Callahan Wants an Extension & The Empire Strikes Back

Didn't get to check out in person the Mavs beating Bowling Green 3-2 in overtime tonight, thanks to the blizzard. It was a white out drive home, and the only plow I've seen in the neighborhood is broke down. So it was an evening to listen to the game on the radio...hopefully, everything will clear up tomorrow so we can get to see Scott Parse one last time. (Ooh, ahh, more snow than Knights fans!)

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Bill Callahan is looking for a contract extension. You might be surprised to hear me say this, but Nebraska probably needs to get moving on this. I'm still not sold on Callahan, but every other Big XII coach is signed through 2010 or beyond. Callahan's deal expires after 2009, and recruits are going to want to see a commitment to the coach. And in this world, it's just paper. It doesn't prevent coaches from being fired, or from coaches leaving.

In a way, I'm surprised that Callahan's agent is saying this in publicly. I read a report last month that Callahan is privately grumbling about things at Nebraska that I questioned at the time, but sometimes where there's smoke, there's fire.

The cult is rejoicing over Steve Pederson's response to Tom Shatel's column in yesterday's World-Herald letters to the editor. I thought it was a swing-and-a-miss by Pederson at first. Pederson's comment about it taking 52 seconds seemed odd to me, because the Shatel column I read didn't mention how long he waited. Apparantly, earlier editions stated five minutes, but not the more commonly read metropolitan issue. So that line came up empty with me, though I understand why folks who saw earlier versions found it noteworthy.

Pederson's final line came across as exceptionally lame:

"I would have been happy to explain all this to the writer, had he just asked."

Why so lame? Well, (a) Shatel DID ask Pederson's SID, Keith Mann, about the policy before writing the column and (b) apparantly Pederson has rejected several interview requests from the World-Herald.

The whole point of the article is that Pederson has locked up access to the program, and the only person who seems to have much access to it anymore is Jim Rose who isn't about to ruffle any feathers. Whether Tom Shatel had to wait 52 seconds, 5 minutes, or 5 hours wasn't the point...the point is that the media wants to cover the Huskers, and they aren't welcome. Guys like Matt Perrault and Kevin Kugler come across as one-sided Husker bashers only because the Husker athletic department refuses to give them anything to balance it out. If you compare it to a sport, Nebraska forfeits this game each and every day by not showing up to play in the game of sports media. Yes I know that Pinnacle/Host Communications is spending a lot of money for access to the program... but the result is that it leaves a vacuum elsewhere in the media. Remember, nature abhors a vacuum.

DoubleExtraPoint has a nice article about the winter of discontent. I've commented on this before, and my "Cult" entry earlier this week certainly is guilty of adding to the discontent. Inconsistent on my part? Not necessarily; I didn't say anything about the 2003 coaching change. That is over and done with and can't be reversed. But Steve Pederson's recent actions are still open for criticism, whether it's locking the doors of new complex or requesting boosters send him "thank you" notes. Those are new events, and certainly open to criticism.