha struggled with justifying it. Warren Buffett and Walter Scott didn't buy half of the Royals to have them leave town either. It may sound impossible now, but some people thought the new stadium sounded impossible in March.
The other criticism revolved around the process. Which is fair; it was a contentious process that divided a lot of people. But one frequent criticism of government is that it's slow to react. This stadium process went from idea to signed contracts in just over one year. That's almost unheard of in government. How long did Omaha argue about building the Qwest Center? Lincoln started talking about an arena years ago, and their commission recommended a new arena near the Haymarket in 2005. Today, they moved a little closer by selecting a developer for the arena. And it's still not a done deal; it might go in front of the voters next year. Almost FIVE years from the first discussions.
Speaking of the Lincoln arena, this looks like a rather sweet future home for Husker basketball. I just hope Doc Sadler can wait until 2012 or 2013 for his practice facility.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Mike Teevee: Johanns on the air (and a new Kleeb)
Posted: April 30th, 2008, 11:55am CDT
Mike Teevee: Johanns on the air (and a new Kleeb)
Plains Feeder
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Deep pockets
Posted: April 29th, 2008, 5:56am CDT by Dadgum
Keokuk National Cemetery
This old vagabond died flush with over a quarter mil on him in Sheldon, Iowa. After they figured out who he was they buried him with a military funeral.
I wonder if carrying all that money around made him feel more secure than people who worry about identity theft and the multitude of ways you can lose it by entrusting it to financial institutions.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Tony TV: My Opponents...
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 9:39pm CDT
Tony TV: My Opponents...
Omaha TV News
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Brummed Out
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 4:48pm CDT by Ted Brockman
Cross-eyed afternoon anchor Sheila Brummer is no longer a Sux News employee. She was let go late last week.
Well, it's a start. However, until the boneheads running that station stop hiring the inept, nothing will change.
Look at Six's recent hires: over-inflated KM3 retread Jodi Baker, E.T. lookalike Justin Joseph, blissfully ignorant Brian Latham, mop-headed weathergirl Andrea Rich, congenitally idiotic Rachel Pierce (and the list goes on and on).
Compare that list of misfits with KETV's hires over the same period—Owen Lei, Kristi Andersen, Nicole Berlie, Marla Rabe, and Adrian Whitsett—and it's not hard to see why the ratings look as they do.
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Sux 2 B 6
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 4:09pm CDT by Ted Brockman
Read this. Hilarious.
Let this be a lesson to you kids out there: serial bad hires eventually catch up with you.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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A Ruud Awakening for Some
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 3:07pm CDT by Husker Mike
I'm no fan of the New England Patriots, but you do have to respect a franchise that has won three Super Bowls this century. So when they selected Bo Ruud in the sixth round of the NFL draft yesterday, they proved the critics of the Ruud brothers wrong once again. They were wrong about Barrett, who nearly made the Pro Bowl this season. Now they're wrong about Bo as well. Heck, if it wasn't for Bo's interceptions against Ball State and Iowa State, Nebraska might have gone 3-9 this season. Why the hate for two of Nebraska's native sons, I'll never understand.
Many people want to point to this season's mediocre NFL draft results as some sort of indictment of Bill Callahan's recruiting. That may be...but the jury is going to be out on that for some time. This class of NFL draft picks is tough to assign to any coach, since it contained some fifth-year Frank Solich recruits. Much like the argument as to whether Callahan was able to fully develop players either... we'll see this fall just what kind of improvement these players have made, but for now, it's all speculation.
One thing is clear... there are a lot of four and five star recruits whose eligibility expired that never came close to meeting the buzz that was showered on them when they arrived in Lincoln. Were those expectations overrated, or did Callahan and company fail to develop players? Right now, I'd have to go with "all of the above."
Speaking of Billy C, Matt Hayes of the Sporting News reveals yet another juicy tidbit about the Bill Callahan Clusterfool that provides yet more insight what really happened:Compared with where the process was last fall in Lincoln, the Huskers have made bigger strides than any team this spring. How bad was the dysfunction? Consider this anecdote:
Hayes also listed Nebraska as one of his top five teams making progress this spring. Yeah, it's spring practice and it's hard to get a good read on it. But maybe it's not insane to hope for a huge improvement this fall, especially if the Clusterfool was as bad as it seems.Former coach Bill Callahan was obsessive about his offense; he made the game plan and called the plays. Sources say before the Texas game -- and at the height of Nebraska's failures -- Callahan let his assistants build the game plan and said he wouldn't call one play.
After the first series, Callahan not only called every offensive play, he called the defensive sets, too. The Huskers gave up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and lost, 28-25.
Plains Feeder
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Peg-Eye Nate's Really Deep Thoughts
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 3:31am CDT by ptg
Peg-Eye Nate blogs over at The Conservative Cat, and is renowned for his really deep thoughts. Here is the latest from a young fellow with his head screwed on straight:The human species did not get where it is by being passive; rather, we got where we are because in some point in our history, someone discovered that when you hit something in the head with a sharp rock it doesn't get back up.
I wonder if there were any pacifists in his or her 'society' who wanted to Ban the Sharp Rock? As human nature hasn't changed all that much since then, there must have been some cave-wussies that thought the sharp rock was a bad thing. I suspect early rock grabbers' sharp rock bans were to blame for our near extinction 70,000 years ago.
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The picture isn't of Nate. Nate is somewhat more suave, and wears a mustache.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Osborne Frees "The Bobbleheads"
Posted: April 26th, 2008, 4:55pm CDT by Husker Mike
In tomorrow's World-Herald, Lee Barfknecht profiles the first six months with Tom Osborne as athletic director at Nebraska. Diabetics may want to check their insulin levels before reading it, as it's incredibly positive (some might argue nauseatingly so...):Smiles are so prevalent you wonder if laughing gas is pumped through the vents.
