Today's 8-0 shutout loss in the NCAA baseball regional pretty much puts a wrap on the 2007-08 Husker sports season. It was a pretty good season for Husker baseball, if you consider where expectations were at the start of the season. Hosting a regional, finishing third in the Big XII... all were better than what was expected.
But...expectations increased, and when Nebraska took two of three from Texas A&M, people started to expect Super Regional and even a CWS berth. Remember back then? The only thing that seemed to be keeping the Big Red from a conference title was that goofy tie against Oklahoma because of the Sooners' bizarre travel plans. So losing the Lincoln Regional is only disappointing because people were hoping for much more. It still was a good season.
So now the really slow period begins. We're still about 13 weeks away from the opening football game. Twenty weeks until hockey season, and about twenty-three weeks until basketball season starts. (And no... the NBA still doesn't count...) No sense in getting in a huge hurry to start looking forward to next season.
Someone asked me recently just I'd be blogging about this summer...and the answer is simple. I have no idea. I don't do this with any grand plans or schedule. It's commentary, pure and simple. And for the most part, it's commentary on what's making news. I don't make it; I just respond to it. The last two summers have been filled with stories of administrators run amok...but for some reason, I don't think that's going to happen this summer as well.
I could tell you it's going to be rather quiet this summer...but inevitably something is going to pop up. I'm hoping to hold off on preseason football talk until at least Independence Day, and preferably a little longer.
The tie wasn't due to OU's bizarre travel plans. It's Big 12 policy regarding Sunday games that they end, even if still tied, so as not to interfere with a team traveling home.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Saturday game of the A&M/Nebraska series got washed out, they were able to play a doubleheader on Sunday. The Big XII rule has a good foundation; if a team has to catch a plane, the game should end in a tie.
ReplyDeleteMy complaint about the NU/OU tie is that the Big XII rule came into play because of OU's bizarre travel plans.
And yes... taking a bus to Kansas City then flying to Oklahoma City is bizarre as far as I'm concerned. It's a 3+ hour bus ride, allow 90 minutes or more for check in, etc., one hour flight time, then another half hour to claim bags, etc. Then another bus ride to campus. If they had just taken a bus from Norman to Lincoln, it might have only taken a few minutes longer. And probably had a little more flexibility to get the game in.