Monday, December 31, 2007

As We End 2007....

This post is for me - 2007 for my sports life:

1 World Series Ring that I was there to witness
1 16-0 Football team who broke every record in the books
1 26-3 basketball team that is killing everyone
1 Jays win over Nebraska in basketball
2 Fantasy Football Championships
and well, 1 embarrassing moment on TnT that I'm trying to forget.... :)

Screw 2008! I don't want this year to end!!!!! Happy New Year....but I doubt '08 will be as happy since I'm taking the Celtics and Patriots rings for 2007! :) 3 in 1 year? We'll see.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Jays 0-1 in the MVC After Getting Blown Out

It finally caught up with Coach Dana Altman.

The starting 5 (Dotzler, Watts, Millard, Hibma, Bahe) that I have been complaining about for the first 10 games finally bit the team in the butt. Illinois St. showed how slow and nonathletic the Jays can look if they don't come ready to play with their best players right out of the gate. It was 11-2 at the first media timeout and the Jays wouldn't ever get back within 7 points of the RedBirds. They were playing catch up all night and for the first time EVER at the Qwest Center - the Jays never led at any point in the game. CU was down by 19 at one point. That's the largest deficit ever for the Jays at the Qwest Center.

As noted below - a nation-leading 181 straight games without getting beat by double digits went down the drain.

Creighton can not continue to start games with one hand tied behind their backs any longer. I am not trying to disrespect the senior leaders but this year is about the youngsters. P'Allen Stinnet has to start.....period. He has to play big minutes every night and has to be the No. 1 option from the guard spot. Dane Watts No. 1 option. P'allen No. 2 in the offense. Everyone else can fill in their roles. Pierce Hibma and Nick Bahe are KEY members of this year's team, however they were totally outclassed on Saturday night at the Qwest Center and hurt their team with poor defense and costly turnovers.

PG Josh Dotzler is a awesome defender with quick hands and a knack for the ball. But on Offense - he's a liability. His shot hasn't returned after his finger injury and his spring off the floor hasn't either after the knee injury. Dana Altman loves him and I understand why but Cavel Witter has more upside for this team when they need offense. It showed on Saturday night big time.

Chad Millard......well, I don't know what to say about him. He was suppose to be a match up problem for teams as he's 6'8 who can shoot from the the outside. We have yet to see him hit shots consistently and seems to force it alot inside the offense. He's been a big disappointment to this point.

Without seeing Oregon in person, The Redbirds were the best team I've seen play at the Qwest Center this year. They have a 6'10 forward who hit 5 3's. Their best player didn't score in the first half and then went off for 16 in the second half. They crashed the boards with authority and made the Jays look slow and sloppy. They were deep and extremely quick. Their guards were really impressive all night with the penetration and kick outs. The Redbirds weren't phased at all with 16,000+ at the game.

The 80-67 was the final and it wasn't really that close. The Redbirds were simply better - all the way around better. The worst loss at the Qwest Center ever for the Jays. Worst loss for Dana Altman at home since 1996! We knew this was going to be an up and down year for the Jays....the roller coaster just plunged.

Welcome to the Missouri Valley Conference Baby Jays. You better wake up and be ready to play from the word go from now on since 4 of the next 5 are on the road. The 3 cream puffs the Jays played before the Redbirds did nothing to prepare CU for the speed, quickness, and skill of the guards of Ill. St. It was stunning to watch but it was a reality check that I'm sure Dana Altman will use to whip his team into what he expects of his guys.

If anyone can get this team to grow after a loss like that - it's Dana Altman. Long way to go but the Jays need to get some wins on the road now to make up for that loss on Saturday.

16 and 0....soon 19 and Done.....

Nice Job Patriots. Bye Bye 72 Dolphins....next stop - Arizona. Give the Giants some credit...they pushed the Pats......just weren't good enough....and I was stupid enough to not play Burress and Jacobs in the final of my work Fanatsy league......I won my other league by being smart....looks like I'm not going to go 2 and 0.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Jays get killed at home...

More on this game later but the Jays are about make history - they haven't lost a home game by more than 10 points since 1996. That's 181 straight home games.....LONGEST in the nation!! RedBirds were just flat out better in every aspect of the game.

Bad loss for a young team.

Last Few Days to Vote!

Hey Folks,

The 2007 Biggie Awards are wrapping up which includes the Hottest Local TV Personality Contest nominations. To vote and nominate - all you have to do is click the icon off www.Bigsports590.com. Yes, you'll have to register for the 590 Fan Club but that takes 2 secs. We're doing that to prevent multiple voters since we can see who voted for what once you're a member....plus, you'll get cool emails from us and a chances to win cool stuff.

Anyways, voting will close tomorrow so get your votes in ASAP if you haven't voted already. On Monday's Big Show - we're gonna Recap the year of the Big Show from 2 to 4. At 4, we're gonna announce the 2007 Biggie Awards and at 5 - the one hour live vote for the hottest female personality on local TV contest with the top 5 vote nominees.

Last show of the Year is always fun! Talk to you tonight at 5:30 for Bluejay hoops vs. Ill. St. and then on Monday at 2 pm for the Big Show end of the year show!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Amazing Find By Sipple....

With respect to the OWH - these are the types of stories that the Journal Star has been finding consistently over the past month and why I said what I did on air about the 2 papers in our state. Great article by Steve Sipple

Sipple was sent a link to Bo Pelini talking about how he coaches D at LSU from 2005. It's SO interesting to hear him talk about how he coaches to other coaches....it's an AMAZING listen. Check it out

It's long but if you have the time to listen to it - Husker football fans need to hear it as it gives you a great insight into what you will see next year. I'll play some of the audio when I get back next week.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

HAD to post this....Attention Dirk:

So I've been traveling like crazy...but for all you Husker fans talking about HOW great your win over Oregon was.....they just lost to OAKLAND.
It was the first win over a Top 25 team in school history for Oakland (5-6), the small school from Michigan. The Ducks (8-3) had a 20-0 run in the second half, but still couldn't avoid their second-straight loss.
Sound familiar? But Oakland was 4-6 going into that game!!! Someone send that to Dirk at the OWH. I told you it was too early to talk about how great that win over Oregon was and about resume's for March. LOOOONG way to go. RealtimeRPI.com at 2 pm central: Creighton 32. Nebraska 103. and scoreboard. What to watch for now: Oregon vs. St. Joe's. Who's year will be better....should be interesting.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Jays Rip Arkansas Little Rock

Not much to write about the game except great win again. Easy win again. Dustin Sitzmann played AGAIN. That's 3 straight games for him....that has to be a career high. Speaking of career highs - Josh Dotzler tied a career high with 5 steals. Dane Watts had 20 of the Jays 80 points and 10 of their 35 rebounds.

9-1.....and here comes the Valley.

P'Allen's alley-oop from Kaleb Korver was the highlight on the game. 80-61. Jays are now off for a week as they break for Christmas. Next up - Illinois St.

The blog will be quiet for a few days....I'll write more after Christmas but Happy Holidays to all....be good....

GameDay - UALR - Something to Chew On

I saw this today in the notes and I thought it would be fun to watch all the Husker fans try to explain why they belong on this list while the Jays are No. 7 in the country......explain away:

One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report’s academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.

Basketball Times Overall Rankings:
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
6.Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0

Streaking....

Piling Up The Points, and Wins

Creighton’s recent wins over Houston Baptist and North Carolina Central continued five impressive streaks.
Creighton has won 29 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 33 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 54 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 43 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 14 straight games when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.

Merry Freaking Christmas....

Don't ask me what a Yankee Swap is....my mother spent 10 minutes last night explaining why my family is doing this on Christmas eve but I hope this doesn't happen to our family:

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1062153

Haverill is the town where that took place which is next to my home town of Andover.

And another thing....can you blame Tony Romo for being distracted?!!:)

Thursday, December 20, 2007

House Cleaning Statements

- Jays need to watch out for Arkansas Little Rock. If they start slow again - they will have their hands full on Saturday afternoon. Nice win tonight thanks to the 2nd half effort again. Jays did a lot of strange things with their line up which was the point I think. It was a dunk contest tonight though vs. North Carolina Central. Nebraska won't play with their line up the same way the Jays did tonight. Jays won by 34....NU will probably win by 50.

- Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports returns tomorrow at 5:30 for the final time of the football season for his bowl pick spectacular

- Great first bowl game of the year Utah vs. Navy. Hope the rest are as just as good....sucks that there isn't a Husker game this year to watch but I guess all of Husker nation is say Geaux Tigers! Brian and I are both 1-0 on our pick contest.

- Steelers lose Willie Parker tonight for the year. It's looking more and more like we'll see Satan Manning in New England for the right to go to AZ.

-Check this out http://www.ruinromo.com/ Guy getting ripped for gettin' ____ :)

-Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Dirk's Article Today in OWH

Well, today was fun when Dirk Chatelain for the OWH came on the show to talk about his piece in the paper today. I want to thank him again for calling into the show and as I said on air, I often enjoy his work. However, he wrote opinions today that drew my attention. Yes, he speculated a bit as every writer does but it was mixed with opinion that came off as more hoping than fact. Here on Dec. 18th....it's WAAY to early to talk about the Dance unless that's your primary job.

Example of one guy: Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com....check it out. That was done AFTER the NU win over Oregon. Do you see NU on that bracket? Anywhere? Nope. How about the Jays? an 8 seed. Do Jays fan like that? Sure, it's fun but it's not FACT! But that guy gets paid to speculate on the dance. That was my problem with the article. Talking about resume's right now in a paper that covers both teams is just ridiculous because we don't know what teams are going to do over the next 3 months. Even Joe would tell you that he has no clue....that bracket is no where near his final, actual one.

What if Oregon has a losing record in the Pac-10? Could it happen - sure. An injury here, an injury there....things happen in 3 months of basketball. What if St. Joe's dominates the A-10? Runs the table....has an RPI in the Top 30? What if Xavier blows up too? The non-conference resume for both NU and CU will look different for both teams come Selection Sunday - trust me. Might be better or worse for both....

As for who's path is easier to the Dance? Are you kidding me? Would you rather have your first 4 games in conference against? CU - Illinois st., At Indiana St., At Missouri St. and Evansville OR NU - No. 3 KU, At Colorado, Baylor, then AT No. 3 Kansas? I like the Jays to go 4-0 and the Huskers could be 0-4! The Big 12 is just WAY better than the MVC this year...there is no debating it. They have 3 Top 15 teams! The MVC doesn't have a single team ranked. Their so-called best team is 4-4 (SIU).

The "speculation" was slanted...that was my point for bringing up the fact that Dirk is a Husker grad. I think it was fair to bring that up. I love how people are writing emails saying he "owned me". Really? Listen to it objectively and not pro-husker - I think for every point he tried to make - I countered with a point he couldn't explain. He didn't even use the RPI in the article (Jays are 38 according to Realtimerpi.com. Huskers are 83) ...why not? I think because it made he's argument weaker for Nebraska. He's a reporter, a feature writer - not a columnist and that was my problem.

It was a fun exchange but in the end....we basically agreed that it was a piece with opinion. I disagreed with that opinion. He's not a columnist - that's Tom Shatel gig (who also came on the show and was upset that I preferred the LJS Husker coverage - which by the way never writes about NU vs. CU basketball against each other. Tom defended and agreed with Dirk by the way).

We'll see what happens at the end of the year but I hope we don't see anymore "speculation" articles coming out from Husker grads of the OWH anytime soon. Way too early to say who's non-conference will look better to the Selection Committee in March.

Can't We All Get Along?

A peace offering...I give you Tim Tebow's Girlfriend :)

Monday, December 17, 2007

Jays Blow Out HBU

Talk about a stat padding game for the Jays...110-73. Wow.

How about this - the Jays leading scorer was Kenny Lawson who had 15! 110 points and no one score more than 15....now that's balance. The entire team scored except walk-on Dustin Sitzmann.

Jays had 25 assists on 38 made baskets. They were 14 of 29 from behind the arc. The Jays had 8 steals and forced 17 turnovers that amounted to 28 points.

Record for scoring in the Qwest Center and 4th best scoring output in school history. Fun stat of the night - 77 bench points!! Jays are 6-0 at home...7-1 overall.....see you Thursday night and let's get a bigger crowd for NCC.....still not a great game but could be another fun night for the stat sheet.

For Those Of You Who Care....

The Jays had 13,600 for a game vs. a 2-12 basketball team on a Monday Night.

NU drew 12,100 to a game vs. No. 16 Oregon on Saturday afternoon.....just the facts.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Celtics + Patriots = 2 Losses

So through 14 NFL games and 22 NBA Games...the Winter sports of my home city have 2 losses. Not too bad if you ask me especially since the Red Sox just won the World Series. No City has ever won 3 Championships in one season that I can find. I might be wrong about that but not in the modern era of sports. Red Sox - 1 down. 2 to go.....

The Patriots didn't kill the Jets like most thought - thank Mother Nature for that. But a win is a win. The Celtics are playing without Ray Allen...hasn't matter much. Next up - Don Shula's mouth and the Dolphins to shut up. Then New York for History.....won't matter at all though without a ring. And the Pats know that.

This will be the last full week of the Big Show for 2007. We'll be back on the 31st for the Biggie Awards which start tomorrow but we're off for the week of Christmas. 3 Jays games this week....none of them all that interesting. But tomorrow comes Houston Baptist with a 5:30 pregame show Live from Farrell's.....see you there.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Reason No. 15323

This guy just won't shut up will he? I mean, are you serious Slingblade?!:

"I’ve never been there (to watch a game), I’ve just heard ... I don’t necessarily think there are 17,000 people who go just to watch Creighton basketball" - LJS

"I’m not sure that 17,000 fans — and I hope they would be — are basketball fans. I would think 6,000 to 7,000 are basket­ball fans and the other 10,000 go for the social event" - OWH

You've never been there....but you've heard about the crowds? I've heard that Doc can't run a mile without help...does that make it fact? From whom did you hear this? Steve Pederson? This guy is a piece of work....ask anyone in sports marketing and they'll tell you that up to 30% of the ANY crowd couldn't tell you the final score of the game on the way out the door. That means 30% of Husker fans don't go to the game FOR THE GAME! Just a stupid statement. How the hell does he know numbers without ever being to a GAME THERE!

Yup....mmmhhhhmmm.....I be statin' Slingblade facts....

So this year alone, Slingblade has said publicly:

1. He didn't know where CU was on the schedule
2. Then called the CU game the 17th biggest game on the schedule
3. Then says that Oregon will be the best opponent in the Qwest this year
4. Then says that Jays fans don't go for basketball and he can put a NUMBER on it.

Do you get it yet? Do you see inferiority complex he has about Creighton? Do you get that Nebraska basketball is trying SO hard to be relevant in this state. The program is an afterthought for everyone and that is not going to change for a long time. No matter how many insults Slingblade throws at CU.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Final Tally is In!

Well, after I set a goal of $5,000 for our auction....you guys BLEW that out of the water. I'm very proud to announce that the audience of Big Sports 590 helped to raise $21,505 for the families of the Von Maur shootings. Simply awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who was involved!

100% of the $21,505 will be given to the fund.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Auction Update

At 10 pm tonight - we are 14 hours away from the end of the auction. Total money pledged so far: Nearly $15,000!!! Let's try for $20,000!! Thank you to all who got involved with the auction.

Why Don't You Like NU BB Matt?

Why? Because Slingblade CONSTANTLY makes disrespectful remarks about Creighton basketball. Am I the only one who sees this in the media??!

"I don’t know that there will be an opponent that comes into the Qwest Center this year that’s as good as Oregon,” Sadler said

Well, since the NCAA TOURNAMENT will be played at the QWEST CENTER WITH A NO.1 SEED! are you calling Oregon a number one seed in the dance?? Really? Plus, it's an underhanded slam of the MVC. He'd be better off not opening his mouth to talk about quality of competition and worry about his own team.

Oh - My call to ALL Omaha basketball fans to NOT go to this game is has their attention:

We’re going to need all the fans that want us to play in Omaha to come out and show us that they want us to play,” Sadler said.

So if you agree with me - DON'T GO SATURDAY!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Creighton Has 10x the Program of NU in BB Historically

Today, Travis and I talked about Nebraska basketball. Both Trav and my Husker Fan producer had a problem with the statement that "Historically, Creighton has had 10x the program that Nebraska basketball has had". So you can make up your own mind - here are the stats and this will be brought up tomorrow:

First Trip to the NCAA's:
CU - 1941
NU - 1986

Tournament Games All Time:
CU - 31
NU - 6

All Time Tournament Record:
CU - 12-19
NU - 0-6

Record in the Tourney since the field went to 64:
CU - 3-9
NU - 0-6

Total NCAA Apperances:
CU - 16
NU - 6

League Titles:
CU - 13 MVC Regular Season Titles (last 2002), 10 MVC Tournament Titles (last 2007)
NU - 1 Big 8 Tournament Title (94) Last Regular Season title - 1950! Big 7 title shared with 2 others (Nebraska was in MVC previously)
- Last outright regular season title - 1916 in the MVC!!!!!!!

