Heat Wave Thoughts

We're officially in the dog days of summer... the College World Series is over, as are the Stanley Cup Finals. College football is still 8 weeks away. Not much to talk about now... CornBlight over at CornNation has declared July the "Month of Corn" since there really isn't much else to blog about yet. Speaking of which, I'll be contributing a bit to CornNation as well. This blog won't be going away, but I'm not sure how the two are going to balance each other out just yet. My guess is you'll see some cross-posting and a little cross-promotion, much like my response to the FireMarkMay blog's summer roundtable.

Today's Omaha World-Herald had a couple of interesting articles to read. First one was on Tampa Bay Devil Rays' all-star outfielder Carl Crawford. Many people don't know that Crawford was Frank Solich's first quarterback recruit:

Crawford can stretch singles into doubles and chase down line drives in the gap. Football, though, still feels more natural to him. It's more instinctive, more reliant on athleticism.

His senior year of high school, the 6-foot-2 lefty rushed for 1,200 yards. He also averaged 25 points on the basketball court, drawing interest from UCLA.

"He just had speed and athleticism," said Gill, the former Nebraska quarterbacks coach, in 2000. "Those two qualities right there, they jumped off the tape."

Nebraska's tradition and coaching staff jumped out at Crawford. Head coach Frank Solich came to Houston during recruiting and ate with his family.

"None of the other coaches had done that," Crawford said.

Hard to argue that Crawford isn't one talented athlete, and that his decision to take the millions of dollars from Tampa wasn't the right one. But you do have to wonder what might have happened if Crawford had shown up in Lincoln in the fall of 1999. Ah...if only, if only...

The new management of the Omaha Royals made an ill-advised attempt to revive their plan for a Royals-only stadium downtown in today's paper, suggesting that the cost difference between the "Replace Rosenblatt" and "Renovate Rosenblatt" options should be given to the Royals for a new downtown ballpark. Talk about chutzpah!

First of all, if there is any money to be saved by renovating Rosenblatt, it will be mostly because the city WON'T be repairing many of Rosenblatt's infrastructure issues at that time. That $25 million dollar estimate doesn't begin to touch the dilapidated infrastructure that will need to be addressed at some point. Siphoning that money over to a minor league ballpark would be an irresponsible act by the city as far as I'm concerned.

Spending the money on the College World Series is a no-brainer in my book. A 2003 study found that the CWS had a $34 million dollar economic impact on the city each year. A 2005 study showed that a minor league ballpark would only have a $9 million dollar impact annually. The only question is whether or not we spend $25 million now (and potentially $30-$40 million in several more years) on Rosenblatt, or if we invest the money in a new ballpark downtown.

Once we figure out the right answer to the CWS, we can look at the Royals situation. However, that $9 million of economic impact is going to make it very difficult to justify the expense of a new minor-league ballpark.

In the meantime, I'll have to keep an eye on my Cubbies. I haven't had much to get excited about since that ill-fated game 6 in 2003. I had to take the dog for a walk in the 7th inning, as I wanted to get back in time to watch the Cubs celebrate making the World Series. We all know how well THAT worked out. But Pinella certainly has them playing better, getting all Cub fans hopes up one more time.

Summer of 2007 better for UNO

What a difference a year makes...at least for UNO. Last year, UNO athletics was reeling from a triple shot of the NCC's demise, budget deficits, and graft and corruption by the chancellor and vice chancellor.

A year later, UNO finds their division 2 programs in the MIAA. The football team is getting a new look with improved uniforms. The hockey program is making an aggressive push to grow the ticket base. And all new management has taken over, with a new athletic director serious about righting the wrongs of the past few years.

Specifically, he has a five point plan to restore UNO hockey as the flagship of the Maverick athletic department:

1. Re-engage members of the Blue Line Club. Reach out to current members and lapsed members to get membership back to the 2,000 member level.
   
2. Engage Aksarben Knights ticketholders and sponsors by enlisting the Knights organization.
   
3. Engage the Media -- print, TV, and radio.
   
4. Create and enhance the collegiate game atmosphere. Enlist the students and Red Army, and regular fans. He met with the Band Director and the band will have a different look, sound, and location this year.
5. Improve in the ticket office, marketing, and sports information office.

Yes, at this point, it's all talk. But it's positive talk, and all good ideas to revitalize the hockey program, which will serve as a foundation for all of the other sports at UNO.

Other news from the Mavs is the departure of assistant Doc Delcastillo as Alaska-Fairbanks new head coach and the hiring of Nick Fohr as replacement. I have mixed emotions on the departure of Delcastillo. On one hand, Doc helped bring some great talent to UNO. Guys like all-American Scott Parse (who apparantly is going to sign any day now with the LA Kings, much to my surprise) and Bill Thomas of the Phoenix Coyotes. But at the same time, while UNO has been a speedy offensive powerhouse, they've found themselves undersized and been overpowered by teams like Boston University. Furthermore, you've gotten a feeling that something just wasn't right with the Mavs in recent years. AJ points towards Mike Kemp, but the whispers around the program pointed more towards disatisfaction towards Delcastillo.