Of course, much of the positive vibrations may be simply a natural response to changes from the previous regime. And yes, we get a little more dirt from "The Bobbleheads" (a term staff members used to describe themselves responding to suggestions from above). Read the article if you really want to know more; I know I got a kick out of it.
One rumor that is being dispelled is that donors would send in millions of dollars in donations once the previous regime was ousted. They really haven't seen much of a windfall in donations, though they really haven't asked for anything. Donors may not feel much of an urgency to donate, since the north stadium complex is completed. That'll change as Osborne plans to start working on upgrading the Hewitt Academic Center as well as a Nebraska Hall of Fame. Also in the preliminary stages are discussions for a new basketball facilities, though the basketball facilities must wait for the city to make a decision on a new Lincoln arena.
One thing that Steve Pederson did well was keep the budget in balance, as Osborne feels the finances of the athletic department are in very good shape. That's allowing Osborne to move forward with other plans.
Those plans don't include additional sports. Periodically I hear rumors of the Huskers upgrading their club hockey program to division 1...but Osborne doesn't even mention hockey. He does mention interest in resurrecting men's swimming and adding men's soccer, but he doesn't plan on adding any sports. So that rumor can be debunked as well.
Plains Feeder
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Meth-ican restaurant entrepreneur
Posted: April 26th, 2008, 4:24am CDT by Dadgum
El Chico Loco
Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez, ringleader of the Los Krazy Boyz Estherville, Iowa, gang that murdered 15-year-old Gregory Sky Erickson in 1997 over an unpaid drug debt, received his sentence yesterday at the Clay County Courthouse in Spencer, Iowa, according to The Daily Reporter. Castillo-Alvarez immediately fled the country after his number two man, meth idiot Luis Lua, murdered Erickson rather than simply "punish" him with two severe beatings.
Castillo-Alvarez fled to Mexico City, generally regarded as one of the largest and most corrupt cities in the world, but against all odds he was eventually captured there in 2006 and returned to Iowa for prosecution. He is the tenth and final member of the gang to be prosecuted and convicted.
Back in the mid nineties I was working in Estherville for awhile and had lunch at the Mexico Lindo restaurant that Castillo-Alvarez owned and operated. At that time restaurants owned by real Mexicans were still a rarity in northwest Iowa. Juan Humberto himself waited on me. He was a personable guy, the food was good and the prices were fair. I didn't know he had a pistol or two hidden in the ceiling tile. I also didn't know that you could get a side of Mexican weed or meth with your takeout order of tacos and enchiladas. I planned to go back the next time I was in town.
Sky Erickson was one of a kind according to local legends. In the words of his mother, Joni Ketter, "Sky was really a very cool kid. He was incredibly bright and had this magnetic personality that just drew other people to him."
Too bad the Krazy Boyz were drawn to him and too bad the cops arrested him in possession of some weed and $728. And too bad the criminal justice system tried to make an informant out of him and were unable to protect him from loco Luis. And why couldn't someone have come up with $1400 to pay off his drug debt? This is one of those stories that, if you were to dig into it, would probably reveal incompetence and failures far beyond the crimes of young Sky.
I remember reading an anonymous quote in 1997 from someone presumably higher up in the system, "There's plenty of blame to go around." -
Let them eat ethanol
Posted: April 25th, 2008, 5:53am CDT by ptg
Full stomach or blissful numbness - take your pick
Food shortages? Food riots? Food rationing at Sam's Club? Instead of whining to the United Nations and blaming capitalist greed, American farmers should demand that the world's hungry folks be given corn liquor ethanol.
We make plenty of it, and alcoholism is a popular alternative to eating government rationed food. Just ask the former Soviets.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Thursday Night Beer: Royals to new Downtown Stadium? Or LaVista?
Posted: April 24th, 2008, 6:14pm CDT by Husker Mike
Yesterday, Kevin Kugler of KOZN radio (1620 AM) broke the story that the the Omaha Royals had discussed a new stadium with the city of LaVista near Cabela's at the Interstate 80/Harrison Street interchange. The World-Herald reports that yesterday, Alan Stein, the managing partner of the Royals, started negotiations with MECA to play in the new downtown stadium.
So what's going on here? Well...it's negotiations carried in public. And the media and the public is getting to see part of the posturing that is going on. Nothing new really...this is the sequel to MECA's negotiations with the Mayor's office over the ball park.
Both sides have made some bombastic statements. MECA's David Sokol and Roger Dixon have said the stadium works without the Royals. Perhaps...but without any activity in the stadium in July and August once college baseball season is over, it's not as likely to spur development downtown. Of course, maybe MECA is thinking about another team, perhaps a independent league team like in Kansas City, Lincoln, and Sioux City.
A couple of weeks ago, Stein suggested that MECA's $6 parking fee was too high compared to other minor league ballparks. So I did a quick survey of other nearby PCL teams: Indianapolis $5, Oklahoma City also $5, Des Moines $6. Now I don't particularly like to pay to park...but considering the Royals first proposed a downtown stadium, you've got to question what they were expecting.
Bottom line is that both sides are posturing to get themselves the best deal. I don't think La Vista is a serious option. I'm not sure where La Vista would get the money for a ballpark, or even how La Vista would make it economically viable. Council Bluffs used casino revenue to build the Mid-America Center to lure the Omaha Lancers across the river...and the Mid-America Center has struggled financially. Maybe the economics of Sarpy County and suburban Omaha are better than Council Bluffs, but I really question the viability of a suburban baseball stadium. There's a reason why most baseball stadiums are built downtown these days.
Another interesting dynamic in this debate that no one speaks of is David Sokol, chairman of MECA and Warren Buffett, part owner of the Royals. The same David Sokol who is mentioned as a potential successor to succeed Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway. That's why, in the end, I think this deal gets done downtown. We're just seeing tough negotiations by very successful people.
With rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow, I took advantage of last night's beautiful weather to fertilize and seed my lawn last evening. So I turned off the TV...and when I came back in an hour and a half later, realized I had only missed one inning of the Nebraska/Creighton game. Oh...and "Huskers 13"...
Jeffie over at DoubleExtraPoint enters the debate over Joe Ganz vs. Sam Keller...except that Jeffie starts reading more into my defense of Ganz than I stated. Obviously the best quarterbacks in the Big XII are Chase Daniel, Graham Harrell, Sam Bradford, and probably Colt McKoy. Ganz is going to be somewhere in the middle. Jeffie does use a little different definition of "garbage time" than I originally used; he worked with a 15 point or greater lead. I used a 24 or more points as my definition. His numbers might be a better way to evaluate the two.
What a turnaround season for Dan Ellis. The former UNO goaltender signed a free-agent contract with Nashville after being buried in the Dallas Stars organization ever since leaving UNO. He made the Predators roster in training camp in a minor surprise, joining former UNO teammate Greg Zanon...then spent the whole season outplaying the Preds' #1 goalie before finally getting the nod as the playoffs approached. And Ellis took his game to the next level in the playoffs, almost singlehandely holding off the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings throughout the series, including a 52 save performance in game 5. Alas, Detroit took game 6 to end the season. But Ellis is getting plenty of props, including some kudos from Don Cherry (you know, the crazy Canadian hockey commentator who dresses like Herb Tarlek, minus the white belt). Ellis will be a free agent again, and certainly will cash in for much more this offseason.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Half-baked campaign
Posted: April 24th, 2008, 9:50am CDT by Street Sweeper
Half-baked campaign
U. of Nebraska - Omaha College Democrats Blog
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Tribute To The Fallen 2008
Posted: April 23rd, 2008, 9:58am CDT by Dave
This year, we placed 4,041 American flags, one for each of the men and women who have given their lives in Iraq.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Lunatic Fringe
Posted: April 22nd, 2008, 5:01pm CDT by Husker Mike
Finally, we have an idea of the size of the "SaveRosenblatt" movement: about 1.9% of the city of Omaha. Earlier today, a parallel campaign to recall Mayor Mike Fahey over the plan to replace Rosenblatt Stadium came up a dismal failure as they only obtained 40% of the signatures needed to force a recall election. The opposition to the Mayor's plan always seemed bizarre, and now with the city close to securing a long term agreement with the NCAA, perhaps it's time to dismiss the "SaveRosenblatt" folks as lunatic fringe.
Speaking of lunatic fringe, it seems the few remaining members of the Steve Pederson fan club took a lot of joy over the fumble on the opening, tribute play of the spring game. I guess now that they've been completely marginalized, they have to find SOMETHING to hold onto after their hero nearly ran the program into the ground. But if there was any doubt that the vast majority of Husker fans are glad that the last four years are history, it was erased on Saturday afternoon when over 80,000 showed up in Lincoln for a freaking scrimmage. Jon from CornNation reported that fans started lining up around 6:30 in the morning, even though they were assured of getting a seat in the stadium.
After digesting on the spring game for a few days, I'm still not sure what to think about the Huskers in 2008. It certainly didn't clarify much, other than I think the defensive line is much improved. (Either that, or the offensive line isn't as strong as we've been told.)
The success of the Husker offense is going to revolve around Joe Ganz managing the game and the stable of Husker running backs being productive. I came away from the Spring Game even more impressed with Roy Helu and Marcus Mendoza. I already liked Quentin Castille as well. That's four backs who look like they can contribute. And if Kenny Wilson can somehow get healthy again, that would make five.
Wide receiver is going to be the question mark offensively. Nate Swift and Todd Peterson are going to be the anchors, but some of the young receivers are going to have to step up this spring. Curenski Gilleylen can stretch the field, but will need to improve his hands. Chris Brooks one-handed catch showed he has good hands. With the depth at I-back looking even stronger, I've got to believe that we'll see Marlon Lucky split his time between I-back and wide receiver. If you want to get the best players on the field, you need both Lucky and either Helu or Castille on the field at the same time occasionally.
Defensively, should Husker fans be pleased or worried that a walk-on and a recently converted I-back were among the stars at linebacker last Saturday? I guess pleased, when you consider the lack of depth going into the spring. Certainly, I think the position will be stronger than I thought it would be a month ago. But it's still cause for worry, because that position only went from being a major liability to a concern.
The biggest takeaway is watching and listening to the change in attitude in the players. Almost to a man, they all seem happier than before, and it shows on the field. Will that make a difference next fall? Hard to say, but considering how horrible things were towards the end of 2007, it couldn't hurt.
But even if they improve...does that mean a better record in 2008? Improvement could mean that thirty-point blowout losses simply get cut to single digit losses. In 2004, I knew that the team would struggle with the transition in offense. In 2008, it's not so much a change in methodology but rather a change in attitude and coaching. I still could see a 9-3 or even a 10-2 record, if everything breaks right and we see incredible improvement on defense. On the other hand, 7-5 isn't hard to fathom with road trips to Norman and Lubbock, plus games against solid teams like Virginia Tech, a top-ten Missouri, and a Kansas squad coming off an Orange Bowl victory.
Maybe we'll find out more in the remaining months...but I have a feeling we really WON'T know until the end of September or perhaps the middle of October. Until then, it's all speculation.
A View of Historic Dundee
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This is new for today!
Posted: April 22nd, 2008, 10:52am CDT by Administrator
Basically, I am just me. I enjoy life and having a god time. I love to laugh and so I surround myself with friends that have good personalities and I’m looking for the same in a potential partner. After all we probably should be friends first. I also enjoy spending time with Jake and Bailey my two dogs. (So if you don’t like animals, please don’t apply, insane cock brothas need no apply too) Mostly I love camping and spending time outside, tinkering in the yard and such. I can be found some days in side, reading a good murder mystery. Also, for all of those that wonder……
Yes I know I don’t have a pic on here. Believe me I have my reasons. But I will say that I am 5′9" BBW with light brown hair and blue eyes. If you want to know more, please ask.