Attendance:
CU - No. 13 Nationally last year
NU - Luckly to get 8,000/gm

NU - 110 years of basketball - ZERO tournament wins!!
CU - 1/3 the student body and no Football revenue and they dwarf the team in Lincoln in nearly every category except empty seats for home games.

I hope they now see my point. Jays historically are MUCH better than NU. Look at it this way - The Jays have won 13 regular season conference titles since NU won their last. So, maybe I should say they are 13 times better of a program

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Auction Update

Well, I had a personal goal for the Westroads Memorial Fund Auction of $5,000. In 24 hours, we had $6,000. Now, we are over $8,000! To check out the items and to bid click www.Bigsports590.com and then click the button on the front page.

Items include autographs from Kyle Korver, Gale Sayers, George Brett, Alex Gordon, Tommie Frazier, Tom Osborne, Bo Pelini, etc...and some amazing experiences that you have to see to believe!

Thank you to everyone who has bid and donated an item. I'm excited to see how much money we can raise!!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Still Putting It Together

Hi Folks,

We are still putting everything together for the auction that should start at some point today. We are going to have close to 50 items to auction off when it's all said and done. Thank you to everyone who has donated or made phone calls to get items for us. I hope this article can get everyone to open their wallets beginning today for the auction....this is why we are doing this:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10205951

Friday, December 7, 2007

Big Sports 590 Memorial Fund Auction

As I was driving home tonight, I noticed a license plate: "We R One". It was an old plate, nothing new but something that was never more true than today.

At 11:30 am this morning, while driving INTO work, I thought about what was our station going to do help out our community. Talking sports just seemed.....odd. Yet, I thought we had an unique opportunity to use our connections to help those families who are dealing with what happened on Wednesday.

What we came up with was an auction to raise money. So beginning on Monday, the listeners of Big Sports 590 will be able to bid on a variety of donated items online off BigSports590.com (thanks to Proxibid.com of Omaha for stepping up to run this thing for us). There is talk of a live auction late in the week but that's nothing yet in stone.

I'm truly blown away at how fast this has all come together. At noon, I told my boss of the idea. By 5 pm we had the list below and it's only going to get bigger. Remember 100% of the money will go to the Memorial Fund for the families of this tragedy:

1. Autographed 49er Jay Moore football
2. Autographed Sixer Kyle Korver Jersey AND basketball
3. Autographed Yankee Joba Chamberlain baseball
4. Autographed Roger Craig 49er jersey
5. UNO Hockey Season tickets for 2008
6. UNO tickets to Miami of Ohio and Ohio St
7. Creighton Season tickets for '08 Baseball at Rosenblatt and 2008-2009 Basketball
8. Framed Print of the "White out for Wichita"
9. Autographed Nate Funk Creighton jersey
10. 2 Lower Bowl tickets for Van Halen at the Qwest provided by Ticket Express
11. 2 Lower Bowl tickets to Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban provided by Ticket Express
12. Private Food and Wine Tasting at Urban Wine Company for 10 in their barrell room
13. Autographed Tom Osborne 24x35 Husker print (only 1000 exist)
14. 2 tickets to Nebraska vs. Oregon basketball
15. Hat signed by all 3 Husker Heisman trophy winners
16. 3 tickets to 2 Nebraska volleyball games next year
17. Autographed Danny Woodhead Chadron St. jersey
18. 2 Tickets to see Rock and Raquets at the Qwest
19. Dinner for 2 at Omaha Prime, 2 Tickets to Manheim Steamroller and prize pack
20. Free DJ for a night for your event
21. VIP night at Sarie's Lounge of Omaha
22. EMask will outfit your entire football team
23. Schwin Bike donated by Play it Again Sports and 20 rounds at Scores Bowling
24. Husker and Bluejay Rugs
25. Golf w/Matt Perrault and 3 of your friends at Quarry Oaks
26. Bluejay Day with me which includes: Pregame with me at Farrell's. Sit with me on press row for the game vs. Ill. St. You will then get to be on the air with me for 30 min on the post game
27. TX Motor Speedway- 2 Tickets for June IRL, Truck Race. Start/Finish Line Seats and infield parking
28. 2 Tickets to the Chiefs vs. Titans game provided by Red Zone Tickets w Pregame Sideline Passes with Blimpie Subs for the road down
29. 2 Tickets for Creighton vs. Wichita St. provided Tickets in Time
30. Runza Combo Meal a Week for a Year
31. Golf at Shadow Ridge with Matt Perrault and 3 of your friends
32. (2) Private 1 hour lessons (player must be in the 8th grade or BELOW) with Bluejay basketball Coach Brian Fish
33. You and 3 of your friends will golf at Dismal River in Western NE! Plus stay in one of their cabins, then play golf again the next day
34. 2 lower Bowl tickets to see Celine Dion at the Qwest provided by Red Zone Tickets

And that's just the START!!!! If you have donated something, please drop it off at the station on Monday morning at 72nd and Ames. Thank you to everyone who donated and tune into the Big Show on Monday for full details on how you can bid to give money to the Memorial Fund Auction.

Whatever you can bid will be very much appreciated!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

December 5, 2007

Today is a day that I will never forget. This blog will be silent for a few days as we all come to grasps with what happened today.

Von Maur is a store that so many of us have shopped at over the years. I was there just last weekend. From all of us at Big Sports 590 - Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy. And that word - tragedy - has forever changed in meaning for myself. I'll be very careful to use in the future when talking about a loss or a bad call.

Tell those you love that you do today. Such a sad day.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

BCS HAS TO GO!

First, Fox gets an F for the BCS Selection show tonight. It sucked. Boring, way too many commercials, too long, Chris Rose is just annoying...CBS's version for basketball destroyed that show. They gotta do better than that.

Ok - my problems are as followed:

1. How the hell does KANSAS play in the Orange Bowl?

KU is just not good and they will get beat BADLY by V Tech.. They have the 109th schedule in ALL OF THE F$#KING FOOTBALL!!! They lost to MISSOURI!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! This is the worst, worst the BCS has ever done! I can't wait to see the fat boy get rolled. MISSOURI belongs in this game. They BEAT KU, only have 2 losses both to OU. I can't watch this anymore. GO HOKIES!!

2. West Virginia is going to the Fiesta Bowl?

This is odd and I'll have to do some research on this but I thought the Orange Bowl is where they should have gone since they won the Big East. Isn't the Orange Big East vs. ACC every year? OU vs. WV is going to be a fun game to watch yet I thought they should have been kept WV on the East Coast.

3. Georgia is not playing for the title

More on this in a second but I'm glad Georgia is in the BCS. Tough when you don't play for the conference championship but then again.....Ohio St. is. I'm happy for Hawaii as this sets up another Fiesta Bowl-like game. Is Hawaii any good? Well - then prove it. Too bad the Dawg fans will out number Hawaii 50 to 1 in the Superdome.

4. Missouri is not in the BCS.

Like I said above - Just F'ing wrong. This thing sucks. Missouri beat Illinois!! Yet are playing in the ROSE BOWL and Missou isn't!!

5. Illinois in the Rose Bowl vs. USC

The Rose Bowl folks are just annoying. I get history but they are screwing things up with their "we love tradition" crap. Missouri beat Illinois! And they are in and the Tigers are out! WTF!! So wrong....

6. LSU vs. Ohio St.

LSU - belongs in this game due to their year but who they are playing - that's the problem. Ohio St. didn't play this weekend so they benefit from it. That sucks. Ohio St is going to have the same thing happen to them like last year but this time it's a home game for the SEC team. Speed, speed, speed. Ohio St. is in real trouble with a healthy LSU team.

I HATE THE BCS!!!! It has to go - NOW!

