Tuesday Night Beer: NU Baseball Got Da Funk

Just got finished watching the Huskers get shutout by Creighton in baseball at Haymarket Park 15-0. That's right: 15-0. Nebraska pitching has given up 113 runs in the last ten games over the last two weeks. I got the same feeling watching tonight's game like I did watch the 2007 NU/Oklahoma State football game; a team that has lost all their confidence and folds as soon as something bad happens. Can Mike Anderson pull this team out of their funk? That's a good question at this point. It's not like this team hasn't played well at times; they took 3 of 5 games against nationally ranked Arkansas and Oklahoma State just before this swoon. But right now, this team is struggling to get a nasty funk out of their system.

The Nebraska Sports Blog has a nice take on where the team is right now, and whether Mike Anderson is the right man for the job. I think it's a little premature to discuss this in April; there's plenty of time after the season to do that.

Some rumored locations are being confirmed for the Sarpy County ballpark. The leading candidate, according to the rumor mill, was a site behind Cabela's. Previously, it sounded like this location was scheduled for office space, but with the economy heading south last fall, it sounds like the previous plans were put on ice, creating an opening for Sarpy County. It's probably the most feasible spot in Sarpy County for a stadium, though it has it's issues. For one thing, it's further from Interstate 80 than the downtown stadium's three exits. And perhaps more importantly, the Cabela's land will cost Sarpy County money. It's not going to be free, like some hoped/dreamed of. Other locations being offered are at I-80 and highway 370, also not for free, and Bellevue. That's right...rather than moving to western Sarpy County, the new ballpark could be along the Kennedy Freeway. An intriguing idea, since that location will be more convenient to more of the metro area, but dashes the hopes that the fringes of the metro area will be the Royals cure-all. Anything along highway 370 is a potential disaster, as 370 is so far south, it'll be perceived as essentially out of the Omaha area. Not to mention that the 370 corridor is already being developed. As the World-Herald points out, there already are development plans for the I-80/370 interchange. That limits the multiplier effect of most of these locations since development plans are already underway.

Meanwhile, we wait and see what happens with the funding plans in the legislature. Sarpy County has already struck out with one unrelated bill to increase county powers. The Legislature shot down a bill last week that would have given Sarpy County ordinance power to regulate parking and public indecency. Senator Mike Friend led the charge:

"This is a power play by Sarpy County, and this is a bad idea."

Do you see the state subsidizing a ballpark in Sarpy County? I didn't think so. Meanwhile, we wait for Sarpy County to make nice with the cities of Sarpy County, or for the Legislature to kill the inevitable.

Meanwhile, in the Omaha mayoral primary, Hal Daub is struggling to approach the 40% mark, which is a bad sign for the unpopular former mayor. My assumption is that the majority of voters who selected another candidate rejected Daub from the start, and are unlikely to support Daub in the general election. If that's the case, Daub has an uphill battle to climb. Will he play the Royals/Downtown stadium card again in the coming weeks?

Monday Night Beer: Doc Wants to Git R Dun

KETV ran the rest of Jon Schuetz's interview with Doc Sadler last night, and probably raised some eyebrows by mentioning that he thinks Nebraska basketball can "do something special here." Maybe not Final Four...but he thinks Nebraska can be position to have a shot at it.

Bravado? Insanity? Cluelessness? Not necessarily. Doc freely admits that Nebraska basketball ain't anywhere close now, and that Nebraska hasn't even won an NCAA tournament game. But just because something hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't happen in the future. Twenty years ago, what would you have said about George Mason University playing in a Final Four? What about Kansas State winning a Big XII Championship in football? Northwestern playing in the Rose Bowl? Nebraska playing in three College World Series?

Now, that's no guarentee that Nebraska basketball is going to make that jump either. But, Doc Sadler's basketball teams give 180% effort game in and game out. It's always good to have lofty goals, with the understanding that while you might not get there, you won't ever get there if you don't try.

Of course, what do I know about getting to the Final Four? I picked Butler to knock off North Carolina in the second round. Oops. So much for THAT bracket.

Speaking of North Carolina, I wonder if Tar Heel fan is still miffed at Roy Williams for wearing a Jayhawk sticker to last year's championship game. Me thinks that two national championships in five years at Carolina soothes those hurt feelings. Frankly, I don't see the problem over the sticker. I was never upset when Bo Pelini wore an Oklahoma hat at the 2004 national championship game; North Carolina and Nebraska's seasons were over at the time, and neither Williams or Pelini were there representing their employer.

I'm curious to see just what kind of demand the "Larry the Cable Guy" concert will have. Dan Whitney has quite the following, but 50,000 people? Granted, it's an event, and people around these parts love to be part of an event. I guess I've never understood the attraction of Larry. Other than Mater from the movie Cars, Whitney's schtick runs at the eighth grade level. I remember listening to Whitney on the radio about ten years ago and tuning out to another station before I suffered any brain damage. Needless to say, plenty of people don't share my opinion. Personally, I think Whitney was moderately more entertaining (or not quite as idiotic) in khakis...

