Thursday, May 26, 2011

Thursday Night Beer: There's Interest in Husker Baseball

One thing is clear to me this week: while attendance was down at Haymarket Park, Husker fans still care about baseball. I do hear a lot of interest and rumor-mongering about the coaching search, and that's a definite good sign for the long-term.  I'm not going to speculate on coaching candidates, because frankly, every coach that Nebraska is considering at this point is focusing on their current team in the post-season. So this search is something that is likely going to drag out for a while...and that's a good thing.

I was rather disappointed that ABC slotted the Nebraska/Iowa game for an 11 am kickoff on the day after Thanksgiving. Granted, it is late February, so playing in daylight is a good thing, but I'm still of the opinion that I'd rather have lunch before kickoff. I guess the message is this:  while Nebraska is a national brand in football, Iowa isn't.  That's why ABC chose Boston College/Miami for the late game that day.

Well, it's official: Braylon Heard is cleared to play at Nebraska. So while Nebraska doesn't have an established backup behind Rex Burkhead, I think it's safe to say that at least one will emerge from the incoming freshmen of Heard, Aaron Green, and Ameer Abdullah.

Quarterback depth could still be an issue this fall with the official word of Kody Spano's hanging up his pads. That's not a surprise; we've heard the rumors for a month and a half. But it does limit the options for the Huskers at quarterback:  Taylor Martinez, Brion Carnes, Cody Green, then what?  Jamal Turner back to quarterback? Maybe as an emergency. Bubba Starling? Check back on August 16th.

I wandered around TD Ameritrade Park around the lunch hour, and I'm just getting a vision of what this area is going to look like in three weeks when the College World Series rolls downtown... and it's going to be cool.  Lots of construction that still needs to be finished mind you, but things are starting to take shape. Exhibit One: Zesto's is now open just beyond right field. Yes, it's only a trailer and a tent, because the construction trailers were only removed days earlier...but it's there.  Unfortunately, the hot fudge shakes weren't there today, so I walked away empty handed, but I figure that's one of those things that'll work themselves out.