Here is how I would have done it:

Hawaii vs. Georgia in the Sugar

Missouri vs. Arizona St. in the Rose Bowl (I'd rather Ohio st but Mizzou vs OU can't happen)

V Tech vs. West Virginia in the Orange

Oklahoma vs. Ohio St. in the Fiesta Bowl

USC vs. LSU in the BCS Championship

It's Bo's Show

Bo Pelini will be introduced as NU's new head football coach at 4 pm today in Lincoln. Big Sports 590 will start our coverage at 3 pm and then after the announcement take phone calls about the hiring.

Big Sports 590 - today right after the Chief game for the hiring of Bo Pelini.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Les Goes Public Before Championship Game

Really interesting move by LSU Coach Les Miles. "I will be the coach the next year (of LSU)" he said to CBS before his team played Tennessee.

Was he really going to Michigan like ESPN reported on Gameday? Or was the report wrong? What does this do to Nebraska and Pelini? Did LSU throw money at everyone or just Miles? AD Skip Bertman has really pulled a rabbit out the hat with this one as just about everyone thought that Miles was going to Michigan.

Now, Miles hasn't signed the deal yet. Could he pull a Saban and lie publicly about not leaving and then bolt? This is getting ridiculous and the media is going to start to lose confidence with sports fans if we continue to report false information.

This isn't over in my mind. You can't tell me that LSU is focused on the Vols though. This game could get ugly.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

If God Were A Packer Fan

Our Favre,

Who art in Lambeau,

Hallowed be thine arm.

The bowl will come,

It will be won.

In Dallas as it is in Lambeau

And give us this Thursday,

Our weekly win.

And give us many touchdown passes.

But do not let others pass against us.

Lead us not into frustration,

But deliver us to the valley of the sun.

For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFC,

and the glory of the Cheeseheads,

now and forever.

Go get 'em!!!

AND I SAY AMEN!!!!!


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Does Bo Have His Pick?

Tonight LSU granted Michigan permission to talk to Les Miles about their head coaching job.

The timing of the announcement is why I find this interesting. If the thoughts of most people in the media and around the state are true - LSU Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini is the leading candidate for the Nebraska job. In fact, the Omaha World Herald speculated that the announcement of a new coach could have come as early as today and the feeling was that Pelini was the guy. Is Nebraska going after Bo hard and is LSU worried about losing him now that Michigan is after Les Miles? We are going to find out now in a hurry as bluffs are about to be called.

LSU fans are going to go crazy if the Tigers lay an egg vs. Tennessee in Atlanta. Their Head Coach and DC might be headed elsewhere and distractions seem to be everywhere. Does LSU want Bo to take over for Les? If so, he's got some serious leverage on Nebraska and maybe he has his pick of jobs. Could LSU's announcement screw up Nebraska's search? Maybe. It for sure gives Bo a chance to look at both situations and see if he would be a possibility at each. For $$, it could gives him a chance to pit Nebraska and LSU up against each other.

If Nebraska was trying to take their time with Bo and look around (as they should), they might have to crap or get off the pot now that LSU might be open in a matter of days. This is a development that I really like because I do not believe that Bo Pelini should be the guy at Nebraska. I want a proven Head Coach to come to Lincoln and maybe Tom Osborne is now crossing Bo off his list. However, he could now be pushing for him to accept an offer before Les Miles meets with Michigan to avoid a bidding war.

Les Miles to Michigan is expected. Bo Pelini to replace him would make sense but not guaranteed. Would LSU fans accept him as their Head Coach? Does Nebraska's interest help him become more popular with the LSU fans as a potential replacement? Does Bo want Nebraska over LSU? Does he have a better shot at NU than LSU? We will find out very soon.

Crazy times in Nebraska and a new story every hour it seems...... I still want Paul Johnson, Jim Grobe or Brian Kelly over Pelini. I'd like Turner Gill over Pelini as well. He's No. 5 on my list....but only Tom Osborne's list matters. Not mine.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

17th Biggest Game Still?

"I didn't have my guys ready to be aggressive, and the ballgame was over." Yup, you are right Slingblade. And you lost because you failed to understand the importance of the Nebraska-Creighton game. Maybe he'll answer my questions seriously next year when I ask about this rivalry.

Yesterday was a good day - Callahan fired, Bluejays beat down the Huskers in Basketball, Missouri beat Kansas.

Now to the game:

The Jays have practiced enough. They have been yelled at, run, worked out enough. They need to play games. 3 games is 3 weeks isn't enough. This is not football but this is the schedule that they chose to play and they are 3-0. The Jays will be 4-0 after Thursday night's cupcake game but then it's to Philly for Drexel and Cinn. for Xavier. After that - it's back home for St. Joe's. Why did Nebraska come back? They are in better game shape then the Jays after playing more games and they picked up their pressure and defensive effort as well. They had the energy in the 2nd - the Jays were tired.

Give the players for Nebraska credit for responding to their coach who obviously had a lot to say at halftime and challenged his team. But the team lost because of their coach. He should have apologized in the post game for not having his team ready to play. The Jays were ready and Dana out coached Doc completely. The Qwest Center is the Jays home and Dana doesn't lose in the November at home....25-0.

CU forced 17 turnovers in the first half but they committed 11 of their own in the 2nd. That's not a good sign. Last year Nebraska shot 67% in the game and Ryan Andeson was 7 of 8 from the field. This year - NU shot 33% and Ryan Anderson 2 of 6 for 4 points. What a difference playing on the road makes.

I'll break down each individual performance below but the crowd yesterday was AMAZING in the first half but REALLY QUIET in the 2nd. I was happy to see the crowd come back to life once NU got within 12 but the game really was never in doubt. 9 points is nice after being down by 27 but it's still 3 possessions. If NU fans feel good about that then the football team has turned all NU fans into people who look for moral victories in every loss. A loss is a loss - period. Nebraska isn't the better team.....and they sure as hell don't have the better coach. They do however have a bright future with a few of their players as I'll explain below:

Nebraska:
Aleks Maric: I thinks it's obvious that Doc doesn't want to play him. But he has to play him because he's huge but he doesn't fit Doc's style. He's a liability on defense and he slows down the offense. He played 26 minutes but 9 points and 8 boards? I really thought Doc would replay the style from last year and really bang it into Aleks - didn't happen and I was wrong about NU's ability to use him.

Jay-R Strowbridge - Isn't a Big 12 player. Soft with the ball and not very athletic. 21 minutes and 2 assists? Not point guard type numbers

Ade Dugunduro - Very nice player. He got a bit windy but he plays great D and is really quick off the dribble. The game was too quick for him as he turned the ball over 5 times and that caused him to sit for a while in the 2nd half.

Cookie Miller - He's a midget but boy is he quick. He is going to have trouble in the Big 12 but against the Jays he was able to get into the paint and hit some circus shots. Good on ball defender and a tough game to handle.

Ryan Anderson - I didn't think he was that great last year and he's playing like it this year. Has a shot but he's a set shooter - in NU's running style, he won't play that much. Fouled way too much.

Sek Henry - Seems like the type of player Doc wants to play. Nice quickness and game on offense. Had a hard time handling the press though 3 turnovers in 17 minutes.

Steve Harley - The Juco AA didn't disappoint. He has a tremendously quick release off the dribble. Loves to go to his right and then stick a fade away. He's a player no doubt about it.

Shang Ping - I said before and I'll say it again - he's horrible. Dirty player in the post and no game at all. He's a body - that's it.

Paul Verlander - roll player at best

Chris Balham - barely played

Creighton:

Chad Millard - The game got too quick for him against NU. I love him at the top of the press but on defense, he was over matched. 1-5 shooting - 2 points? That's not good enough production out a game who should have 10 at least a night. Has to set his feet when he shoots the 3.

Dane Watts - Having a GREAT start to the season but he did play poorly in the 2nd half. 3 turnovers and Dana wasn't happy at all with him. 14 points and 1 monster dunk for the senior.

Josh Dotzler - Josh is going to play a lot this year but when the game goes to a track meet - he won't. Cavel Witter was the key to holding the lead in the 2nd because he could play the fast pace style.

Pierce Hibma - Hit a few big 3's in the first half but he still shouldn't starting. He's a key role player but not someone who should be matched up with the other team's best for the first 4 minutes of each half.

Nick Bahe - reread what I just wrote about Pierce.

Cavel Witter - Game Ball goes to him. He was HUGE in the 2nd half. Extremely quick and great at handling the press even though he did turn it over 5 times. 14 points - 10 in the 2nd half was huge including 6 points in under 2 minutes at a key stretch.