It's a good thing USC isn't on the Nebraska schedule in the future...I can only imagine what TJ Simers would do with this one...

Shatel Has Some Really Good Ideas (& A Really Bad One) for UNO

Tom Shatel, in the printed editions of today's World-Herald, laid out some ideas for UNO. Some of his ideas sync up with my thoughts from earlier this week; some don't. And one in particular is simply horrible.

First thing? Hire a strong leader with a vision, local ties, and let him run. Check.
Next thing? Get an identity and vision for UNO. Check.
Names to suggest? Many of the names we've already heard suggested: Creighton's Mike West, Mike Kemp, plus Mike Moran of the US Olympic Committee and Pat Behrns.

He suggests Kemp might be better suited as the associate athletic director for hockey. An interesting suggestion, but I'm not sure that more administration is the answer for UNO. Besides that, having Kemp in charge and focused on the hockey program, but not coaching, could be uncomfortable for Kemp's successor as head coach. It would be different if Kemp were named athletic director, as he'd have to spread his attention to all sports, not just hockey.

But the worst idea of all? Spending $18 million (or more) to somehow "renovate" the Civic Auditorium and move UNO back. I understand Shatel's nostalgic thoughts about the Civic, but I think UNO's recent history at the Civic is distorting his perspective. You simply can't compare the crowd that shows up for Western Michigan at the Qwest Center with the crowd that shows up for Michigan, Ohio State, or Notre Dame at the Civic. By luck of the draw, UNO has had to play some of their biggest games of recent seasons at the Civic due to the state wrestling tournament.

I remember that last season at the Civic in 2002-03, and the cracks were already starting to form. Empty seats were common then too, and the running joke was asking how much UNO was spending to keep the sellout streak alive, even though only 6000 fans were actually in attendance on a good night. The "Red Army" was formed that season, in a revolt against "the tyranny of silence" in the Civic. That's right. The poor atmosphere in the Civic Auditorium. (Ask the folks with the Omaha Aksarben Knights how well promoting the Civic as a venue worked for them...)

Now you want to spend $18 million to put lipstick on the pig? What does that do for the auditorium? Suites, club seating, etc. And where, pray tell, are you putting suites in the Auditorium? I assure you that the only way to "expand" the Civic is to raise the roof off. I had to be careful when celebrating a UNO goal in my old seats at the Civic, as it was too easy to hit the beams supporting the roof. Adding suites above the existing third bowl is likely to be impractical, which means that suites would likely eliminate existing seating.

So for $18 million, you get some of the amenities that fans demand...but limit capacity to 6500 or so fans. And it's still far away from campus, without practice ice. It limits downtown redevelopment opportunities. And once you spend $18 million downtown, the dream of a campus facility gets pushed back another 20 years or more. Which everybody else seems to agree is the ultimate answer.

Doc Sadler Owns Creighton Fans (well, some of 'em...)

They just don't get it. For a school with as great of an academic reputation, some of Creighton's fans might be as myopic as they come. This week, KETV's John Schuetz sat down with Husker basketball coach Doc Sadler, and asked him about his comments last week about the NU/Creighton basketball games primarily benefiting the fans. Doc explained it a little more...and the Briejay nation whined once more.

Well, he tried to explain it...but Briejay fan is having none of it. Never let facts get in the way of a good tantrum. And boy, is Briejay fan throwing one once again. They're getting quite good at it lately, whether it's their niche talk show host getting cancelled, or Doc pointing out the truth.

What has BrieJay fan so upset? Simply put: the NCAA tournament committee is focusing on one thing, and one thing only: Who did you beat? The more, better teams you beat...the better chances are that you are in the tournament. Arizona and Michigan got in the dance ahead of Creighton, simply because those schools had so many victories against the top teams in college basketball. As Doc says...both Nebraska and Creighton would be better of playing teams like Duke... or Kansas ... or one of those other Top 25 teams.

Now, of course, neither school is getting to play Duke, of course. But the point is made. It's those type of games that give teams their tournament resume. RPI kind-of/sort-of models it...but it's merely a starting point. Does NU/Creighton help both schools RPI? Yes, to a degree. But for the most part, Nebraska's RPI strength is based much more on their Big XII schedule.

Right or wrong...that's the message the NCAA is sending. Should the NCAA adjust their formula and encourage schools to play non-conference games with a bite? Absolutely. But until the NCAA publicly changes their formula, this is what we've got. Here's a few thoughts: make non-conference matchups a key distinguishing factor, not to mention road games. Give the big name schools a reason to hop a plane and fly to Omaha. Make it so that if you lose to a MVC conference champion team on the road, that counts more than beating up on Alcorn State at home.