The promotion of Nick Fohr looks like a winner at this point. Fohr skated for the Mavs from 1998 to 2002, and has spent the last three years as director of hockey operations. I don't know whether Fohr is ok, decent, or great coach at this point. What it does bring is a sense of tradition to a young program. When you look at Nebraska football, the tradition of former players contributing to the program meant a sense of continuity, bringing a passion to the program. Now UNO hockey now can follow that tradition.

I don't know what caused UNO to play out-of-sync the last couple of years, or whether Delcastillo should shoulder any of the blame. But Fohr's promotion has the opportunity to breath new life into the program, much like the new administration seems to be breathing new life into the athletic department.

Watching the Big Ten Network Crash and Burn

Seems the Big Ten is joining the NFL in learning that there are limits to how far you can push your premiere product to drive revenue. The NFL Network is still struggling for placement on cable systems, as cable providers resist paying over $8 a year for each subscriber. Now, the Big Ten conference is now adding the University of Hard Knocks as cable companies thumb their noses at their new TV network. The lack of progress in getting the Big Ten Network on cable systems have led Weasel fans to turn to Congress to look into the situation.

Seems the Big 10 has an even grander view of themselves than the NFL, as the Big Ten Network intends to charge cable companies (and therefore, you) $1.10 a month if you live in Big Ten territory. That's over $13 a year. And like the NFL, they insist that this be on basic cable so that all customers have to pay, not just sports fans. Big Ten commissioner explains their position:

"Millions of Big Ten fans who already pay their basic cable bill would expect this to be included. If they choose to put it on a sports tier -- I call that a tax."

Oh, and where will the cable company get the $13 annual fee for each subscriber? Simple...raise rates. That's your tax right there.

I have no doubt that eventually the Big Ten Network can eventually be a success...but not with this business model. Battling with cable companies only means fans are losers. In the end, networks like the Big Ten's will struggle until cable companies find a way to increase capacity and go to ala-carte models to allow you to pick and choose your programming choices. Personally, I'd gladly trade off Lifetime, MTV, and Faux News for the NFL Network. But right now my cable company doesn't give me that option...and I don't see it happening anytime soon.

In the meantime...sports fans are the losers in this war.

Recruiting Update & Other Potporri

I've commented before on college recruiting spinning out of control. Today brings more proof with Ryan Boatwright's verbal commitment to USC's basketball team. No big deal; kids commit every day.

Not 14 year olds.

Not 8th graders who haven't even decided where to go to high school.

That's right... USC basketball coach Tim Floyd offered a college scholarship to an 8th grader... and the 8th grader accepted. What's worse? This is the SECOND verbal commitment Floyd has received from an 8th grader.

I'm not sure how we get recruiting under control, but I have a few thoughts. One, no longer allow for verbal scholarship offers, but rather allow coaches to extend written scholarship offers at any time. Even 2 year olds, but with one caveat. Once a scholarship is offered, it can not be rescinded unless the prospect rejects it. Coaches will think long and hard before offering scholarships if they have to live with that decision for years.

A lot of opinions are shifting to the "Save Rosenblatt" side during the College World Series, and the emotional attachment is certainly understandable. But make no bones about it...at some point somebody is going to push the issue about moving the College World Series from Omaha. Mayor Fahey isn't trying to destroy Rosenblatt, but he recognizes the long term threat. That's why Omaha must make a significant commitment to the College World Series in order to extract a long term commitment from the NCAA. Remember it isn't the stadium so much as the event.

Meanwhile, after last summer's summer of discontent at UNO, Maverick athletics are finally starting to turn the corner. Tonight, the MIAA voted to admit UNO, giving the Mavs a home for their division 2 sports. Granted, there are still issues with division 2, but by aligning with the one of the bigger D-2 conferences, it's the best move for now. If D-2 continues to implode, the MIAA schools will start looking towards D-1 in the future, and by that time, UNO should be in a better position to pursue division 1.

As for UNO's division 1 hockey program, more good news courtesy of Mavpuck.com. New athletic director David Miller has a five point plan to engage fans, boosters, and the media. Not to mention replace the lounge lizards with a real pep band. Add to that the new pricing for UNO hockey tickets, you can feel the momentum finally swinging back.

The Civic Lives on to haunt UNO Hockey

The long awaited study on the future of Omaha's Civic Auditorium has finally finished the initial phase with a mixed message. On one hand, the physical plant apparantly is still in good shape for another 25 or 30 years, leading Mayor Mike Fahey to tell the Omaha World-Herald that it's going to be spared the wrecking ball for now.

However, on the other hand, the future business prospects for the Civic have never looked so bleak. The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights have already fled town, and the Omaha Beef indoor football team have apparantly alienated their fan base, with attendance dropping 75% in recent weeks. Creighton is looking to bring women's basketball and volleyball back on campus. And the Civic needs about $15 million to retrofit the modern amenities into the arena.

So here comes the inevitable proposal to move UNO hockey back from the Qwest Center to the Civic.

My take:

It will take a lot to make the idea of returning Maverick Hockey back inside the snot-covered walls of the Civic palatable. Suites help. Club seating might be nice. Video replay boards would definitely help. And expanding the restrooms, concourses, and concession stands would be nice as well.

But it's still a 53 year old building that I still think Nebraska-Omaha's hockey program has outgrown. Many will disagree with that opinion. They remember the sightlines of the old barn. They remember the noise level of Tuesday night. They point out the sellouts in 2006 when UNO was forced to play the Weasels of Michigoon at the Civic to accomodate the State Wrestling Tournament.