P'Allen Stinnet - He played like the talented freshmen that he is. Coach didn't like him yelling at the refs and picked up 4 fouls - a few in bad moments. However, his posterizing on Shang Ping was the highlight on the night. P finally got the dunk that Dane was asking for and it was a "WOW" moment.

Booker Woodfox - Finally nailed a 3, 2 actually. I think he's going to be a big factor this year once he gets his confidence back.

Kenny Lawson - His line 7 points, 2 rebs, 1 blk, 1 steal in 8 minutes! That's production off the bench in limited playing time. He has a huge upside.

Casey Harriman - just a quick look at him but he's a nice option

Kenton Walker - Again, limited time but a really nice block on Maric in 3 minutes.

Kaleb Korver - ? Didn't play. Interesting. I thought he'd come in the 2nd to try to hit a few 3's as the Jays were ice cold from behind the arc. I'll ask Dana about this this week.

1-1 Dana vs. Slingblade. Next year will be a war in Lincoln and Doc now understands this rivalry.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Is This It For Bill?

With 10 to play in the 4th Qtr - Nebraska trails CU 51-35. They have given up nearly 500 yards of offense already to the Buffs - another game that the D was barely even there. 5-7 and another missed bowl for Callahan and staff.

It looks like Bill will be fired at some point tomorrow. Tune to Big Sports 590 for complete coverage of the Tom Osburne press conference and reaction to the whatever news comes out of Lincoln tomorrow. We will have special programming whenever TO speaks with your phone calls as well.

Keep it on Big Sports 590 for complete coverage of "The Meeting" tomorrow all day! Plus Creighton vs. Nebraska basketball!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Why Winning In March Is So Important

December 1st, SIU will host Indiana on a game that will be played on ESPNU.

Over the past decade, Southern and Creighton have been battling in every area of the MVC - except one. March. The Saluki's have BY FAR been better in the NCAA tourney than the Jays have and they are now getting the reap the rewards with scheduling.

The biggest name school the Jays have coming to Omaha this year is.....Nebraska. And their name comes from football. The biggest basketball name.....Depaul. A game that CU should have won easily if it wasn't for the 20-6 start for the Blue Demons. That's not exactly an amazing "name" schedule. Now for RPI overall - the Jays' schedule will be fine as with road games at Drexel and Xavier combined with St. Joe and Depaul at home. Yet fans want that "name" to come into their gym. Nobody will come to Omaha yet. But they are now going to Carbondale.

Now, I'm not sure when the game was booked or even how it was booked but the Hoosiers are one of college basketball's elite. Getting them in a MVC gym is an impressive feat. The only reason I can see that IU would go there is that losing to SIU in their gym is no longer a story. It's a crazy place to play....but so is the Qwest Center.

People in the Valley know that but CU is still a little guy compared to what SIU has turned into. That is why Dana's return must now include wins in March. It's the next step for this program and the next hurdle to overcome. If the Jays want top opponents in Omaha - they must win in the Madness.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Break Up Sex

Lincoln NE: 38-10 at Halftime here in Lincoln over Kansas St. Pretty impressive for the Huskers. But here is what this is:

Break Up Sex.

We will all roll out of bed tomorrow morning it will all still be over. But for now...it's one more time for fun so let's just lay back and enjoy the experience together.

K St isn't good but Nebraska should be more embarrassed that they decided to play today and not the previous 5 games. 5-6 looks likely....can they win one more? Do we really want to have to go through a bowl practice season with a huge ? over all our heads? 3 halfs of football left to find out.

Props to Joe Ganz who is stating a case to start next year no matter who is the Coach.

I should know to never change my first gut feeling....a month ago I picked NU over K St. This morning - I picked K St. by 10 to win. First game I will get wrong on the year straight up. 10-1 is still not bad....but I had a 2007 Patriots thing going....

***full write up on the Jays game will be up later tonight

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Jays Exhibit Signs of Life

The Jays opened the 2007-2008 season with a nice victory over EA Sports tonight in front of a paid attendence of over 13,000. The Qwest Center didn't feel like it will when Depaul comes into to town next Friday but Creighton fans got a chance to see future...which by the way - looks alot like the past. Running, gunning, pressing.....88-75 win. Nice start...but it's just a start.

Here are my impressions from the game:

Bahe – He has come to play. Hitting the 3. Running the floor. Being a leader. Starting spot is for sure deserving. He really impressed me with 10 points

P’Allen – well, he’s P’Allen. My Favorite Player this summer will be my fav this winter. Sets the attitude of the team. Cocky, sure of himself…2 touched 2 3’s taken. Him and Bahe are the soul of this team.

Watts – Nice first half on the boards as an undersized player. He’s quiet but he bangs and plays hard.

Dotzler – still too dribble happy. Needs to give the ball up more or he’s going to lose his playing time. Can't do the drive on the baseline thing anymore.....

Lawson – He has REALLY long arms. Needs to not put the ball on the floor…runs the floor well and has a nice upside.

Woodfox – seems a bit confused on where to be. Needs to play harder on defense because he’s undersized and will have his shot blocked a lot due to his height

Witter – didn’t see a lot of him in the 1st half but he seems to be able to fit into the system

Walker - out of shape as the injuries have obviously affected his conditioning. Seems a touch confused on where to be. Needs to be stronger with the ball but he has a HUGE base. You can see the potential.

Millard – LOVE his stroke. Has the ability to score a lot and be a really key member of this team. Gotta find his shot in the offense but plays good D and has the ability to alter shots. Will create MAJOR match up problems.

Hibma – well, he’s Pierce. Plays all out, gives up his body and will fight with anyone. Harriman – slow but has a WONDERFUL stroke. Could be a nice, catch and shoot guy for the Jays this year. Nice option off the bench

Korver – he will redshirt – WAY too thin

Dana - well, he's coaching like it's the Valley Tournament. So good to have him back!

Monday, October 29, 2007

A Night I Will Never, EVER Forget

It hasn't hit me yet. The Red Sox won the World Series and I was 3 rows back of home plate at the end to see Pap's final K of the season. Only 1 team wins their final game of the year in the playoffs....and again - it was the Red Sox winning their 2nd title in 4 years. I was there - and then I was on the field with the players. I abandoned Jimmy Motz who was a great sport letting me go nuts after my team swept his.

I apologize that the pictures that I told you about on air today won't be up until Wednesday because I'm in St. Louis until Tuesday night for the Valley Media Day but you'll have to settle for the pics taken by the Boston Globe for now.

As I told you on air, Michael Chiklis made my night truly amazing. I want to thank him TREMENDOUSLY for the opportunity to first meet Curt Schilling and then get on the field at Coors to celebrate with the Red Sox. It was the single greatest sporting moment of my life. In 2004 I was in an apartment in Huntsville F'ing! Alabama. 2007 - on the field with my team. What a difference 3 years make. It was great to meet him as he was so cool to hang out with. Also to party with Danny McDuffie who watched me grow up in Andover was equally cool. We just kept saying "Can you F'ing BELIEVE we are doing this!"

This one was for us - the 30 year old crowd...the kids born in the 70's that remembered Buckner but somewhere knew that we had time for our team to win it for us. 2004 was for our grandmothers, great aunts, great grandfathers who had prayed and prayed for a title and finally got to see one. I really appreciated this moment more and really enjoyed the moment as much as I could. In 2004, I cried as the weight was lifted. In 2007, I jumped for joy with the biggest smile on my face....We did it, again!

Even A-Rod's pathetic attempt at attention couldn't damper the THOUSANDS of Sox fans who took over Coors Field to thank the Red Sox again. It was amazing to see all the Red surrounding the team and chanting things like "Re-sign Lowell" and "Don't sign A-Rod". Red Sox Nation baby....

Let's hope the Sox don't make the same mistake they made in 2004 when they let guys that contributed down the stretch to walk away. The Sox need to resign Lowell to a 3 year deal at least to keep him away from New York and to thank him for an amazing year. They need to see if Schill will take a 1 year deal. Don't be stupid and sign that cancer A-Rod.

But on a day where the Patriots won 52-7 to go 8-0 - the Red Sox won the whole thing and the Yanks lost their best player....does it get any better than this? Well, ok - I want a complete repeat of 2004 (Pats win the Super Bowl for the 4th time) but I don't want to seem greedy :).

THE RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES!!! Enjoy Sox fans!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

World Series Viewing....