Plains Feeder
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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LeeTerry.com
Posted: April 22nd, 2008, 6:00am CDT by Street Sweeper
LeeTerry.com -
Tony: Roe vs WHAT?
Posted: April 21st, 2008, 4:25am CDT by Street Sweeper
Tony: Roe vs WHAT?
Plains Feeder
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Toying with the wind
Posted: April 21st, 2008, 3:40am CDT by Dadgum
Wind Toys
Windmills weren't always a trick on taxpayers. The old relic in the picture was more useful than the goofy wind generators standing behind it.
A comment from Small Dead Animals should make most people doubt the efficiency of wind power and battery power.
I had walked on at the wind's will,-
I sat now, for the wind was still.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti -
Lost weekend
Posted: April 21st, 2008, 3:24am CDT by ptg
A few of the EZ fixes
The installer failed on my Windows XP machine. It took me two full days to to fix it. Bill Gates suggests more than a dozen fixes, none of which really worked. The problem wouldn't have been so all-consuming had I not just bought a new flight simulation package. Obsessed with getting it installed, there was no time for blogging.
What did I miss? More Democrat blood spilled in the battle for the White House. A liberal pervert getting busted. A couple of important weekend anniversaries:
Oklahoma City Bombing - Columbine Murders
What the hey? At least now I can fly my C-47 over Omaha and see the First National Bank building.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Scenes from the 2008 Husker Spring Game
Posted: April 19th, 2008, 5:45pm CDT by Husker Mike
Nothing new about this picture, really. I've seen similar photos of the stadium over the years. Oh..wait. All those other photographs were taken in the fall.
This was a sold out Memorial Stadium in April. Yeah, Alabama packed their stadium last year, but admission was free. This was a sellout. In April. For a scrimmage.
Joe Ganz had plenty of time to find Curenski Gilleylen for a 77-yard bomb on this play. Good protection for the Huskers' returning quarterback here. Ganz even got a star from ESPN's "College Gameday Final" this evening, primarily for this play.
On Ganz's second touchdown pass, the defense got a little more pressure on Ganz. But Ganz still got the ball to Marcus Mendoza, who scored on a 24 yard reception. Husker defensive coordinator Carl Pelini had a great view of the pass rush generated by Barry Turner and Eric Hagg. Interesting that many of the coaches were on the field; they got a great view of what was happening, and were able to provide immediate feedback to the players.
Quentin Castille blew through the defensive line early in the second quarter on this run, and while he won the first battle with Prince Amukamara, Amukamara got the better of Castille when he stripped Castille of the ball a couple of seconds later.
Patrick Witt wishes he could have had this pass back. With :36 left in the 2nd quarter, Armando Murillo picked off Witt, giving the Red squad the ball at the White 38. The Red squad failed to capitalize as the clock ran out when Ganz completed a 20 yard pass to Nate Swift.
But from my perspective, the run of the day had to be my daughter's scamper from the end zone all the way out to midfield at halftime, as she attempted to escape her parents, who were in hot pursuit. With the relatively even split of talent between the two squads, today's game should be useful to the coaching staff in team in evaluating the progress of the team. But the biggest impact of the spring game is on youngsters, who get an opportunity to be introduced to Husker football. We'll have plenty of photos to remember today's game by.
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A Big Red Revival
Posted: April 19th, 2008, 5:10pm CDT by Husker Mike
Talking with Jon over at CornNation in the fourth quarter, we decided that today's spring game seemed to be more revival meeting than football game. After the worst Husker football season since Bill Jennings was roaming the sidelines, Husker fans needed a reason to feel good about their football program. So a sellout crowd of over 80,000 fans came to Lincoln today to see a scrimmage. The game was real for the players, who had dinner riding on the outcome. (The victorious Red squad got steak; the White team got hot dogs.) But for us fans, it was a chance to put the whole Steve Pederson Error behind us once and for all.
What did we see? Well, the game tried to open with a tribute to the Osborne option offense by running an option play to the right, but Patrick Witt was forced to pitch the ball early by senior walkon Tyler Wortman, sending the ball bouncing on the turf. For some reason, I bet that Wortman has defended far more option plays during his high school days in Grand Island than Witt ran in his entire life...and it showed. But at least fans didn't give this fumble a standing ovation, unlike the opening pass into double coverage that fell incomplete in the 2004 spring game. In running a tribute play, Bo Pelini follows the lead of Bob Stoops, who had the Sooners line up in the wishbone for his first play in his first Spring Game.
The 80,000 fans in Lincoln appear to be the largest Spring Game crowd this year, topping the 78,200 who watch Alabama's spring game for free last week and the announced crowd of 76,346 claimed by Ohio State today. And the biggest ovation of the day had to be for the return of the Big Red to the field, showing that last year's acrimony was directed primarily at the previous regime.
So what did Husker fans see?
Joe Ganz staked his claim as the #1 quarterback, though his 4 for 9 numbers were nothing to write home about. Several drops by receivers today. Patrick Witt outplayed Zac Lee in the first half, though Lee had a nice scramble in the third quarter as well as a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
The hype over Roy Helu, Jr. is for real. Shawn Watson has to find a way this summer to get Helu on the field more. Quentin Castille got off to a really slow start, but had some nice runs as the game got going. A bad turnover though.
Of the young receivers, Curenski Gillylan made the highlight of the day catching a bomb from Joe Ganz. I had to watch the play on replay because silly me decided it was a good idea to break out the camera.