So Doc spells it out plain as day...and BrieJay fan howls in protest...with the howls having almost nothing to do with what was actually said. If anything, it's like a puppet. Doc talks, and the BrieJay fan dances their silly little dance.

UNO Maverick Athletics in Desperate Need of Vision

UNO athletic director David Miller's resignation yesterday certainly didn't come as a surprise to anybody associated with Maverick athletics. Miller had the unenviable task of cleaning up after the Belck/Buck fiasco, but the Miller record can best be summarized as "inertia". There were some initial plans to get the Maverick athletic programs back on track, but it seems that's all there were: plans that never went anywhere. At the end of 2007, Tom Shatel and I asked a simple question: What does UNO want for their athletic department?

We still don't have an answer. And UNO once again doesn't have an athletic director.

For whatever reason, it's obvious now that Miller wasn't the right fit for UNO. So he's off to Upper Iowa now, and back to the drawing board with yet another search for an athletic department.

Chancellor John Christensen wants to -- and needs to -- fast track this search; he told KOZN radio this afternoon that he'd like to have a successor named by the end of the semester. That's important.

But more important is to find the right person. Christensen needs to find someone to help lay out a long term vision for UNO athletics, not just manage through the current budget crisis. Is UNO happy with simply competing in the CCHA? How will UNO react to the continuing changes in division 2? Is the MIAA an interim step for UNO? How do UNO fans view their former conference rivals who've upgraded their programs to division 1?

After Danny Nee scuttled Nebraska basketball, UNO hockey was arguably the number 2 sport in this state. Since then, Creighton basketball, Nebraska baseball and volleyball have passed up the Mav hockey program. Doc Sadler has Husker hoops on the rebound as well. So how does UNO get back into the mix? Or do they even try?

It's an important decision that UNO needs to make. They can try to muddle through the current budget issues and the current economy, and hope that things get better. Better yet, they can try to find some sort of vision of the future of the program, something sorely lacking since the days of Del Weber and Don Leahy.

Because of the issues involved here, I think it's clear that the next athletic director needs to be someone already involved locally. Is that Mike Kemp? Is that Pat Behrns? They've got the local connections, and an established, long-term record with UNO. But they're coaches, not business people. Can they lead an entire department? How would they deal with the other sports on campus?

Or is it someone like Mike West, a marketing guy with a proven record of turning sports into must-be-seen-at events.

In the summer of 2006, the Karnes Commission tried to do "that vision thing" for UNO athletics...but other than joining the MIAA, those recommendations haven't gone anywhere. Frankly, it doesn't do any good to have any recommendations for long term vision if all you are focused on is muddling through day-to-day. In the meantime, UNO athletics is becoming an afterthought in the Omaha community in many respects.

When the Qwest Center was being planned, the arena was always thought of as a hockey arena first. UNO seemed to be a natural for the arena, with years of sellout crowds begging for a bigger facility. Creighton basketball seemed to be the reach, with their best crowds at the time resembling some of UNO's worst. Ten years later, it's Creighton that's packing the Qwest, and the Mavs are questioning their place in the Omaha market.

UNO needs someone to start answering that question.

Mystery Solved: Roy Helu's Lack of Carries in 2008

Last season, I swear I must have sounded like a broken record asking, begging, and pleading for Roy Helu to get more carries at I-back. The World-Herald finally found an answer. Helu said that in the first part of the season, Helu was hampered by a shoulder injury that kept him from practicing at full strength. Once that healed, Helu was able to work out more, putting on 10 pounds, and giving the coaches confidence to get him on the field more. And boy, did he produce, especially in November.

I figured there had to be a reason why Helu wasn't seeing the field more last season, and I'm glad that it wasn't anything he wasn't doing right. It's unfortunate that the injury status wasn't disclosed until now, but it seems anymore that injury updates are becoming more and more unreliable throughout college football. (And will Bill Snyder back at Kansas State, that's not getting better either!)

This also tends to ease my concerns about Helu putting on 15 more pounds in winter conditioning. Last fall, Helu played at 198 pounds at the start of the season, then bumped up to 208 later in the season. But Helu at 222? Is that too much? Initial reports are positive; he set a personal record for his sprint time. Bo Pelini, for what it's worth, thinks he's faster and more powerful than last season.

Sounds good to me.

It also sounds like Quentin Castille has also been improving his game, dropping some weight as well. That development has freed up the coaching staff to move Marcus Mendoza to wide receiver, perhaps to fill that slot receiver role that I thought Marlon Lucky could excel at. Mendoza took a few snaps last fall there, and it looks like this might be a permanent change. This could be part of the answer to replacing guys like Nate Swift and Todd Peterson this season.