Ok Folks - Calling all Red Sox fans....tomorrow night at Hooters come watch Game 1 with us!! 7:21 first pitch. We'll be at Hooters at 125th and Center from 7 to 9 watching the game.

Also - I will have a full report from Denver on Monday as I'll be at Game 4 for the World Series!!!!

Go Red Sox!!! Should be a great series!!!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Big News Coming....?????

There are MAJOR rumors going around right now. Here's what they are and remember - the last time this happened - they all were true.....

- Bill Callahan will announce in the coming days that he will resign at the end of the year.

- Bill will be paid more than his contract buyout to do this.

- This is an attempt to make everything go smoother the rest of the way.

Stay tuned to Big Sports 590 as we will air the Big 12 Teleconference for CC tomorrow and any press conference live this week!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Press Conference Live Today at Noon

Hey Folks,

I'll have a lot more time later in the week to talk about the firing of Steve Pederson but I called for it a few days ago and I think it was the right move by Nebraska. I do think more changes are soon to be made.

However, today we'll air the press conference of Bill Callahan live at Noon on Big Sports 590. You'll get a chance to hear from CC answer ? on his future and A+M.

Talk to you then and from 2 to 6 pm with Eric Crouch joining the show to talk about Pederson.

**my apologizes on the Scott Frost

Sunday, October 14, 2007

UPDATE: BIG NEWS

There are MAJOR MAJOR RUMORS swirling right now.

Just a few that I've heard tonight but again RUMORS!!!!!!!:

- 40 million dollars were given to the University to buyout Pederson, Callahan, and Cosgrove and pay off ALL debt that University currently has on facilities. All have been fired and bought out.

- Tom Osborne will be named interm A.D.

- Coach Watson will be named interm Head Coach for the remainder of the season.....

- Press Conference tomorrow to make this all official......

Do not quote any of this but this is a blog....and well, I can write stuff like this to let you know what I'm hearing....

Time For Steve To Go


Homecoming. Nothing in college football is more a symbol of the relationship that fans have to their school and program. Homecoming is about seeing old friends, remembering great times, and reliving moments of the past. That girl you dated your freshman year. The party you drank too much at and woke up somewhere strange. That final you studied all night for so you could go to the game the next day. It's about happy times. Homecoming games were designed to send every one of the memory-drenched fans home with a smile. Happy with the scoreboard like we saw on Saturday in Lincoln. 45-14. Yup, that will do the trick. The home school gets to pick which game is actually "Homecoming" so you understand a blowout game. See - nobody loses homecoming! Well, Nebraska did in 2005 to Tech but that was a one time thing right? I guess not - 45-14 was the losing score on Saturday to Oklahoma State!!!! Nebraska lost Homecoming and with it another record gone. 20 straight wins over Okie St. in Lincoln flushed. 38-0 at HALFTIME. Largest deficit in school history.

Nebraska didn't lose to Oklahoma or Texas - the teams that Athletic Director Steve Pederson called out on the podium that fateful day where he announced the firing of the Nebraska football tradition as we knew it. It was Okie St! A team that couldn't win on the road under Coach Mike Gundy. A team that lost at Troy this year. I spent tonight watching the entire press conference and a single word stuck with me afterwards: "Accountability". Steve Pederson talked about it over and over again with that sly smirk on his face. "Accountability" is why he was making the change because he felt he was accountable for the Husker football tradition. It was on his watch now and he felt like things needed to be changed. Was the program broken? To him - yes. To others - it was a 9-3 football team. Bill Callahan was his hire. He would fix it. Steve is accountable for what his coach has done to this program. And there is a price to pay for it.

We could list the issues that Steve Pederson has created for himself at Nebraska but there really isn't a point because we all know what has to happen. Steve has to go. If he still believes in "accountability" he knows that it's over. He rolled the dice with the firing of Frank Solich and crapped out. 45-14, 70-10, bowl streak, 2-2 on Homecoming etc...- take your pick of horrific stats over the past 4 seasons. My favorite - 0 for 15 when trailing at the half. We can talk about Callahan's future on a different day but today - it's time to ask Steve to do what Paul Myers did. Time to turn in your letter of resignation and walk away. Now.

I fully understand the gravity of writing something like that. People have called me for me to be fired before and it's not a nice thing to have happen to you. However, Steve Pederson is hated by all now. He has no friends left. The football program is a mess. The Head Coach is probably gone. Travis made mention that the money people are offering to buy out his contract. Everyone wants him gone. Everyone has seen the ending to this movie before. It's over.

As the sign says - it's time for Steve to surrender the title of AD at Nebraska before this situation gets even worse. Name Tom Osburne interim A.D. and then deal with the Head Coach and staff. Nebraska fans deserve better than this. You don't blow every tradition and record and escape with your job.

We are simply holding Steve accountable. "This isn't about wins and losses, it's about 5 to 10 years from now" Steve said that day. And we all agree. It will take that long to clean up the mess he has made of Nebraska football.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

It's On!

Congrats to the Rockies, Phillies, Cubs, and D-backs for making it to the post season. Have fun killing each other for the right to get killed by the American League.

It's on now. My prediction - Red Sox vs. Phillies. But I am REALLY pulling for the Rockies. I love their story and their team right now. Second Choice would be Red Sox vs. Cubs. That would rock too....Yes, I'm a homer and I should NEVER pick my team to win...but I'm going in reverse of 2004 and picking my team since the last 2 years haven't exactly been great for us in October....0-2.

Go Red Sox!

Now That's Funny

Little Johnny was in his 4th grade class when the teacher asked the
children what their fathers did for a living.

All the typical answers came up -
Fireman, Truck Driver, Salesman, etc. Johnny was being
uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his
father.

"My father's an exotic dancer in a gay bar and takes off all his
clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer's really good,
he'll go out to the alley with some guy for money."

The teacher, obviously shaken by his statement immediately changed
the subject and hurriedly set the other children to work on a coloring
project.

She then took Little Johnny aside and asked him, "Is that really
true about your father?"

"No," said Johnny, "He's the defensive coordinator at the University
of Nebraska. I was just too embarrassed to say that."

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Just Win Baby....

Maybe Bill Callahan is right.

Maybe it is a step forward by just beating Ball St. by 1 point when you are 22 point favorites at home.

You know, Ball St. - that power team who lost to Miami of Ohio in Week 1. That juggernaut team that went to Overtime with Navy and that special team that nearly walked out of Memorial Stadium Saturday with a victory. I guess it is a big deal to beat Ball St. because Nebraska is ranked again this week. In fact, they didn't MOVE in the coach's poll. 22nd in the Coach's. 25th in the A.P. You see - nobody saw the game, just the score. Nobody cares how you win anymore. Just get the W - forget the competition.

How else can you explain the fact that Alabama went to from being ranked 2oth to 24th in coaches poll? Alabama went to Overtime with then No. 22 Georgia. They lost to a ranked conference opponent...and SEC opponent. Nebraska nearly lost to a team that considers finishing 2nd in the MAC West a big deal. I never thought I'd long for the days when window dressing a victory mattered but at least in those days people actually paid attention to who you beat and by how much.

The A.P. poll this week isn't any better. Nebraska is ranked No. 25th and Miami isn't ranked at all. Louisville was ranked 18th last week...and they lost. Ok - they should drop but they lost to Syracuse. A Big East school. A school that you know plays football and you know who they are. What if Nebraska beat Syracuse 41-40. You'd feel a HELL of a lot better today wouldn't you? Which is worse - Losing to Syracuse by 3 or nearly losing to Ball St, winning by 1? Sure a win is a win....but Nebraska being ranked and Louisville not means nobody is paying attention.

We've known this for years but this is just another illustration that rankings and polls mean nothing. Do you really think Nebraska is the 22nd best team in America? They were a dropped pass in that game Saturday from a loss to a team that had never beaten a BCS school - EVER. Sure - a win is a win is a win. But never did I think that Pay-Per-View could help Nebraska's national image. But I guess it helps when you hide your performance from the national view.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

1978 All Over Again????

I will admit that I have been some-what distracted this September by football and work. Normally, I would have posted on here a long time ago about what is happening to my favorite baseball team. Often, this space becomes my virtual couch to vent my frustrations. I get to do that now as the Red Sox are doing their best to vomit the American League East up to the Yankees for the 10 straight year.