Either the offensive line isn't as strong as we've been told, or the defensive line has addressed many of their problems from last year. Which is it? We'll find out this fall.
Marcus Mendoza struggled with fielding punts in a scrimmage where there were no returns. But Mendoza made up for his punt return miscues with a nice performance on the ground and receiving. Mendoza looks like he can contribute as well at running back...all the more reason to consider playing Marlon Lucky occasionally at wide receiver.
Chris Brooks had the catch of the day, with a nice 1-handed circus grab.
Name I hadn't heard of before: Austin Jones. Got lit up by Rickey Thenarse in the fourth quarter. (Of course, Thenarse can light up a lot of people.) But he responded with a couple of nice runs late as well as catching a touchdown pass from Zac Lee.
Was it an awe-inspiring performance today? Hardly not. But you didn't see a lot of mistakes and you did see good effort the whole game. That might have been the most important part of today's spring game.
Plains Feeder
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Midwest quake on anniversary of 1906 San Francisco biggie
Posted: April 18th, 2008, 4:02am CDT by ptg
San Francisco - April 18, 1906
Odd coincidence? The earthquake that shook southern Illinois, and St. Louis, Mo. early this morning occurred on the anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Almost at the the same time of day as well.
The New Madrid fault is believed involved in todays quake. That fault has caused several big quakes in the past. Should one like the 1811 temblor strike today, St. Louis and many other now heavily populated areas would see severe destruction.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Things I'll Be Watching in the Husker Spring Game
Posted: April 17th, 2008, 5:13pm CDT by Husker Mike
CornBlight is going to watch the offensive and defensive lines. Darren Carlson over at BigRedNetwork.com is going to be watching Patrick Witt and Zach Lee. I'm not quite sure, but here's what I want to focus on:- Young wide receivers. The names are known more for their storylines in January and February than during the actual football season. I'm looking to see who will emerge to replace Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn. Niles Paul? Curenski Gilleylen? Menelik Holt? Will Henry? Chris Brooks? Perhaps Jim Rose's joke, Xavier Rucker perhaps?
- Roy Helu, Jr. People who've been watching practice rave about this back.
- Patrick Witt/Zach Lee. Unlike Darren, I'm not automatically handing the job to Joe Ganz just yet. I want to see these two quarterbacks in action.
- Cody Glenn. I loved Cody Glenn as an I-back. We're shorthanded at linebacker. Is this move just for everybody's convenience, or is this really going to help this squad?
- Defensive Line. Except for Zach Potter at times, these guys were pushed out of position most of last season. Can a little weight loss and a little more quickness, courtesy of James Dobson, make a difference?
- Swarm to the Ball. Expecting everybody to make every play might be a noble, but unrealistic goal. If someone makes a mistake on defense, is it going to mean another 45 yard gain?
- Playmaking. Like always, I'm looking for players making plays, not mistakes. A long pass play can be a good play both the offense and defense if the quarterback makes a perfect catch that only the receiver can catch. Likewise, a poorly thrown ball could get picked off by a defensive back who got beat by his receiver.
- Names I haven't heard of. Again, that's half the fun of the spring game is looking for players who stand out. And with this format of somewhat evenly matched teams, players that stand out might be guys to keep an eye on in the future.
- Crowd. What will 85,000 fans at a spring game look like?
- My daughter and nephew. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to go down onto the field to play a little "fuh baw" (as she calls it) at halftime.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Kleeb TV: still horsing around
Posted: April 17th, 2008, 9:08am CDT
Kleeb TV: still horsing around
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Drinking the Husker Kool-Aid? Moi?
Posted: April 16th, 2008, 4:18pm CDT by Husker Mike
A lot of people have criticized me for my friendship with AJ the Huskerh8r... ("He's the enemy", "You're a traitor", etc. And those are the ones clean enough to reprint!) Truth be told, he's a good, entertaining writer, and on a lot of things, he's been right. We both recognized recognized the clusterfool of the "Great Raider Flunky" early on, though AJ enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than I did. And we both took our shots from the "kool-aid drinkers" who totally bought into the whole Steve Pederson/Bill Callahan fraud and refused to listen to voices of reason. AJ really reveled in exposing their responses for their complete lack of substance.
So imagine my surprise when I found myself today in AJ's cross hairs, accused of gulping the Big Red "kool aid". Granted, we don't see quite eye-to-eye about Bo Pelini. I'm cautiously optimistic he's going to turn things around in Lincoln, and he thinks there still are major problems with Husker football. Fair enough. Pelini is 1-0 as a head coach...and that was five seasons ago. He's got to put together a football team from a squad that was left behind as road kill by much of the Big Twelve last season.
Recently, we talked about Joe Ganz and whether it would have made a difference last season if he had gotten a chance to play earlier last season. In hindsight, I truly believe that Joe Ganz was the better quarterback last season. In Ganz's three starts, Nebraska scored 167 points. In Sam Keller's last six starts, Nebraska scored 166 points. No matter how you look at it, Nebraska's offense became much more effective once the unheralded Ganz took over.
AJ disagrees, though. He points out that Ganz lit up Kansas State (#89 in defensive pass efficiency) and Colorado (#73). On the other hand, he dismisses Kansas (#9 in defensive pass efficiency). He points out that Keller played against USC (#6 nationally in defensive pass efficiency) and Wake Forest (#14 nationally). Fair enough. But then he forgets how Keller played against Oklahoma State (#103 nationally) and Texas A&M (#91).
In his nine starts, Sam Keller threw for 14 touchdowns. Joe Ganz threw for 16 touchdowns in six games (3 relief appearances, 3 starts). He suggests that Ganz's passing stats were inflated by garbage time when Nebraska was down by 40 points. Which isn't exactly true. Ganz did throw one touchdown pass when Kansas led by 45...but also threw touchdown passes to give Nebraska a 14-7 and cut a Kansas lead to 28-21 and 48-31.