Sarpy Family Feud Explained...and MECA Pipes In As Well

Today's World-Herald features a couple of interesting articles with background information on the ongoing feud between Sarpy County and the cities of Sarpy County, as well as MECA's reaction to criticism of their dealings with the Royals.

The conflict between the County Board and Bellevue, LaVista, Papillion, Gretna, and Springfield boils down to one issue: who controls the growth and development within Sarpy County. The cities want growth to progress from the cities, and be managed by them. The county wants that control instead. In that respect, the issue of whether the state legislature funds a baseball stadium in Sarpy County really is secondary to the larger issue. Before this issue came up, I figured the biggest opposition to the funding bills would come from Omaha. Now this curveball essentially scuttles any hopes of getting these bills passed until the cities and the county can come to some sort of resolution on this matter. Which means, plan B, for all practical purposes, is now the path to a stadium. That will entail inheritance taxes, hotel taxes, and keno revenue. Problem with that is all those funds are currently used elsewhere in the budget. So does Sarpy County raise other taxes, or cut operations to fund the ballpark? That remains to be seen.

MECA came out and stated in a letter to the World-Herald that they offered the Royals a deal where the Royals would receive all net revenues from their games:

"Shortly after taking control of the Omaha baseball stadium, MECA offered the Royals an opportunity to play at a break-even cost to MECA and the city.

The Royals were not asked to pay any construction costs of the new downtown stadium, only the per-game operating costs of the facility. The Royals would have kept ticket revenue, advertising revenue and profits from concessions."

One item not mentioned here is parking. Originally, it was assumed that the Royals resisted the idea of paid parking, but now that parking revenues are part of the deal in Sarpy County, it turns out the issue revolved more around who receives those revenues.

But why bring this up? Here's my theory. The Royals/Sarpy County deal is not really a done deal yet, as there are still too many questions about how Sarpy County will pay for it. Sarpy County still has two months to change their mind and back out of the deal, and MECA is playing their cards now in public. Look for this issue to also start to come into the Omaha Mayoral election, once it becomes clear that the Sarpy County deal isn't as solid as some people want you to believe.

With apologies to Monty Python: downtown is saying "I'm not dead yet!"

This Year, March Madness is On Ice

Despite the relative lack of upsets, the TV ratings for the NCAA basketball tournament are up once again. Nevertheless, some people are complaining about the lack of drama. No little guys knocking off the big guys.

They're watching the wrong sport.

March Madness is very much alive and well ... in the NCAA hockey tournament. It's been an absolutely ridiculous first couple of days. It all started when Air Force took on the third-ranked Weasels of Michigan. The Weasels outshot the Falcons 43-13...but the Air Force, coached by former Lancer head coach Frank Serratore, pulled off the shutout, as the Weasels fell 2-0.

Then, Denver became the second #1 seed to exit the tournament as Miami jumped all over the Pioneers, with the Redhawks winning 4-2. Vermont then took out host #5 Yale for three upsets in three games. But then it really got bizarre.

Princeton thought they were cruising out of the first round, leading Minnesota-Duluth 4-2 with a minute to go. Yeah, right.
The Bulldogs scored with 40 seconds left to pull within one, then tied the game up with 0:00.8 left to send the game to overtime. Naturally, Duluth scored in overtime to win 5-2. Four games, three upsets and one incredible finish.

Today, hockey fans missed about half of the North Dakota/New Hampshire game because of a seven-overtime lacrosse game on ESPN2, but they didn't miss yet another wacky ending. New Hampshire scored a game-tying goal with 0:00.1 (yes, 1 tenth of a second left) to send the game to overtime, where, yes, New Hampshire won in overtime. Five games, four upsets and two incredible finishes.

The string of upsets ended when #1 Boston University filleted Ohio State 8-3, reminding many UNO fans of the Terriers first round blowout in 2006. But back to the madness. Cornell defeated Northeastern 3-2, with the game winning goal scored with eighteen seconds left. Bemidji State embarassed CCHA champion Notre Dame, beating the #2 team in the country 5-1 this evening for yet another upset. Air Force and Vermont had to go to double overtime before Vermont punched their ticket to the Frozen Four. Miami redeemed a little respect for the CCHA by defeating Minnesota Duluth 2-1 to also claim a Frozen Four berth.

10 games, 7 upsets with 3 incredible finishes in the Big Skate. March Madness is alive and well on ice.

Doc Sadler Speaks the Painful Truth

It was just a minor side quote in today's World-Herald, but Doc Sadler's quip in a season wrapup press conference sure got the BrieJay fan base all riled up.

"A loss to Creighton hurts us. A win over Creighton, the only thing it does is make our fans happy. It doesn't help you come Selection Sunday. That's just the way it is."

Nevermind the fact that Sadler was mostly right. The NCAA selection committee said it last week: it's the quality of the teams that you beat. And specifically, it's victories against the elite teams. RPI is just a starting point; and the teams that supposedly aced Creighton out of the tournament all had many, many more wins against the elite teams in college basketball.