Can we all admit that the Eric Gagne trade was one of the worst deals that GM Theo the Mastermind has ever made? Worse than giving up Bronson for Willy Mo Pathetic who's Nationals are going to given a parade in Philly after this year is over. Worse, because Gagne was suppose to be a guy that the Red Sox were going to lean on down the stretch to help out the exhausted bullpen. Willy Mo was a 4th outfielder that we thought could develop into a talent and then buried by signing J.D. Boooo. Gagne was suppose to be good. Well, he sucks. Period.

Tonight in Toronto, with the Yankees killing the Orioles, Gagne entered the game with a 2-1 lead. The Red Sox started the game with 3.5 game lead over the Evil Empire and desperately needed a win to stop the bleeding over the past few days. The Sox lost last night on a complete game performance by a guy with the worse facial hair in the Bigs. So the old bald one goes to the pen to get they guy that GM Mastermind picked up for this very situation. Bad move.

After 2 quiet outs, all hell broke loose for the once great closer. The final line: 3 runs, 2 outs and a 4-2 deficit that ended as a 4-3 loss. The lead is 2.5. 1978 all over again? With 10 games left - maybe.

There is no doubt that Red Sox are going to be playing in October but against whom? Home vs. Cleveland or AT L.A. BIG BIG difference! How big would it be for New York to avoid the team that is kryptonite to them. A month ago, it was all about the Red Sox bullpen. Okajima, Delcarmen, Papelbon and company had the best ERA in the league. Now - they are a complete train wreck. They threw away a great start by Jon Lester tonight and are making Red Sox fans sweat every time they come into the game. 2-1 games are what the playoffs are all about and this team looks like 2003 waiting to happen all over again. Where's Bucky and Aaron?

I'll say it again - I'd be suicidal if 2004 didn't happen. At least we aren't talking about stupid curses but the Mets and the Red Sox both can't seem to get their acts together right now. 2.5 games up for the Sox. 1.5 games for the Mets (they are down 9-8 in the 9th). Can they still win their divisions? Yes - but don't ask either fan base right now because they'll need to be on a real couch talking this out if they don't.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Matt O'Brien Update on ESPN.com

From ESPN.com

Spec. Matt O'Brien (left) will see the Huskers play again this Saturday.I got an e-mail Thursday morning.

"I have a ticket for Matthew O'Brien if he wants to go to the Nebraska/USC game. I don't know if he can get back or not. I don't know how to contact him either, but we owe this man more than we could ever pay. This will be the first time a number one team has come to Lincoln in the last 30 years. I would love for him to see this game, so if he can get back he can have my ticket. God Bless Matthew O'Brien."Mike BargesOmaha, Neb.

U.S. Army Spc. O'Brien is a 22-year-old infantry paratrooper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now is suffering from vision loss in both eyes. He is currently receiving tests and treatment at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, N.C. I wrote about O'Brien earlier this week.

O'Brien, whose father and younger brother are also serving in Iraq, was raised in tiny Oshkosh, Neb. He grew up idolizing Nebraska football. He's never been to a Cornhuskers game at Memorial Stadium. Until now.

Thanks to the kindness of Barges, O'Brien, as well as O'Brien's mom (whom he hasn't seen in several years), will have tickets to Saturday evening's USC-Nebraska game in Lincoln. And thanks to Omaha radio station AM 590 -- and the Nebraska fans who donated cash during an impromptu fundraising session -- O'Brien has a plane ticket, a hotel room and limo arranged for him. He's also received offers to meet with specialists at the Mayo Clinic and at the University of Texas clinic in Houston.

You don't think sports matters? Try telling it to Matt O'Brien

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Help a Bro Out....


This is how badly I want to buy tickets at facevalue or +$10 for the USC game. I believe if your some 60 year old lady who is going to sit on her ass and say "down in front" to the people are standing. You have no buisness being at this game. I am willing to paint my self red wearing this, with the cobs in my pocket. Show up at 7:30 am for ESPN gameday, go to the bars, and the game the whole day. I am planning on standing the entire game, and yelling so loudly that I won't be able to speak for the next month. I don't care if the tickets are uppernosebleeds, I want to be in memorial stadium and watch USC get destroyed. So start showing everyone this picture so it will convice the 60 year old granny who is not going to enjoy the game to give me or sell the tickets at facevalue. can't afford more than +$10 facevalue for tickets. looking for 2-3. Yes I know, I would look like a overweight, painted red, grisly bear. But damn, I hate USC. must be in Memorial Stadium.
Can you help? Go to the message board of BigSports590.com to let him know if you can....

Husker Fans Are Awesome....

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to pass along a tremendous story of support for a injured vet from Nebraska who will be at the USC game because of the audience of Big Sports 590 and Husker Nation.

Spec. Matt O'Brien is from tiny Oshkosh Nebraska and is currently living at a hospital in Fort Bragg, NC. He was profiled in a story on ESPN.com this week as Nebraska fans opened their hearts and gave tickets to injured vets so they could go to the Nebraska vs. Wake game and future games this year at Wake that Husker fans won't be using. Matt was injured while serving our country and is legally blind in one eye, 20-100 in the other. Doctors don't know what is wrong except that he was injured while overseas but Matt LOVES the Huskers. He was so pumped to see Nebraska vs. Wake.

Here is the link to the story:

Well, we talked to Matt today on the show and found out that he was given 2 tickets to USC Nebraska by a fan so he could see the biggest game of the year. All he needed was a flight here. That's where Big Sports 590's audience stepped up big. With in 1 min. of the original interview airing - we were getting calls about how people could help Matt get to Lincoln.

We got with a local travel agency that handles JBG travel and set up a fund for Matt to come here. With in 2 hours - we raised over $2000 after announcing how to donate!!! Husker fans who listen to Big Sports 590 have donated enough money for Matt to fly here to Omaha on Friday where he will meet his mother who will drive 6 hours from Oshgosh to meet her son. Matt hasn't seen her since 2005!!! Matt hasn't been back to Nebraska since 2004 - the day after he graduated from High School and enrolled in the military. He will stay in a hotel in Omaha with his mom and get a limo ride to and from Lincoln and get to go out to eat with her on Sunday before heading back to the Fort Bragg Military Hospital on Monday.

I just thought that if any of us are having a bad day/week/month that this story might put a lot into perspective. Our health is such a blessing and to hear about a young man who thanks God every time he wakes up and can still see is a lesson for all of us. Also, it is amazing to me to see the incredible support that people in this community show for the troops and their fellow Husker fan. This story really touched me and Gene at ESPN.com who emailed me tonight to say how moved he was by the gesture.

I'm not a Husker fan but I hope NU shocks the world on Saturday night - and thanks to the audience of Big Sports 590 - Matt O'Brien will be there to witness it.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

DI AA - Subdivision to Noone Today!

No.1 Appalachian St. beat Michigan today.

That's the ranking for App St....in Division I AA!!!! We have often asked if parity in college football was a good thing. Well, NO ONE ever asked about parity with DIAA!!! Last year, we saw teams like Montana St. beat Colorado and Northern Iowa nearly beat Iowa St. Yet today - we saw history. Unreal history.

Michigan - preseason No. 5 in Division IA - lost at HOME to the 2 time defending National Champion of DIAA. App. St. kicked the go ahead field goal with :30 to play. Then, after a miracle pass to get into field goal range, App St. BLOCKED the winning attempt by the Wolverines to win the game. Amazing.....they are the first DIAA team to beat a ranked DIA team. And it comes in the BIG HOUSE!

If Boise St. ended the debate that we need a college football playoff to decide the National Championship for the BCS. Then App St. just showed that good football teams come in all shapes and sizes...and all divisions. What I want to know now is - what would UMass and Northern Iowa do against Michigan? They both lost in the National Championship game to App St. the last 2 years and played them tough. I can say this - they won' t get the chance because nobody is going to want to play DIAA teams if this keeps up.

By the way - it was the first ever broadcast of the Big Ten Network for Michigan......think they will want to play on them again?

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Couple of fun links

Bill Simmons writes a great piece for anyone struggling with the last 2 losses for the Sox against the Yankees

And

This is why the SEC has an edge on the Big 12 - we need more websites with pics like this:


that's Tim Tebow and...HIS SISTER!


Tuesday, August 28, 2007

2007-08 Husker Schedule is a Joke

Today we got peak at the ridiculous non-conference schedule that Nebraska basketball will play this year. How about these GEMS of home games: Presybtrian College (First year DI), Alabama A+M (horrible program), Norfolk St (who?), IPFW (huh?), Savannah St. (how many southern cupcakes can you schedule), NC Central (what?), Alcorn St. (please), Maryland Eastern Shore (never heard of them!). Count 'em : 8 bought wins vs. awful teams!