But when AJ talks "garbage touchdowns," he's got his statistics all backwards in this case. Against Southern Cal, Keller threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes of the game to turn a 49-17 deficit to 49-31. Against Oklahoma State (remember, #103 defense in pass efficiency), Keller threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to avert a home shutout. That's four out of Keller's fourteen touchdowns in "garbage time". In contrast, Ganz threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes against Kansas State when Callahan ran up the score. So by my math, that's three garbage touchdowns for Ganz versus four for Keller.
AJ can disagree with me all he wants, but the statistics sure show that Ganz was the more effective quarterback last season.
But AJ didn't stop there, as he starts setting the stage to claim that Husker fans are going to turn Joe Ganz into the next Steve Young. AJ had a lot of fun last year with Husker fans prematurely anointing Sam Keller as Jesus Christ, Quarterback. So why not go for the sequel with Joe Ganz in the lead role?
Except I've never made a case that Ganz is going to be that kind of quarterback. I think he was better than Keller, but we don't know about the other contenders. I've liked Patrick Witt's makeup and I've heard nothing but good things about his play. Zac Lee is supposed to be very mobile and has a cannon for an arm. I'm not assuming anything. Ganz has the edge in experience at this point. I'm curious what we'll see from all three quarterbacks in the spring game.
Is Ganz the answer at quarterback? Don't know. I do firmly believe that much of Nebraska's problems can be placed on Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove, but that's just a belief. We simply won't know until this fall. Right now, it's just an opinion. Or maybe just a hope.
We won't know for sure one way or another until this fall. Until then, it does make for an interesting debate.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Tony TV: Iraq
Posted: April 16th, 2008, 11:05am CDT by Street Sweeper
Tony TV: Iraq
Plains Feeder
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Bush entertains Pope at White House with harp music
Posted: April 16th, 2008, 6:55am CDT by ptg
The Pope visits the US President
I was watching Pope Benedict's outdoor reception at the White House on TV. Its the Pope's birthday, and our President went out of his way to give the leader of the Catholic Church a great welcome. There were speeches and all that, which you can read about anywhere. What caught my eye was the huge golden harp that was featured in one of the musical interludes.
Imagine George Bush and his staff discussing plans for the papal visit.Pres. Bush: "What kind of music do you suppose he likes?"
The Pope should have a good visit to the US.
Staffer 1: "I dunno. Maybe Wagner? He's German, isn't he?
Staffer 2: "Not Wagner! Too Nazi."
Pres. Bush: "Harp music! Thats what they listen to in heaven, ain't it?"
Staffers at once: "Right. Yes. Brilliant. Good thinking..."
Pres. Bush: "OK, get us a big-ass gold harp and someone to play it. Should we do the 21 gun salute after the harp stuff, or before?"
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Williams Talent Irrelevent in Discussion of Pelini's Discipline
Posted: April 15th, 2008, 5:13pm CDT by Husker Mike
Steve Hanaway of the Big Red Network thinks that Josh Williams talent level matters when discussing the impact of his arrest on assault and theft charges on his future at Nebraska.
I couldn't disagree more. It doesn't make one bit of difference.
Williams, who accepted a Nebraska scholarship offer in February, was arrested after being accused of punching a man, who was sitting in his pickup truck counting his money after cashing his paycheck, and then taking $900 from the man. Serious charges, to be sure, and nothing that can be simply ignored. However, before acting on this case, the facts have to be known first. Williams was arrested, not convicted. I'm not even sure he's actually been charged at this point; the only news media reports I've found only mention an arrest.
Sometimes there is a rush in this country to convict people before the facts are known. In 1995, two Nebraska football players were arrested for domestic assault on one Sunday. Lawrence Phillips was found guilty and was suspended from the football team for half the season, then saw his NFL career end prematurely due to problems with his behavior. And even after his football career ended, trouble continued to follow Phillips. Damon Benning was arrested that same day, but within days, the case was dropped when it became clear that Benning was the victim.
The point is that before rushing to make any judgement about Williams, the facts need to come out first. That doesn't mean that a judgement can't be made until after the trial, but more needs to be known other than he was arrested. Any decisions about Williams need to be based on the facts of the situation. Williams football talent is completely irrelevant in making these decisions.
The student newspaper at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Daily Nebraskan, took offense in a staff editorial at Bo Pelini's lack of action in the Williams case. The editorial is guilty of a rush to judgement and presenting only part of the case. They completely ignored players that have been suspended and dismissed from the program, only to focus on a couple of incidents. It was a hatchet job intended to get a rise out of Bo Pelini. And they got one when Pelini called the student editors to criticize the editorial. Pelini snapped, and apparently treated the editors like he treated Bill Snyder after Snyder left his starters in against a bunch of walk-on late in Kansas State's 38-9 victory in 2003. Eventually, Pelini cooled off and lifted a brief ban against the student newspaper.
Pelini was wrong to go off on the Daily Nebraskan, but the student newspaper was more wrong to not investigate the situation more in depth. A simple Google search would have revealed that the Daily Nebraskan's premise was flawed from the start, and expecting Pelini to act in the Williams situation when the facts weren't known and Williams was still 500 miles from Lincoln was grandstanding.
When Bo Pelini was being discussed as a potential head coach at Nebraska, this type of situation was the knock against Pelini. Not the discipline issue, but rather the "rough around the edges" perception. I'm glad to see that Pelini cooled off and changed his mind about allowing the student newspaper to cover practices again. It shows that Pelini is going to learn from this situation, and can grow into the job of being a head coach. It's a shame that the editors at the Daily Nebraskan didn't likewise reconsider their original editorial.
In the meantime, let's wait and see what the facts are with respect to Josh Williams before reacting. There's still plenty of time to revoke his scholarship, if it turns out that the arrest reports were accurate. On the other hand, revoking his scholarship now would only serve to damage both Williams and the University if the arrest reports turn out to be erroneous.