Problem with that analogy is that 12 months earlier, the UNO-Michigan series drew nearly 20,000 fans to the Qwest Center. When UNO played Wayne State at the Civic to allow Creighton to play in the BracketBuster in 2005, those two games were the worst attended games in the second half of the season. They also don't remember how UNO's attendance INCREASED the first year at the Qwest Center, and in terms of butts in the seats, attendance at the Qwest Center is still better than attendance at the Civic in that last full season.

Suites, video boards, and a press box can certainly make the Civic more palatable, but where is there room to add these amenities? Simple...remove seating. Which presents the classic catch-22. Making the Civic smaller isn't a solution, as the Civic's seating today barely meets the requirements of the Big XII for women's basketball. And moving back to an even smaller Civic smacks of moving back in with your parents after you've grown and they've turned your room into a den. UNO's budget problems during the Nancy Belck fiasco are well known...but returning to the Civic because of the mismanagement of the previous administration is making a long-term business decision based on short-term issues.

Frankly, I'm not sure where the $15 million in funding for suites and other amenities is going to come from. If UNO were to return to the Civic, it would have to be at a significant discount to what they were paying before. (The Knights got a heck of a discount from the city and they still hemorraged cash worse than Jim Buck's University credit card...) No way is UNO paying $15 million to move back to the Civic.

If anything, this announcement is merely a stay-of-execution for the Civic. Some folks will call for the Mavs to move back, and there will be some discussions regarding it. But I just don't see it happening unless it's a short-term budget issue on the way towards building a new arena at Chili Greens. If anything, I see a bigger benefit to the city in allocating that $15 million plus the $3-$5 million in heating/air-conditioning repairs the Civic requires in the short term towards UNO's arena project. The Civic Auditorium arena is probably good for 25 years, but who is going to use the Exhibition Hall now? How about the Mancuso Convention Center? The expenses of maintaining those areas tip the equation against keeping the Civic. And at some point, the land at 18th & Capitol is going to be a target for redevelopment as Omaha's downtown continues to grow.

As the Blatt Turns: Remodel or Start Over?

As the College World-Series wraps up day three, folks are talking about plans for replacing Rosenblatt Stadium with a new ballpark near the Qwest Center. Even the NCAA is talking about it "between pitches". What is the right answer? It's not as cut and dried as people think. Rosenblatt certainly has a lot going for it; ESPN raves about it during each and every game. But that also doesn't mean that things couldn't be better.

When people talk glowingly of Rosenblatt, they frequently mention the general admission bleachers as a place where the average fan is still welcome (as long as they get there early enough) and it's still very affordable to go. They also mention the comaraderie of long-time season ticketholders who've had season tickets for years. You certainly don't want to eliminate the little things that helped make the College World-Series the event it is.

But step inside the concourses and you'll see the dirty little secret of the College World-Series. Claustrophobic concourses, long restroom lines, few concession stands. Saturday night's ESPN broadcast showed fans still trying to get inside the stadium long after the game started. (At last year's Nebraska-Creighton game, it took me 20 minutes to get from the stadium entrance to my seats through the crowded concourse!)

I don't think the city of Omaha wants to replace Rosenblatt. It has history, and the city has invested millions of dollars into it. But the NCAA wants things to be upgraded. They want some controls over the flea-market atmosphere outside. They want some raw infrastructure upgraded (skyboxes, new locker rooms, meeting/office space). So the City of Omaha started to total up the cost of improvements and started to choke on the numbers. $25 million for starters, and you still haven't begun to address much of the infrastructure.

It's a sobering total. Even the NCAA recognized this...and they suggested that maybe it's time to consider a new stadium. It's an intriguing idea. We could spend $25 million over the next 5 years to upgrade Rosenblatt, then find ourself in a position to spend another $25 or $30 million in 10 or 15 years to address the problems that aren't being addressed. Can you say "Money Pit"?

The key to solving this is to identify what makes the College World-Series what it is...and make sure that no matter what happens, it still exists. General admission? Gotta have it. Long-time season ticketholders? Assure them that they'll still have seats in the same approximate locations near the same people they've sat by previously. (I've heard a rumor that Creighton would control the tickets for their boosters, obviously people reacting to Creighton's ticket policy for other NCAA championship events.) Zestos? Certainly you've got to find a way to get Zesto's near a new stadium.

Some of the silliest criticism of the new stadium idea revolves around moving downtown. The new stadium would likely be located about 4 blocks west of Omaha's new Qwest Center arena which is undergoing a lot of development as we speak. 4 new hotels are under construction literally across the street from the proposed location. Thousands of parking spaces are available at the Qwest Center. Creighton's new soccer stadium and the Qwest Center are available for festivities...again, all within walking distance. New bars and restaurants, including Omaha's new indy-rock mecca, Slowdown. Oh yes, and my daughter's child care center as well. (Does that address the "is it safe" argument?) I drive through this area daily, and it's easy to see how this part of town would explode if the CWS moves in. Many refer to this as "NoDo", the counterpart to Denver's LoDo district that was revitalized when the Colorado Rockies moved in about 10 years ago.

