Some Random Links

Womens Sand Volleyball.  Bikinis.  Rachael Schwartz of Nebraska.  Yup, that was an event that I should have gone to last night at the Qwest Center.

According to this blog, P'Allen Stinnet of Creighton is tied for the most technical fouls in his 2 years at Creighton over the past 2 seasons.  This isn't the type of stat Head Coach Dana Altman likes a player to lead the country in.

Is it just me, or do we in Omaha really like buildings colored silver and blue?  

It's funny how many Omaha Cubs blogs have pop'd up since the sale to the Ricketts family of the big club but this is a good one to follow the story

If you are going to rip on me on a message board, can't you at least spell my name right? 

Looking for some fun eye candy....this girl should do the trick.  She is also from the ABC reality show that nobody watches about beauty

Big 12 Counter:  2-4.  As I stated before...those last 3 conference games were going to be L's and tonight Nebraska has a desperate Texas Tech team on the road to face.  Must win game?  For both.

Rest of the Way

This year has been so messed up that I thought it would be fun to see if I could predict the rest of the season for CU and then see how close I get.  I expect to be dead wrong but here goes:

01-27		Indiana St.            W
02-01		Missouri State      W
02-04	at	Drake                   L
02-08	at	Northern Iowa      W
02-11		Bradley                 W
02-14	at	Southern Ill.           L
02-17		Evansville             W
02-24	at	Missouri State      W
02-28		Illinois St.              L

Final Record in the Valley:  11-7  probably 3rd or 4th place.  Not what people expected for sure but something to build on for next year.  If they win their Bracketbuster game (TBD), they would wind up with 22 wins 9 losses.  Not a resume for an at large bid but probably good enough for 1 home game in the NIT.  In fact, Ken Pom as the same prediction for a record.  All records continued...but not where the fans had hoped to see this team this year.  

Is the Pressure Getting To Creighton?

Choking?  Wilting under the pressure of high expectation? Maybe.

The Qwest Center is one of the most beautiful buildings in the country for college basketball.  The city of Omaha has flocked to the arena for Bluejay basketball games like nowhere else in the Missouri Valley Conference or most places in the country for that matter.  You have to ask though - after the past 3 home games - are the large crowds becoming a pressure cooker for these young Jays?  You could see in their eyes today....they looked scared as things slipped away.  You could almost feel their disappointment as they knew they were letting everyone down.  

17,100+ people were at the game today - that's a lot of eyes on a struggling team.  It leads to a lot of cheering and loving on when you win...and a lot of attention around town.  But the stage is large and the expectations are growing with the crowds.....when you pay hard earned money to watch basketball - people want to watch a winner.  Omaha doesn't like to watch losing....and they hate to watch a team that doesn't appear to understand how to do the little things.  

Now, the Jays are still a good team and Coach Altman didn't forget how to run his program but these young players are beginning to fall apart at home when pressed.  The players want it too much.  They are trying too hard to be the hero going 1 on 5.  The fans are awesome but these players might not have the make-up to mentally handle all the attention that comes with 17,000+ a night.  Those are NBA type attendance numbers for players that play in an NBA type-arena.  Unfortunately for CU - they don't have any NBA type players on their roster.  

The Drake game today was just another example of this team not being tough enough.  Killed on the boards, killed on 50-50 balls and forced to play Drake's style of game in 2nd half.  The Jays were pushed around at home again and if it wasn't for a miracle win against SIU in overtime - Creighton would be in the middle of their first ever 3 game losing streak at Qwest Center Omaha.  Let's see what happens on Tuesday night but the fans are restless after this loss.  They want to watch a winner and right now, they don't know what they are going to see night to night.  Scarely, I don't think Coach Altman does either.

Jays are 2-2 at home in Valley play.  3-2 on the road.  It's been that kind of year.  Makes no sense.

Big 12 Counter - 2-3.  Doc Sadler had his first Dana Altman-NIT-Chase the refs off the court moment today in Lincoln.  2 point overtime loss to Okie St but what made him flip was a non-call on a intentionally missed FT by Ryan Anderson.  Doc thought there should have been a foul called....but there was a lot contact on both sides.  It was a good non-call.  Cowboys win.  Kansas up next.  I said the next 3 will tell you a lot - 0-2 and here comes KU.

Great Story

Got this story sent to me via email:

KURTIS THE STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voicecame over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he wasonly 22) and he fell in love.Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to findout her name.

She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her cardand punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out onlyto see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.

That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us."She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids.So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?

Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a first-in-franchise-history Super Bowl win!

Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

He has also been the NLF's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl XXXVI's MVP

Both Nebraska Teams Impress

I haven't had much time to write about the Jays win over Evansville but as I said on the air tonight.....If Kenny Lawson comes to play - the Jays are a very good team. If he doesn't - they are very average. Big win on the road....30 point lead at one point....next up - Drake. Drake, got killed tonight by Missouri St. (It was a very weird night in the Valley as Wichita beat Ill. St! and UNI nearly got beat by Bradley). Jays will see a pissed off Drake team Saturday afternoon.

Big 12 Counter - 2-2. The Huskers showed a lot of heart tonight against a much better Oklahoma team tonight. Sure, it got away from them at the end and it got a little chippy with Blake Griffin but overall - nice effort.  

The Huskers luckily didn't play new post player Brian Diaz....however let's see what happens on Saturday.  He does not need to play this year...period.  It's wrong for him and selfish of Nebraska if he does play.