Plains Feeder
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Claudia Cardinale's birthday
Posted: April 15th, 2008, 3:04pm CDT by ptg
Today is Claudia Cardinale's birthday. I'm just posting this because I got tired of seeing Smilin' Geoff Davis from the previous post at the top of the page. More photos of Claudia can be seen here. The old babe is still working.
I liked her breast best in The Professionals. -
An old boy's foot retraction
Posted: April 15th, 2008, 12:10am CDT by Dadgum
Geoff Davis
From his mouth. If you're a white politician you better not refer to a black colleague as boy; it would probably be easier for a black politician to get away with white boy. Darky would never fly but whitey might. Most likely the offending user of whitey could get by with a lighter, less groveling, apology.
American racial semantics in the 21st century.
Omaha TV News
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Nugget
Posted: April 14th, 2008, 4:15pm CDT by Ted Brockman
OK, faithful readers, now it's your turn to make yourselves useful.
Last December, a Channel Sux control roomer with our sense of humor cut quickly from a taped story to a live shot of idiot loud-talking anchor Jimmy Thiedlecki picking his nose (trolling for breakfast, perhaps?). As soon as Jimmy saw he was caught, he quickly pulled out. It was priceless.
We DVR'd the whole ugly incident, but forgot to protect it from automatic erasure, and it disappeared before we could harvest a screencap of Jimmy panning for gold. So, if you happen to have caught the magic and can send a file for posting, we'll see that it finds a good home. It's so indicative of what a rube Jimmy really is, it'd be a shame not to share it with the rest of the class.
Leavenworth Street - the talk of Nebraska politics
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Neb GOP defends itself
Posted: April 14th, 2008, 9:15am CDT by Street Sweeper
Neb GOP defends itself
Plains Feeder
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I hope he's lying just to get elected
Posted: April 14th, 2008, 7:32am CDT by ptg
Drudge has this example of Senator John McCain trying to reach out to liberals. Here are excerpts from the nauseating story from the Hill.com.Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Monday that he believes the country is in a recession, adding that “these are very, very tough times in America.”
How I hope these are all just lies McCain is telling just to get elected. In my dreams: as soon as he takes the oath of office, President McCain is going to pull off that awful mask he's been wearing on the campaign trail. The real McCain, a cross between Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, will emerge to save America from stupidity, cupidity, Marxism and Mohammed.
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“Americans are hurting today,” McCain said at an Associated Press forum in Washington, D.C. “They’re hurting in the towns and cities across America. They’re sitting around the kitchen table, saying, ‘Are we going to be able to make our home loan mortgage payments? Are we going to be able to -- do I have to try to get a second job? Can I keep my job? Why was I laid off?’”
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The senator indicated that both Congress and President Bush are partly responsible for the situation, but argued that others are also playing a role.
“I think that there’s plenty of that blame to go around, including very greedy people that happen to be in Wall Street today ... like the CEO of Bear Stearns who decided the day before he was bailed out by the federal government to cash in millions of dollar's worth of stock,” he stated, adding that there needs to be “a lot more accountability” on Wall Street.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Sunday Night Dessert: Ganz Hates Recruiting Hype
Posted: April 13th, 2008, 4:59pm CDT by Husker Mike
Joe Ganz tells the World-Herald of the frustration he felt being disrespected in first three and a half seasons in Lincoln. And really...who could blame him? Everybody assumed that he'd be a career backup. A year ago, I considered the idea of Ganz beating out Sam Keller to be a huge upset, ala "Truman Defeating Dewey." Frankly, fans had no reason to think differently, other than some snaps in the spring game. In fact, spring games were the only time anybody really had a chance to see Ganz perform in meaningful situations (if you consider a spring game scrimmage to be a meaningful situation). That's not the fans fault...that's the fault of the former head coach. And it only took two games to realize that Ganz should have been the starting quarterback most, if not all, of last season...
Dirk Chatelain of the World-Herald talked to Ganz's roommate, who placed the blame squarely on the recruiting services:Ganz's roommate, Jaymes Kralicek, blames the emphasis on recruiting, which Callahan initiated. Recruiting rankings molded Ganz's reputation as a career backup. He couldn't shake it.
Ganz's older brother took a few shots at the media and Bill Callahan as well:
"In college, everybody's a great athlete: five stars and all that bull," Ganz said. "I hated it. I was a two-star. I don't know how many four- or five-stars I beat out.
"I hate recruiting, the whole deal. It's a million-dollar business, but I would shut it down if it was up to me."
Keller and Ganz dueled intensely last spring and summer. Teammates described it like a stalemate. But Ganz noticed a different perspective outside the stadium.
"People just gave it to (Keller)," Ganz said. "It's like, 'Why aren't these guys giving me a chance?'"Danny Ganz suspects that Joe fell victim to football politics. Perhaps Callahan wanted to put a quarterback in the NFL and Keller was his best hope.
I had to laugh out loud at one of the Omaha Royals excuses for not being as interested in playing in the new downtown ballpark, telling the Omaha World-Herald that they don't think that fans will be willing to pay $6 to park at the new downtown ballpark. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah... I said it in 2005 when the Royals first proposed a downtown ballpark. Which raises the question, how much thought have the Royals really thought about this? I know they want Santa (i.e. some government entity) to give them a new custom ballpark for their exclusive use, but most of us outgrew that phase some time ago.
In October, as losses started piling up, as Ganz remained on the sideline, "it was getting to the point where we were hoping something would happen to open Callahan's eyes," Danny Ganz said. "If it was so close in the spring, why not give Joey a shot? There should've been a change."
Keller went down with an injury in the fourth quarter against Texas. During the next three games, Ganz threw for 1,399 yards.
Finally, recognition came.
