Thursday, May 08, 2008

Thursday Night Beer: Make That 25 Years for the CWS

The NCAA finally signed a Memorandum of Understanding ... and the big news was that it was for 25 years, instead of just 20 years. So score yet another victory for the Mayor and the City, as the College World Series is now assured to stay in Omaha until 2035. That's huge.

Many people still cling to the belief that the NCAA didn't want a new stadium...well, read the details and start doing the math. The new stadium provides additional revenue streams from parking (remember the Qwest Center has OVER TWICE as many parking spaces as Rosenblatt, despite the misinformation that's run rampant), and premium seating (skyboxes and club seating) fees that simply didn't exist at Rosenblatt, and likely wouldn't without a more expensive retrofit.

And the folks complaining about the increased hotel taxes were probably shocked to learn that Nebraska ranked as the second most affordable vacation spot in the country when you look at hotel and meal costs. Yeah, that extra buck at the Super 8 is going to scare people away.

Last weekend, I caught the Columbus Telegram's video of Bo Pelini speaking at a Chamber banquet (via CornNation.com). Good stuff. We all wondered how Bo Pelini would do on the rubber chicken circuit, and he passed with flying colors. Tonight, he packed them in at the St. Pius X/St. Leo's Sports Night with a record crowd.

On the other hand, I caught the Spring Game wrap-up of the Bo Pelini show, and had to wonder about him. Perhaps this show was taped too early in the morning, or after he'd spent too much time looking at film, because he made Tom Osborne look like Robin Williams. We knew he'd be rough around the edges.

Damn that AJ. He took a shot at EverydayShouldBeSaturday earlier this week, so I thought I'd check in with GatorNation... And what do I find but a YouTube retrospective of that 19-0 Debacle in the Desert in 1996. Uggg. Myself and 35,000 fellow Husker fans packed Sun Devil Stadium, only to watch the Huskers bumble their way to three safeties. What a miserable night that was; 98 degrees at kickoff in the "House of Heat" and Nebraska bungling things on offense as if Bill Callahan was already in charge.

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