But by that same token, the new stadium plan has questions. How would 16,000 temporary seats work? Can you really do it for $50 million? If Omaha decides to build a new stadium, it cannot afford to screw it up. The College World Series brings in $34 million to the Omaha economy, according to a 2003 Creighton survey. Personally, if Omaha is building a new stadium and is thinking long term, you start with 30,000 seats with an eye on eventually needing to hold 40,000.

Deep down, I think this new stadium is going to happen. Omaha needs the College World Series, and pumping $25 million into Rosenblatt without solving all of Rosenblatt's issues could be one of the biggest mistakes we could make.

The Future of TV Sports

K-State Sports & Beyond reports today that Big XII commissioner Keven Weiberg is quitting to join the Big 10 TV Network. Interesting move for both Weiberg and the Bigger 10 with all the recent changes to Big XII TV contracts as of late. In a radio interview today on KOZN-AM, Lee Barfknect talked about Weiberg's vision for individual school TV networks possibly being part of the reason why he's joining the Big Ten.

The more I think about it, we are on the cusp of another revolution in television and broadcasting. The number of specialty networks is exploding, with the NBA and NFL each having their own networks, and Major League Baseball planning to launch their own network. There's a Golf Channel and a Tennis Channel. Everywhere you turn around, somebody seems to be creating their own network. Meanwhile, cable networks are constrained in terms of capacity, especially as more and more networks go high definition. Even the Food Network is going HD!

Meanwhile, Congress is once again discussing options for ala-carte programming, allowing you to pick-and-choose what networks you pay for. How is this going to work out? I think you are going to see a convergence between television and the internet. A lot of people are all geeked up over the Apple Phone, but in my mind, the Apple Phone pales in comparision to Apple TV. Apple is already in discussion with major movie studios about renting videos through iTunes, which will make watching movies even easier than Netflix.

Take this to the next level - subscriptions like Netflix. Right now, Netflix bears the expense of mailing DVD's to your house. If you choose a popular title, sometimes you have to wait for your turn to get a copy of a new release. The iTunes model eliminates the physical inventory. Heck, you'll even be able to pre-order the movie, and on the day it's released, it'll automatically download to your TV.

What the heck does this have to do with sports? If you're a Husker fan anywhere in the country, you can order DVD's of football games to be delivered to your home days after each game. Imagine subscribing to the Husker network and getting these same games automatically fed to your TV via the internet. Already today you can watch baseball and volleyball games on your computer...it's not a large leap to use a device like this to get them on your TV.

In a few years, wondering whether your cable company carries Versus is going to be a moot point. You'll just point your TV towards Versus.com and wonder what all the fuss was about in the past...

Husker Hoops vs Oregon in Omaha

Now that the Nebraska-Oregon game has been announced for Saturday afternoon, December 15th, it's almost eerie the silence from the BrieJay fans. Perhaps they got all their complaining out of their system and resigned themselves to the fact that this is happening. Perhaps some of them finally realized how silly and immature their complaints were. Or maybe they're too busy trying to scalp College World Series tickets this week to worry about it. In any event, most of 'em have moved on. And the ones that haven't, well, have cemented their irrelevence. I believe Kevin Kugler pretty much summed it up yesterday:

"If you're a Bluejay fan, you must have one miserable life if Nebraska playing in a City-owned venue affects you in any appreciable way."

There's another golf outing tomorrow involving former Husker players and coaches...but this time, it's Husker hoops showing the football program how to do it. Doc Sadler invited former Husker coach Danny Nee to play in the first "Doc Sadler Golf Classic." Said Sadler last month:

"I want to make Nebraska basketball a program. I don't think you can do that if you pick and choose who is going to be in it. So I want to try to bring back everybody who has ever played or coached here, and make them feel a part of it."

I wish Sadler's boss and Bill Callahan would heed Sadler in this case. It would go a long way towards healing Husker Nation.

Commence the BrieJay Whining: NU vs. Oregon at the Qwest Center Announcement

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that the Nebraska vs. Oregon basketball game will be officially announced at the Qwest Center ...probably this December. Needless to say, the reaction from the bandwagonners in Creighton blue will be furious since it's "their" arena.

Nevermind the fact that the city took out bonds to pay for much of the arena.

Nevermind the fact that state tax money is being used to help pay off the bonds.

The sense of entitlement of BrieJay fans isn't difficult to understand, though. Thanks to the Creighton athletic department, BrieJay fans absconded all of the tickets to the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament. Then, when other basketball fans complained, they tried to spin the story away unsuccessfully. I'm assuming that most of these people aren't alums or students; I don't think the Jesuits wouldn't teach this behavior..

One idea I've heard to appease the whining from the Hilltop was getting a twin bill with Creighton and another major name opponent, such as Notre Dame. While this sounds good in theory, Creighton has struggled to bring in name opponents in recent years. (Let's be honest, nobody wants to go on the road and play a well-coached mid-major program in this day of college athletic economics.) If Creighton could get a program like Notre Dame to come to Omaha, they would have already done it. Besides, ticket distribution would be difficult, as Creighton's season ticketholders would be upset at having to buy tickets to a Nebraska game and vice versa. I think Nebraska will draw a nice sized crowd (read 12,000 or more) to this game, depending on when it's scheduled.

UNO hockey has games scheduled on December 6th & 7th (Lake Superior State-Friday/Saturday), December 18th (Minnesota State-Mankato- Tuesday), December 28th (Princeton-Friday), and December 30th (Yale-Sunday). Looking at the Qwest Center schedule, the rest of the month is free. There shouldn't be a problem fitting this game in.