Now, should Doc have said that? The way the World-Herald's Lee Barfknecht reported it, we're not sure what the context of the question and answer is. Part of the reason the Creighton fanbase is so upset is that Nebraska's victory over the Bluejays was the Huskers best non-conference victory. Which is true, but irrelevent.

It ignores the fact that Nebraska's losses to schools like UMBC, Iowa State, and Baylor were the real reason why Nebraska was out of the tournament. Now, if Nebraska had pulled out victories against Kansas (6 point loss at home) and Oklahoma (led most of the way in Norman), as well as Texas A&M and Oklahoma State... that would have added 4 quality wins to the NU resume, and probably have gotten the Huskers dancing this season. The Creighton victory probably was borderline and could have helped, but the sad fact is that Nebraska's tournament resume was going to be created in the conference schedule.

That's because Nebraska has much the same problem that Creighton has; it's not a marquee program, and doesn't draw enough attention from TV to warrant a non-conference matchup with a power team. Nebraska could probably go on the road to play those games, but they shouldn't expect a return trip from most of those teams. And with finances the way they are, Nebraska isn't going to turn down a home game.

Unfortunate? Absolutely. Sad? Absolutely. But it's reality. What's the solution? For starters, college basketball needs to start penalizing schools for playing the Jacksonville State's of college basketball and rewarding schools for going on the road and for playing games against schools such as Creighton.

This year, Nebraska shocked everybody by being as strong as they turned out to be. Down the line, Nebraska will need to upgrade their basketball schedule if they want to be an NCAA tournament team, if only to prepare the team for conference play. But Doc also saw the message the NCAA sent: it's the games against Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma State that matter, not the games against Creighton. Doc Sadler didn't set the rules, yet he's portrayed as the villain for admitting the truth of the matter.

Husker Spring Practice Preview

Last night, I left work and found myself in the middle of a tornado warning and hailstorm. Tornadoes? Hail? Must be spring. And that means one thing in Nebraska: football.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyplace else, it's baseball. But around here...it's football season. Spring practice starts tomorrow, and following a 9-4 season that had the team making leaps and bounds to improve from the Steve Pederson error, everybody has hopes for 2009. CornNation has some much more detailed previews, but here are a few notes about each position as we move forward.

Quarterback: Originally, I thought this was going to be a battle between Patrick Witt and Zac Lee, but Witt already bailed out. Cody Green was the intriguing factor, but his injury status makes it unlikely we'll see a lot out of Green. Right now, it looks like it's 90% likely that Lee will be your starter going into the fall. LaTravis Washington's move to quarterback helps depth there, but it probably makes it unlikely that we'll see much of him on the field as a Husker. Maybe he'll surprise us.

Running Back: Roy Helu and Quentin Castille should be the 2nd best combination in the Big XII, behind the Sooners DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown. Castille lost some weight; Helu picked some up. That bears watching to see if Helu lost speed and Castille lost power.

Wide Reciever: This is the primary area of focus for me this spring. Nate Swift is a huge loss, and we'll need to see somebody fill the void. I think Menolik Holt will be fine, but I really want to see others step up. Fortunately, tight end Mike McNeill blossomed at the end of last season. That'll fill up some of the void.

Offensive Line: We should see improvement here as well. Lydon Murtha won't be around to frustrate us anymore. Matt Slauson will be missed, however. Andy Christensen is back, and we'll see how things develop with the younger players. Javorio Burkes will miss spring practice due to another medical issue.

Defensive Line: Here's all you need to know: Ndamakong Suh is back. Barry Turner and Pierre Allen at defensive end too. Who will replace Ty Steinkuhler up front? You know that offensive lines are going to concentrate on Suh, so the opportunities for a nose tackle to emerge are huge.

Linebacker: The following Bo Pelini quote caught my eye, regarding Phillip Dillard: "He is healthy and I expect him to come out there and compete for a job." A lot of fans might be assuming Dillard will be the starter at linebacker in the fall; I think the improved depth at linebacker may surprise folks. Will Compton, Alonzo Whaley, and Sean Fisher all redshirted last season, but probably could have contributed...and with all the injuries, started last season. This is another position I'll be focusing on.

Secondary: Anthony Blue is back....and Marvin Sanders loved the guys who were redshirting last season. Yes, John Levorson left the program, but there's plenty of depth here. The secondary was an enigma last season, but it really sounds like Sanders had an even bigger reclamation project from 2007 than we even thought. It really sounds like Sanders had to go remedial on these guys, and as the season progressed, we saw fewer and fewer mistakes from the secondary. Another position I want to keep an eye on for emerging stars.