"I think most of the reporters were stuck with their foot in the mouth," Danny Ganz said. "They thought Keller was their savior and they got one of the worst seasons in 40 years. There's not a whole lot more that can be said about it."
I see the Royals position that the new stadium is bigger than is necessary for AAA baseball. Fair point. Being sent on the road for two weeks in June is inconvenient for them. Fair point also. But the Royals have a sweetheart deal with the city currently: The city pays them $95,000 to play at Rosenblatt, they get all of the concession revenue during Royals games and a cut of CWS concession revenue as well.
If the Royals don't want to play in the stadium, that's their prerogative, though I'd expect that co-owners Warren Buffett and Walter Scott might have something to say about it. If the Royals move on, look for another baseball team to come to town. Some might say that the loss of AAA baseball would be a huge black mark on the city, but that's not the case. Even Stein admits that most minor league fans care more about the experience, not the game. So, if a reformulated Royals start were to start playing in the American Association against teams from Lincoln (Saltdogs), Sioux City, St. Paul, and Fort Worth...would area baseball fans notice much of a difference?
I think this is a negotiating tactic by the Royals, playing a little hardball to see what they can get. In the end, I think there will be some sort of professional baseball team playing in the new downtown stadium. Hopefully it's the AAA Royals.
It's been a rough season for the WCHA in college hockey. First, a sub-.500 Wisconsin team somehow made the NCAA tournament. North Dakota got blasted by eventual National Champion Boston College in the Frozen Four semis. And the WCHA director of officials botched a key replay in the national championship game after having to apologize for two previous replay errors by his officials earlier this season. Boston College was up 3-1 in the third period of last night's national championship game when the replay wiped out a Notre Dame goal, ruling that Kyle Lawson kicked the puck into the goal. ESPN's Gary Thorne didn't see it. (Well, sometimes Thorne is watching a different game anyway...) I didn't see it. CHN's Adam Wodon didn't see it. But it was a crucial call that took the heart out of the Irish, and once BC's Nathan Gerbe made that sick pass to assist on Ben Smith's goal to make it 4-1 instead of 3-2 just 35 seconds later, it essentially clinched the national championship for the Eagles.
Can we FINALLY drop the inane talk about a Tiger Slam in golf? Let's make one thing clear: Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. Let's make another thing clear: He's one of many great golfers playing on the PGA Tour. Yesterday, ESPN showed highlights of The Masters focusing almost exclusively on Tiger Woods... who was in FIFTH place. They showed exactly one highlight from the tournament leader. If Tiger Woods is leading a golf tournament, he deserves the attention. But when he's in the middle of the pack, focusing all of the attention on Woods hurts the game by not showcasing the accomplishments of others. I know Tiger finished second in the end. Good for him. But he shouldn't have been the focus of this weekend. The guy who led wire-to-wire should have been the focus. Back in December, he had to withdrawn from a pro-am tournament in such severe pain that he ended up in the hospital. Doctors found a tumor that fortunately turned out to be benign. It took him two weeks to walk again, a month before he could pick up a golf club. And three months later? Masters champion.
Great story. Too bad we had to listen to Tiger Slam garbage instead.
Plains Feeder
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Barack H. Obama serves burgers like a Christian
Posted: April 13th, 2008, 7:05am CDT by ptg
Excuse my unclean fingers
Perhaps Barack Hussein Obama isn't the Mohammedan some folks claim he is. This photograph shows Barack serving hamburgers yesterday in Muncie, Indiana. Note that he is serving the burger with his left hand. His unclean left hand; the hand Moslems use to wipe their butts. Only an infidel, a non-observant Mohammedan or an apostate would offer food to his friends this way.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
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Husker Spring Game will Feature Drafted Squads
Posted: April 12th, 2008, 5:15pm CDT by Husker Mike
Bo Pelini announced after today's scrimmage that next Saturday's spring game will feature drafted squads, as opposed to a 1's vs. 1's, 2's vs. 2's format of the past. An intriguing idea, since you'll see a bit of talent on both sides of the ball at all times. Of course, anything would be better than the starters vs. scout team farce used the past four years.
What this likely means is that most of the time, we'll see some starters mixed up with some reserves throughout the game on both sides of the ball, no matter who's got the ball. Should be good to help identify who's made the most improvement this spring.
Also good news is the weather forecast for next Saturday; weather.com is predicting a high of 64 and partly cloudy skies. I'm sure glad that the spring game is NEXT Saturday rather than today, as it's flurried off and on all day.
It sounds like Roy Helu is making a serious bid to unseat Marlon Lucky at I-back. Of course, there's room for both guys. (I'm still hoping that we find a way to get BOTH guys on the field at the same time. Look at how Florida used Chris Rainey in their spring game, both at running back and wide receiver.)
And the Cody Glenn experiment at linebacker is over. Or maybe it's more accurate to say his days as an I-back are over, as Glenn is making the move permanent. He's already established himself as the top WILL linebacker (weakside) this spring.
Plains Feeder
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Money Honey
Posted: April 12th, 2008, 6:02am CDT by Dadgum
Maria Bartiromo
CNBC anchor, interviewer and author. If you're reading this you probably know more about her than I do. If not, click title. -
Whats it worth?
Posted: April 11th, 2008, 1:55pm CDT by Dadgum
Gasoline - Miracle Fuel
Some small businesses are asking for government fuel price controls. The Grouchy Old Cripple, never one to pussyfoot around an issue, runs it down for those who think oil companies are the problem and government is the solution.
The above image is that of an old gas pump globe from a 2006 auction in Des Moines of gasoline memorabilia. Some day it will all be memorabilia but for now it's serious business. I cringe at the thought of price controls. I'd prefer the gas to be available even if I couldn't afford to buy much of it than to have it priced so artificially low that the pumps would run dry the next time a crisis erupts.
Omaha TV News
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Hip
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