Maurice Purify: Stupidity Strikes Again

Score two more points for the Huskers in the Fulmer Cup standings, brought to you by Everyday Must Be Saturday: Husker wide receiver Maurice Purify follows up his assault charge from last month with a "driving while under the influence" arrest early this morning. Has Bill Callahan had enough of Purify? Perhaps, as he's suspended Purify indefinitely.

My take? I call this the third strike on Purify, with the first strike being the personal foul penalties last season. With that in mind, dismissal from the team certainly isn't out of line. Personally, I'd think about dismissal for this season, and give Purify the option of returning in 2008 (I believe he still has a redshirt season) if - and only if - he (a) gets treatment, (b) stays out of any further trouble, and (c) makes restitution to the community. In other words, he has to earn his way back onto the team in 2008. Sure, he theoretically could just go straight to the NFL, but the NFL isn't tolerating off-the-field issues either.

Some will talk about what losing Purify means to the offense in 2007, but they miss the point. The Huskers have no need for a player who can't control himself, whether it's a trash-talking safety, a bouncer at a bar, or driving drunk. Until he gets control of himself and his life, he is of no use to the Huskers.

Big XII Football joins the NHL on Versus

When news of TBS dropping Big XII football games broke, there was talk about FSN sublicensing these games to Versus, home of the NHL, rodeo, and the Tour de France. Fortunately, a deal with ESPN and ESPN2 was worked out, which represents an upgrade. (I still don't like the 8pm kickoffs though...)

Now comes word that Versus is back into the mix, with FSN now sublicensing Big XII and Pac-10 college football games to Versus. Good deal or not? I think it depends on whether these games represent additional TV games or if they are games that are currently televised by FSN at 11:30 am. Problem is, the word isn't particularly clear. The Des Moines Register reported today that the Iowa @ Iowa State game is the first game to be televised by Versus.

If these games are in addition to the 11:30 am games on FSN, this is a good deal if only because they are games that would otherwise not be televised or televised on pay-per-view. However, if this a replacement for 11:30 am FSN games, this is a horrible deal for the Big XII. Versus has limited distribution nationwide, frequently relegated to digital cable or sports packages. This has been an issue for the NHL, which has seen it's nationwide visibility drop after they switched from ESPN to Versus. The broadcasts themselves are fine, with decent graphics and better announcers than FSN seems to scrape together. But the limited availability of Versus is an issue. (Not to me; my cable company carries Versus...but I sympathize with those folks who don't have Versus, such as Omaha's crappy, overpriced Cox Cable...)

I can already hear the uproar when the first Nebraska game is televised by Versus, and people scramble to try to figure out where it is on their cable system, if it's even there. (Hint...it used to be called "OLN: Outdoor Life Network"...) Remember the fuss when a Nebraska/Kansas State game was moved to FX? This could be even louder...

Shatel: Look to Oklahoma for tips on healing Husker Nation

Today's column by Tom Shatel in the Omaha World-Herald (sorry, once again, it's not online so no link) looks at how Oklahoma has handled the transitions from legends to disarray to unity and championships. Even Bob Castiglione, OU's athletic director, commented on the similarity between the situation that existed with the Sooners and the Huskers:

"That reminds me of what I walked into nine years ago at Oklahoma. We had all these different factions. The Switzer faction. The Bud Wilkinson faction. The John Blake faction. They all thought they knew the best way for Oklahoma. The problem was, everybody was forgetting about the mother ship."

What solved it? Well, the first move was Castiglione and Bob Stoops asking Barry Switzer to be part of the program. That didn't mean Stoops had to run the Wishbone, set up a still, or violate NCAA rules. It just meant that there was one Sooner family, and all are welcome. Kind of reminds me of my proposed peace treaty. But the first move needs to come from Bill Callahan and Steve Pederson: if they really want to unite Husker Nation, they'll call Tom Osborne and ask him personally to be part of the program again, not just have their secretarys write formal, CYA "because we have to" letters. (I know Corn Blight over at Corn Nation will disagree with me, but I strongly believe that the road to Husker Unity goes through Steve Pederson and Tom Osborne...)

If it worked for Oklahoma, it can work for Nebraska.

More on Football Scheduling

Earlier this week, Steve Pederson told the Lincoln Journal-Star that it's much more difficult to schedule home games than it used to be:

“Teams you typically could pay for a one-time appearance in your stadium are not as willing to do that as they used to be. They want a 2-for-1. Yet at the same time, we’ve tried to avoid going to smaller venues to play games.“

And you know what, Pederson is right on that point. In the 1990's, Nebraska was able to get Washington State and Baylor to come in for home games without a return trip. In the 80's, both Oregon and Oregon State came to Lincoln without getting a home game in exchange. Now, Conference USA, Mountain West, and WAC teams demand a home-and-home or at least a 2-for-1.

However, that excuse doesn't wash when you consider that Nebraska isn't going on the road once in the non-conference portion of the schedule in 2008. Now comes word that Michigoon is looking for an opponent for 2008, and is willing to return the game. And guess what...both Nebraska and the Weasels have open dates on Labor Day weekend in 2008. Can't you see ABC and ESPN drooling over opening the college football season with this matchup? And wouldn't the 2009 schedule look a lot better with the Weasels coming to Lincoln instead of one of those Sun Belt teams?