Here's the thing to remember about the defense last year: they went from the worst defense to second best in the Big XII last season. That's an incredible turnaround, and when you remember the returning experience, a great sign of optimism for 2009. Sure, we'll need to figure out the quarterback situation, but if the defense can hold their own, Nebraska could be a solid team in the Big XII North. Remember, Missouri and Kansas State will also be starting new quarterbacks, while Colorado and Iowa State probably are hoping they will as well. Questions at quarterback will affect everybody in the North except for Kansas this season.

Kentucky Strikes a Blow at Creighton Fans' Delusions of Grandeur

I've long had mixed feelings about Creighton basketball. I like Dana Altman; he's a great coach who produces great results for the Bluejays. His teams are consistent winners in their conference, and he's always a class act.

Some of their fans are another matter entirely. The bandwagon for Creighton hoops has gotten extremely large, and they've picked up a lot of fans that think Creighton basketball is something that it isn't. Fed in large matter by a lowly rated sports talk show host, the "BrieJay" fan considers their team to be a major power, held back only by the "BCS" conference schools that conspire to keep schools like Creighton down. ("BrieJay" fan refers to the trash-talking bandwagon fan who has no idea who Rick Johnson was, and doesn't apply to long standing CU fans who have supported their program for years.)

Last week's indignation over missing the NCAA tournament gave way to euphoria at the idea of Kentucky playing in Omaha last night. So despite tornadoes and hail storms rampaging through the Omaha area at tipoff, Creighton's fans filled the Qwest Center for their eagerly awaited opportunity for revenge against a "BCS" conference foe. Namely, the winningest team in college basketball history.

But failure to convert free throws down the stretch let the Wildcats retake the lead late, and when a Bluejay three point shot clanked off the rim at the buzzer, the Bluejays season ended in the NIT. Exciting game, to be sure. (I admit; I missed most of the game after getting caught in the tail part of the storm. So I'm taking the words of others as to the quality of the game.)

But it was the reaction afterwards that struck me. Kentucky finished their season tied with Vanderbilt for 4th in their division. Fans are so unhappy with coach Billy Gillespie that they're ready to send him packing after just two years. They weren't even close to getting an NCAA tournament berth; getting seeded 3rd in the NIT.

Listening to the Brie on the Hilltop, the Wildcats are once again the superpower they were in the past, stocked with NBA first round draft picks. It took Creighton's best game of the season to compete with Kentucky, and even that wasn't enough against the juggernaut that is Kentucky basketball.

Nevermind that Creighton was the higher seed...at home...of course...

In doing so, the BrieJay fan finally admitted the fraud that is BrieJay fan. They weren't deserving of an NCAA tournament bid. They admit that their program, while the finest in the Missouri Valley conference, isn't able to compete with average teams in the big conferences without an exceptional effort.

Claiming that losing by two points to Kentucky in 2008 is some sort of "badge of honor" is downright silly. Nebraska played the defending national champions to within 6 back in January, and they're in the Sweet 16. Nobody is claiming that the Huskers belonged in the NCAA tournament. The idiocy of "autowin" and the "best program in the state" was finally exposed last night.

Creighton and Dana Altman have a great record of success in the Missouri Valley conference. Bluejay fans should be proud of what Creighton has done over the last ten years. But last night, the BrieJay fan finally admitted the truth about what that means in the larger picture. Whether they'll remember that truth when it comes time to embellish the merits of their program next season remains to be seen.

Sunday Night Dessert: What a Difference A Week Makes for Brie

One wek certainly made a difference in the opinions of the Briejay fan. Last week, it was a feeling of complete indignation as the team they've loved for the last half-dozen or so years got passed over for the NCAA tournament. This week, that's the furthest thing from their mind.

OMG! F-in Kentucky is coming! Ashley Judd! Rick Pitino!

Umm no. We'll see if Mrs. Franchitti comes to town, but I think Pitino is going to concentrate on his current job. But whatever trips your trigger.

Amazing how the indignation from last week disappeared. The Brie stopped whining about Arizona (in the Sweet 16) and Michigan (kept it close against Oklahoma in the 2nd round), and have turned their attention to the Wildcats. Wisely so, since the arguments against the NCAA tournament committee just got weaker and weaker...especially with the egg that Creighton nearly laid against the Perverts in the 1st round.

Speaking of the NCAA tournament, not a lot of upsets, but it's been awfully close. My bracket looked a lot better before LSU knocked off Butler. I also took a flyer on Western Kentucky, which almost paid off. But alas...close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. One thing is for sure: CBS does a great job with the telecasts, especially with switching you between games. How about Friday night, when CBS bounced you back and forth between Ohio State/Siena and Wisconsin/Florida State.

I think every Husker basketball fan had the same disgusted feeling over the lunch hour on Thursday. Every Roburt Sallie three-point shot was a shot in the gut, as Sallie went for 35 points for Memphis to help the #2 seeded Tigers hold of Cal State-Northridge. I'm sure someone in the academic support office in Lincoln was feeling awfully uncomfortable on Thursday.