Make sure you buy your baseline seats this year! The best games on the year will be played....IN OMAHA! (at Creighton and vs. Oregon). How's that Husker basketball fan? Oh, and to top it off...get this from Huskerhoopscentral.com:

More home games means more cost plus the price per ticket goes up $2 each so for my two pairs of tickets that is a $164 increase over last year.

YOUR TICKET PRICES WENT UP!!!! Wow, that's ballsy - even for Doc Sadler.

How's the RPI going to look with those games on the schedule? Sure, Rutgers, ASU, Oregon, and Creighton will help and the Big 12 season will help too but Nebraska basketball is trying to compete with Creighton for exposure. The Jays will play Depaul (home), Drexel (road), St. Joe's (home), and Xavier (home I think) - teams you have HEARD OF! If Nebraska basketball wants to be noticed - how about you play teams that actually have a chance making the tournament as more than a 16 seed. I know all of CU's home games won't be great but they will have 15,000 plus for every single one. If NU wants people to show up - they need to schedule teams that are worth paying for.

Doc Sadler tried to tell me today that he didn't know how many games were scheduled before the Creighton game. He also tried to tell me that Dana Altman didn't care about the NU vs. CU game very much and where it was on CU"s schedule and that he didn' t know the rules of the Summer League. Please...0 for 3 Doc. I guess my relationship with Nebraska basketball will stay as is......not good.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Quotes I like....

I had the chance to be email interviewed by a Nebraska fan who lives in Boston. It was really fun to talk to someone who lives in my home state as I live in his. This is when I like the internet unlike the previous time my quotes appeared in print. It's a two part interview

Part 1

Also - we will have some big news to announce on the show today....Tune in from 2 to 6 pm to find out.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Explanation

Some of you have noticed in the previous post that I removed any mention of my ex-girlfriend from the story on the woman at Nebraska media day. The reason I did that was to attempt to calm down the story. I know, it's a little too late after the comments I made about her on Todd and Tyler (much of it was a joke) but the Philly media was coming after me for further comments about her. I did not respond and did not want the blog to be used as a source.

I understand how some people might call me a coward for doing that but I simply did not want the story to be continued.

That is why I erased the comments.

BTW - According to Sean Weide - the Girl in question is Lindsey Lee of the Husker Radio Network.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Females Have It Tough Enough.....

If you have been listening to my show or Todd 'N Tyler over the past few days, you have heard me talk about a girl at the Nebraska Football Media Day that was dressed like she was ready to put on a show at the 20's.

Females who cover sports for a living have an incredibly difficult job. Not because sports is all that tough of a beat, but because the work environment is unlike any other in our country. It's challenging and often uncomfortable for women to find their place and many feel unwanted. If they are attractive, triple the difficulty because now they have to prove they know what they are talking about and not just a pretty face. As guys in sports - competing is all we know. It's a big reason why were are in the media - to be around competition. Women who try to run with the boys can do so if they prove themselves. Unfortunately, that normally means the line they walk is very thin and one slip can cause them to lose any good will.

Sure, there are other places in this country where women have had to fight there way into - politics, board rooms, etc. But sports media is unique because your peers have the ability to hammer you in front of thousands of readers, viewers and listeners. We can talk about everything about them from who they are dating to who's locker they spent the most time at. Everything is scrutinized because men are simple, small minded creatures and the introduction of a woman puts us into a different frame of mind. Suddenly, men have to watch their actions because they don't want to look like a fool in front of the lady. It's the presence of sex that changes everything. It becomes a mating game.

Think I'm nuts? Think about school and what happens when boys are left alone among boys in a classroom. Then add one single girl - the environment is totally different. This is what happened on Monday in Lincoln.

The picture below is the only picture I have been able to find of a blonde who came into the press conference wearing what I can only describe as a "pink teddie" with 4 inch white heels. It was show stopping. Every time she got up to get her recorder from the podium and leaned forward, there wasn't much left to the imagination. If this was a bar, guys would have been staring and smiling at each other. Inside Memorial Stadium, this was beyond inappropriate.

When I saw her "dress", my first thought was why didn't someone tell her that having your breasts and ass hanging out for all to see is totally unprofessional in a male dominant field. Once you introduce your sexuality to your job - all credibility is out the window. Football players are male but so are most in the media and men all act the same when a beautiful woman is flaunting her stuff. You notice the peacock's feathers. To cover sports, you must understand your place. Women have every right to wear what they want to work but don't blame us when we don't take you seriously as a media member.

Am I objectfying this woman? Sure, but I think she wanted to be seen as an object the second that dress went on. It's biological.

ESPN understands this completely. Look at their anchors - they all look like your mother (See Linda Cohn). Plain. Boring. Not ugly but not exactly Pamela Anderson. Anchors deliver the sports news to mostly men every night. Straight forward information. Then look at their reporters. Nearly all are attractive but they tell stories and can use their attractiveness to their advantage when needed (see Wendy Nix). Finally, the sideline reporter. This is where sex comes in big time because you get 20 seconds of air time and you must be noticeable to the male eye. Beautiful women do the trick (See Erin Andrews). Men are simple and easy to figure out - especially what we like to look at.

Now, tell me a sports writer that you know that is a beautiful woman? They are out there but they don't flaunt it. How about a sports talk show host? They are a few there too but they often go for TV if they have a good voice. If you have the looks, you go for the medium that you will be the most successful in. There is nothing wrong with using your good looks to your advantage as long as you understand how to use it. Inappropriate attire on one day ruins your reputation for a long time.

If your daughter is thinking about going into sports media - lesson number 1 should be "Learn How To Dress". If she doesn't, don't get upset at what others say about her in the media because we will look - see - and talk about it publicly.





Sorry, a backshot is all I could find......and we don't know who she is except that she isn't a student.

Monday, July 30, 2007

First The Red Sox...Now The Celtics?

As a life-long fan of all things Bostonian, today was a special, special day. Bill Simmons writes a lot better than I do - so everyone should read this. However, I want to say a few words.

For my entire life....I mean my ENTIRE life - I looked at the Red Sox winning the World Series as my ultimate sports goal. After it happened, on the cold October night watching in Alabama on TV with my then-girlfriend, I thought everything was right in the world. It was a moment the nation would remember. The Red Sox are something unique in the sports world with a fanbase that lives and dies with every game. Only the Cubs have a fan base that can understand the pains that come with loving a sports franchise that had been historically deformed. All that changed in 2004 and the city no longer had a pernial loser to feel sorry for. After the last few years of basketball in Boston, we have felt the pain of losing again thanks to the Celtics...a team that used to raise banners consistently.

And now to the news today....somehow the Boston Celtics are on the verge of trading for Center Kevin Garnett. In 1986, the last time the Celtics won a Championship, I was 9 years old. My uncle used to take me to the Boston Garden to watch games. The seats were directly behind the basket - a great few to watch the brillance of Bird, McHale, and Parrish - 3 Hall of Famers. Now, we are looking at the next Big 3 - 21 years later. Maybe not 3 Hall of Famers but Pierce, Allen, and Garnett will be very tough to handle....How good will they be? We will see but that' s why we are so excited because we get to for basically 1 player...Al Jefferson. The rest - just like the players in the deal for Ray Allen...WHO CARES! It's KEVIN GARNETT!! Hall of Famer! Are you really worried about S. Telfair going to the T-wolves??? How bout Gerald Green or a mid-20's 1st round pick in 2008?

21 years between championships.....it's not 86 years like the Red Sox but it's still a long time for this 30 year old. Bias, Lewis, Lottery ping bong balls, Pitino etc....all negative things. It's been too long since there has been something good to talk about with the Celtics and we have.....wait for it.....DANNY AINGE to thank for it. But maybe that's not the right train of thought....maybe Simmons is right....maybe we should thank Kevin McHale for this day. Regardless, it's a day to celebrate. The Eastern Conference is very weak and if the Cavs can get to the Finals without a second star....look out. 2004 was amazing but sometimes it's harder to experience losing after winning....winning 16 championships! The Celtics have stood as one of the greatest sports franchises ever. Bird, Cousey, Heinson, Russell, Johnson, Parrish, McHale, Roberson, and many others who built the franchise deserve to see the glory restored.

Celtic Pride baby.....Celtic Pride once again.