First reaction to defend Pederson's scheduling would be to ask why Nebraska would want to open the 2008 season on the road, likely with a new quarterback. True. But Michigoon also had an opening on September 6th that they just filled with Toledo. So Nebraska could have found another game for Labor Day weekend, gone to the Big House on the 6th and then still had Virginia Tech in Lincoln on the 20th. Even pairing a 1-AA team with the Weasels would have been a better schedule than what the Huskers ended up with.

Trev Puts Callahan on the "Hot Seat"

Trev Alberts, now of Westwood One radio and CSTV, turns to Bill Callahan first when speaking about coaches on the hot seat:

I think Bill Callahan is on the hot seat at Nebraska. They haven't beat anyone of substance. His record in three years is just not good. They've become a bad road team and lost to unranked teams. Callahan needs to produce a big year. He needs to win the Big 12 North. I think a step backward could be the end of his regime.

Naturally folks on both sides of the great Husker divide are focusing on the first sentence (or five sentences), rather than the last couple of sentences or the rest of what Alberts said:

I don't see anyone in imminent danger of being fired if they lose some early games. But if Callahan and Nebraska, playing at home, lose to USC, 50-7, that changes the complexion of the seat.

Quite a bit different context, and one I generally agree with. Remember where opinions were in November 2005 after Callahan's squad was rolled by a mediocre Kansas squad 40-15? 3 weeks later, Callahan turned the corner against Colorado, then Michigoon, then had a much improved season in 2006. Definitely progress over the first 20 games. That progress has silenced much of the criticism.

By that same token, Nebraska still hasn't improved from 2003, which had a Sagarin rating of 82.02 versus 2006's 81.64. We're now in year #4, and it's time for Callahan's squad to take things to the next level. The excuses of the past shouldn't apply anymore; most of the players are his and all should be familiar with his system.

Continue to show progress and the talk of "hot seat" can be dismissed as idle, irrelevant off-season chatter. Progress means being competitive against the likes of Texas and USC, not to mention competing for the Big XII championship. Progress means not blowing a big lead and getting outscored 41-7 down the stretch against a middle-of-the-road conference opponent. Progress probably means winning at least 9 and preferably more games in 2007.

I get a feeling from many of optimism for 2007...that's why talk of a hot seat seems so out of line. But a failure to meet those expectations will put Bill Callahan on the hot seat.

Florida to propose College Football Playoff

ESPN reports that the president of the University of Florida is planning to push the SEC to move to ditch the BCS for a playoff. No word as to whether he is thinking "Plus-1" where 2 of the New Year's Day bowls become playoff games or a full 8 or 16 team playoff. Personally, I still prefer the idea of the 8 or 16 game playoff, as the revenues generated from playing playoff games at 80,000+ capacity campus stadiums is going to provide much more revenue than the bowl system ever will. (And the bowl system could still remain for the non-qualifiers...)

The idea about doing this outside the scope of the NCAA is intriguing...though I figure that if this idea starts to gain any traction, the NCAA will jump all over it as if it were their idea to ensure they continue to get their cut and remain in charge.

Looking to find out more, I thought I'd head over to the most well-known Florida blog out there, but alas, all they want to do this week is remind me of the flu-ridden 1996 Big XII championship game. Ahh well, that's why they call this the offseason...

Big XII Disses the Civic - Time to Blow It Up?

This week's news featured two body shots to Omaha's Civic Auditorium. First, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights confirmed that they are folding and moving to the Quad Cities. Then, the Big XII conference rejected Omaha as a host for the Big XII basketball tournaments, citing the Civic Auditorium being unsuitable.

The Knights situation closes a sad (but thankfully brief) chapter in Omaha hockey history. In the end, the Knights finally realized one of the truths of fandom when Calgary Flames President Ken King said yesterday:

"There are a lot of loyalties to a lot of different sports here. And when you're the last of three hockey teams to enter the market, it's really tough."

The word "fan" is a derivative of the word fanatic...a word that in turn implies an emotional attachment that sometimes defies logic. Some people will talk about the AHL as being the "second best hockey in the world" and seem amazed that Omaha's didn't embrace it. But many Omaha hockey fans chose to remain loyal to "their" team, whether it was the Omaha Lancers or the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Fans stay loyal to their teams no matter what. I may think Steve Pederson is a ego-driven used car salesman, but I still donate to the program, buy tickets, and support the team. UNO's ousted administration may have guilty of graft, misconduct, and gross mismanagement, but I still support the Mavs.

Apparantly Calgary somehow thought that they could get more Omaha hockey fans to dump the other hockey teams. They paraded out their "Best! Best! Best!" campaign as their opening game approached, and immediately started their downward spiral. Too bad they didn't try to grow the Omaha hockey audience instead. So there goes one of the anchor tenants in the Civic, who were given a sweetheart deal to keep the place occupied.