Sarpy County Power Play: The Boondoggle Is Just the Beginning

Some people thought that Tuesday's Sarpy County board vote to approve a preliminary agreement with the Omaha Royals was the end of the debate as to where the Royals would play. It's actually just the beginning. The real battle is going to be waged in the State Legislature, and it all began today.

We all knew that the battle was going to revolve around how Sarpy County was going to fund the ballpark. I always assumed that the chief opposition would come from Omaha and the rest of the state, refusing to pay for the Boondoggle. Turns out that the mayors of Sarpy County have cut to the head of the line to protest the county's plans to pay for the stadium. Mind you, they aren't opposed to the ballpark, per se. It's how the county will pay for the ballpark, and specfically how that affects the rest of Sarpy County. The proposed entertainment district essentially becomes a black hole that presents an impediment to growth of cities, and potentially siphons the tax base away from cities. It's clear that the cities of Sarpy County and the county board are in fundamental disagreement as to how Sarpy County should grow. Sarpy County has filed lawsuits against Gretna and Papillion over annexations, and that seems to be at the heart of the battle between the competing Sarpy County interests. So now, the mayors of Bellevue, La Vista, Papillion, Gretna, and Springfield have united to oppose the Sarpy County move. Again, not because of the ballpark itself, but rather because of the means that Sarpy County wants to use to pay for the ballpark. It's a power play being waged internally between the various entities of the county.

This seems to stack the deck pretty hard against the Sarpy County board. I figured that Omaha's state senators would oppose the plans, and sure enough, they do. But now the internal battles within Sarpy grow even larger. Sarpy County's recent record of development bungles, such as failure to enforce design standards around one of the proposed ballpark locations or failure to comply with federal regulations for a road project, have resulted in a high degree of skepticism of Sarpy's ability to manage growth.

There's still 45 days left in this session, and 70 days before Sarpy County is locked into this deal, so a lot can change between now and then. But right now, a new front in the battle over the ballpark has been opened. Meanwhile, Omaha sits back and watches the infighting in Sarpy County.

Tom Shatel seems to feel that the Sarpy ballpark is a done deal, even though he doubts that Sarpy County will succeed in the Legislature. That's putting a great deal of faith in the willingness of Sarpy's taxpayers to pick up the tab for this.

Briejay Whine & Cheese Bracket Party

Last weekend, Creighton played themselves out of the NCAA tournament by getting blown out 73-49 by Illinois State, one night after salvaging a win against Wichita State the night before. Unfazed by the egg their team laid in St. Louis, the Briejay fan continued to pump their way to claim their rightful spot in the NCAA tournament.

And when they didn't make it, the reaction was fast and furious. Sue the NCAA! Billy Packer's on the seeding committee! The fix is in!

I think the message from the NCAA was very clear. Who did you beat? You can throw out RPI numbers and records and Ouija boards to your hearts content, but in the end, it comes down to who you beat.

The Briejay fan expressed outrage that Arizona and Michigan are dancing instead of them. Here's the evidence:

Wildcats: Arizona 69, Gonzaga 64; Arizona 84, Kansas 67; Arizona 106, Washington 97; Arizona 84, UCLA 72
Weasels: Michigan 55, UCLA 52; Michigan 81, Duke 73; Michigan 74, Illinois 64; Michigan/Minnesota 74-62 and 67-64; Michigan 87, Purdue 78
Bluejays: Creighton 77, Dayton 59

Creighton knew that they probably needed to win in St. Louis to make the dance before they even left Omaha, and they didn't. Now, the Briejay fan has a point that the "power schools" won't play Creighton. They have a partial point, in that these schools won't travel to Omaha. Creighton has maintained a position that they'll play these schools as part of a home and home series. But here's the deal: as a mid-major program, Creighton doesn't have the bargaining power to make those deals. As much as they don't want to admit it, they are counting on their mid-major conference to build their resume. A few years ago, that worked for Creighton. It doesn't work now.

To be fair, Nebraska doesn't have that bargaining power, but at least the Big XII gives the Huskers a better opportunity to build that resume. In fact, Nebraska offers a better resume to the NCAA committee than Creighton with victories over Missouri and Texas.

Now, should the NCAA start finding a way to get matchups between schools such as Creighton and some other "Power Conference" teams? Absolutely! Just like in football, the growth of the "money game" played only for home ticket sales hurts the game. But until that happens, it's tough for Creighton fans to argue that they somehow were robbed. Being robbed implies that you had actually possessed something, and Creighton really was fortunate to even be under consideration. (That's better than Nebraska did...)