The Big XII's decision on the Civic Auditorium was rather curious when they somehow determined that the capacity of the Civic was 7980 instead of the actual capacity of 9300. Where did that 7980 figure come from? My guess is that they used the estimated capacity of Council Bluffs Mid-America Center, which in light of the questionable future of the Civic, was suggested as an alternative venue for women's basketball. My guess is that the Big XII was responding to the underlying premise of many...Omaha's Civic Auditorium is essentially obsolete at this point. The Big XII apparantly didn't even seriously consider the Civic, using excuses of lack of capacity (getting the figures wrong) and claiming they didn't want to play on someone else's home court (then putting 2 out of 3 women's championships on Missouri-Kansas City's home court). The Big XII just didn't want to come out and say "the Civic is a dump". We haven't heard the results of the feasibility study of the Auditorium, but the events of this week seem to indicate that the Civic's days are numbered.

Here's my take...Omaha still needs a secondary arena like the Civic. Not everything requires an 18,000 seat arena like the Qwest Center. High schools and colleges still need a place to hold graduations, not all concerts draw 18K. Meanwhile, the infrastructure of the Civic is aging and contains obsolete exhibition space underneath the arena that will be a money pit. In the near future, we'll find out that while the needs for the Civic still exists, it's going to cost more to maintain than it's worth. If Omaha is going to compete with the likes of Kansas City for championship events, then Omaha is going to need a facility to match. The Civic isn't that place...but a new UNO Coliseum near the old Ak-Sar-Ben complex just might be.

Some people locally might scoff at the idea of Omaha challenging the likes of Kansas City and Dallas for Big XII championships...but certainly others around the Big XII took Omaha seriously. If Omaha can find a way to replace the obsolete Civic Auditorium, they very well might find themselves as a future player for Big XII basketball.

ESPN to carry 4 or 5 Big XII games in 2007

The rumored deal for ESPN to televise some of the Big XII football games previously carried by TBS was confirmed and announced today. Here are the dates and the games for those dates, with my guesses as to who will televise:

September 15th: Florida State @ Colorado (confirmed)

October 6th: Oklahoma vs. Texas (certainly on ABC), Nebraska @ Missouri (ABC or ESPN), Oklahoma State @ Texas A&M (ESPN or FSN), Kansas @ Kansas State (FSN?), Colorado @ Baylor, Iowa State @ Texas Tech.

October 13th: (ESPN option to carry a game) Missouri @ Oklahoma (likely ABC), Oklahoma State @ Nebraska (ABC or ESPN/FSN), Texas A&M @ Texas Tech (ABC or ESPN/FSN), Texas @ Iowa State (FSN?), Colorado @ Kansas State, Baylor @ Kansas

October 20th: Texas A&M @ Nebraska (likely ABC), Texas Tech @ Missouri (ABC or ESPN/FSN), Kansas State @ Oklahoma State (FSN?), Texas @ Baylor (FSN?), Oklahoma @ Iowa State, Kansas @ Colorado

November 3rd: Texas A&M @ Oklahoma (ABC or ESPN), Texas @ Oklahoma State (ABC or ESPN), Nebraska @ Kansas (FSN?), Missouri @ Colorado (FSN?), Texas Tech @ Baylor (FSN?), Kansas State @ Iowa State

ESPN can place these games on either ESPN or ESPN2...not sure if it's a big deal; either is better than FSN.

I think Missouri vs. Nebraska has a great chance to be an ABC prime time game, as Texas/Oklahoma is a lock for an afternoon ABC telecast since they don't want to play a night game at the Cotton Bowl. If ESPN chooses to carry a Big XII game on October 13th, I think they'll take the Huskers vs. the Cowboys. If the Huskers don't get on ESPN the first couple of weeks of October, no Husker games could end up on ESPN or ESPN2.

Update: Most of these games will end up with 8 pm kickoffs, according to today's World-Herald. That's going to be an issue for Husker fans who have to drive long distances, as games won't conclude until nearly midnight. Good for TV, bad for ticketholders...

More Weekend Wrap

Not wanting to be completely negative on Steve Pederson's interview with Tom Shatel this weekend, there was one answer that I thought was very good:

"We have the best academic program in the country. What we don’t have is the facility to match that. That’s our next priority. It would be an academic center, an expansion of what we’re doing in the Hewitt Center. (It was built) in 1983. It’s time to expand that and catch up to the way students study now."

Definitely a refreshing answer in this age of escalating athletic facilities. I was half expecting him to mention the proposed Lincoln Haymarket Arena as a potential home for Husker basketball. While the Devaney Center is still in fine shape, it doesn't have the suites or the amenities of Omaha's Qwest Center. If Doc Sadler continues to rebuild Husker hoops, the Devaney Center will begin selling out, making a new larger arena very viable for Husker athletics.

Last Wednesday, someone emailed me for my reaction to Gabbert, and I had to scramble to figure out what they were talking about. Was it one of the Huskers that played poorly in a 9-2 loss to Creighton the night before? Nope. Finally I realized that it was the latest recruitnik obsession, quarterback Blaine Gabbert. So what's my take on Gabbert? Well, he sounds fine, but let's hold off on evaluating him, at least until after the 2009 spring game. Why so long? Let's remember the recent history of hot-shot quarterback recruits. Curt Dukes (redshirted as a freshman, then transferred to Duke, where he quit football after his junior year), Joe Dailey (now playing wide receiver for North Carolina), Jordan Adams (only played QB in one game in junior college, then had his spleen removed, essentially ending his career), Harrison Beck (last seen completing 7 of 26 passes in the spring game at North Carolina State), and Josh Freeman. Then remember the sagas of Zac Taylor (originally committed to Oklahoma State, enrolled at Wake Forest, and then transferred to Butler Community before arriving in Lincoln) and Sam Keller (3 years at Arizona State). What's the moral of the story? Simple...don't rush to any sort of judgement. There's a good chance that he too won't be wearing Husker red in 5-6 years...

Speaking of Joe Dailey, SI.com profiled him as he prepares under his fifth offensive coordinator in college (Barney Cotton, Jay Norvell, Gary Tranquill, Frank Cignetti, and John Shoop). Many fans will point to his struggles as a quarterback, but imagine how you would do in your job if you got a new boss every year who had a different way for you to do your job. In any event, Dailey is taking the lemons of his career and trying to make lemonade in his senior season. He was the leading receiver in the spring game, and is once again a leader of his team (remember, he was named a captain at Nebraska). He's preparing for life after playing football...this time as a coach.

A big bronx cheer to NBC for cutting away from Saturday's Ottawa-Buffalo game at the end of regulation to start the hour and a half Preakness prerace preview. Yeah, the game resumed on Versus, albeit not in HD. But come on...cutting away from a live sporting event to preview a horse race? Gimme a break.

Anybody else getting depressed everytime they pass by the gas station and see the price up another dime? We're now getting dangerously close to prices doubling since the end of January. Of course, now that GasBuddy.com has fubared OmahaGasPrices.com beyond usefulness, there aren't any useful tools left for consumers. Sigh...it was nice while it lasted.

Pederson Finally Talks to Shatel

This past week, Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald finally got an interview with Steve Pederson. Once again, I'd love to post a link to it, but the World-Herald no longer publishes Shatel's columns online. So, I'll paraphrase a bit.

First question was the state of fundraising. Current total is $31 million pledged, of which $24 million has been received. Compare that with the $15 million pledged in the first month. Pederson claims that he didn't announce the total previously because "you generally (don't) boast about how you're doing." Except that Pederson did announce they had raised $15 million at the end of 2003, and that they had raised $20 million in the spring of 2004. I guess that's like Pederson's policy about not commenting about coaches before their season is over.

Speaking of which, he flip-flopped on that policy once again in discussing baseball, saying that "we have the right guy coaching. Mike (Anderson) is tremendous on all fronts. I feel like we have a nucleus of a good baseball team. Sometimes you just don't play as well." Hmmm... all sorts of possibities with that statement, but let's not go there. In any event, Pederson isn't going to be firing Mike Anderson anytime in the near future.

Last month, I suggested that Pederson come clean once and for all about Houston Nutt, but once again, he denies the whole case, saying that the idea that Houston Nutt was offered the head coaching job was "ridiculous." Pederson prefaced his remarks by calling the whole Nutt case a "source of irritation" which is very true on both sides of the divide.

Pederson did admit that he would have done a few things differently in the coaching search, namely not trying to do it in secret, thus letting the rumor mill run amok, plus also by stating a timeframe instead of saying the coaching search would begin immediately. Pe.derson also wouldn't go into details over his dealings with Tom Osborne over the coaching change, other than to say that "I respect his opinion."

Pederson went on to say that that while Osborne has a "standing offer to be here anytime he wants", he also respects Osborne's decision to not look over the shoulder at Solich and now Bill Callahan, much like Bob Devaney didn't look over Osborne's shoulder after leaving coaching. Which is an interesting observation...though remember, Devaney was still involved with Nebraska for over 20 years after he stepped down as coach. I still believe that there has to be an opportunity for Tom Osborne inside the athletic department.

Suffice it to say, while it was good for Pederson to finally open up to someone other than Jim Rose...you do have to wonder just how much he actually opened up. But hey...it's a start.

Good Knight and Good Luck

The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that the Calgary Flames are finally pulling the plug on the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Sad news for Omaha hockey? To some extent...yes. Loss of a hockey team is never something to be celebrated. But by that same measure, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Three hockey teams area is overkill for a market the size of Omaha. This isn't a black mark on Omaha as much as it is a black mark on the Flames and the city fathers who backed this boondoggle.

AJ the Huskerh8er called this right from the start. (Warning: profanity laden tirade) They got off on the wrong foot, and then proceeded to step all over themselves for most of their time in Omaha, leaving their few fans to wonder what went went wrong. MavRick wrote a nice essay last summer about the situation which sums it up quite nicely.

Back in February, I called May 6th in the OAK's death pool, so I'm not surprised by today's news. Some might think I'm taking pleasure in the end of the Knights, which isn't correct. The end of the Knights doesn't automatically make the Mavericks and Lancers more successful. But it does make Omaha a better community for one or both of the remaining teams to hopefully thrive. And thriving is what counts.

The dedicated Knights fans, though few in number, have the right to mourn the passing of the franchise to the Quad Cities. They'll say a few spiteful things towards fans of the other hockey teams, trying to pass the blame from the OAK's management. That's ok...they're angry about the loss of professional sports.

With the departure of the Knights, does this change the financial situation of the Civic Auditorium, perhaps freeing up resources for the oft-discussed Coliseum near Chili Greens? The DLR study on the viability of the Auditorium complex was due "mid-May", so we should be hearing about this any day know. Did this impact the Flames decision to pull the plug?