Mavs Shut Out by Irish to End Season

UNO hockey ended it's season quietly this weekend, getting shut out by #2 Notre Dame this weekend in a two game sweep. Irish goaltender Jordan Pearce also shut out the Mavs on Saturday night in February, so that's 180+ minutes of shutout hockey against the Mavs. The Friday night game was over quickly, as UNO mistakes were repeatedly capitalized on by the Irish in building a 4-0 lead in the first period. Saturday night, a UNO miscommunication lead to Notre Dame's early goal, and that's all they needed in a 1-0 victory. UNO had several opportunities to score late, but couldn't get the puck past Pearce, even hitting the post once.

So that ends the UNO season...a season that looked very promising two months ago. Now, the drama begins: was that Mike Kemp's last game as UNO's head coach? We all know the Chancellor's directive from last fall: place in the top four, or else. Well, the Mavs skidded out of fourth place all the way to eighth.

The interesting variable in this is that athletic director David Miller is actively pursuing a similar position at Upper Iowa, and made several comments that indicate dissatisfaction at UNO to the World-Herald last week:

"It's a smaller school in a smaller community. And it's fully committed to Division II athletics.
"UNO has a number of challenges related to competing in Division I. That includes the requirements placed on us to generate finances externally."

Maybe Miller feels over his head at UNO. Maybe he doesn't feel the mess he inherited from the Belck/Buck era can be solved, especially in this economy. Or maybe he's now realizing that he wasn't the right fit for UNO. Which is it? I have no idea, but Miller's comments do indicate he's on his way out of town.

So does a potential lame-duck AD make the final call on Kemp? Does the Chancellor make the call? And if the decision is to make a change, who hires the replacement?

Let me say this: I like Mike Kemp. I think he deserves thanks from every UNO fan for getting UNO hockey where it is today. I don't think he's done a bad job at all. But by the same token, it's hard to dismiss the lethargy that seems to surround the program as of late. There didn't seem to be much interest in the Notre Dame series; it was almost a resignation that UNO would lose and the season would be over.

To be sure, change doesn't mean things will improve. (We know from the Steve Pederson error is that change can make things much worse.) But it's difficult to argue against people calling for a change anymore. UNO can, and should, strive for better performance on the ice.

But the Miller situation throws a curve ball into the situation, and perhaps an opening that addresses the desires of both camps: those who want a change, and those grateful to Kemp for all he's done for hockey in this community. Kemp was a serious candidate to be athletic director two years ago, but bowed out when he realized he probably would need to choose between being athletic director or head coach. I'd be very afraid of allowing a disinterested athletic director to make a decision as to who should be head coach, and I'm not sure the Chancellor is the appropriate man to evaluate candidates for head hockey coach. Could UNO elevate Kemp into the athletic director's office, and allow him to appoint his successor?

Is that a win/win solution that allows UNO fans to move forward? That's a question, I don't know the answer to.

Perrault Out at KXSP-590 AM

Jim Minge of the Omaha City Weekly reported earlier today that Matt Perrault will be leaving KXSP-590 AM at the end of the month. Apparently, Perrault confirmed it on a Creighton message board as well this evening.

I can't say that I'm terribly surprised; KXSP's ratings have been near the bottom of Omaha radio station ratings, except during Creighton basketball season. (Even got called out by Matt himself a couple of years ago.) A few months after that exchange, I finally completely stopped listening to Perrault after the great Creighton/NCAA ticket heist. I've always anticipated this change, and figured it would come right after the end of Creighton basketball season when their ratings slide into oblivion. You could see the warning signs of trouble when they added Travis Justice into the mix to shake things up.

No word as to what will replace Perrault's show on KXSP next month; I kind of question whether it will even remain all-sports. Jim Rome and Dan Patrick, even though I don't particularly care for them, seem to have some following, so they may remain, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a more generic talk format evolve on KXSP.

It's never a joyous event when someone loses a job, and it's never a joyous event when a local show leaves the airwaves. Although I thought his show was poorly done, it's a local show providing local coverage of mostly local sports. That's a loss for the region. Here's hoping that KXSP regroups and finds a new host (no, not Justice) to continue local sports coverage. Competition on the radio is a good thing, and just because KXSP failed with an inferior product doesn't mean that there isn't room in this market for another local sports talk program. Maybe you try it in the morning, rather than go head-to-head with KOZN-1620 AM.

Greatest Hockey Announcer Ever

Here's a compilation of Florida Panthers radio voice Randy Moller's goal calls. (HT: Kevin Kugler of 1620 the Zone) After each goal, he throws out a pop culture reference; usually a great movie line. Enjoy!

Royals Agree To Ballpark in Sarpy County; Boondoggle Moves Forward

A lot has been made and said over the last few days over the agreement to build a new ballpark for the Omaha Royals in Sarpy County. Depending on who you talk to, it's either the "first step", "99.9% done", or a certainty. Which is it? Hard to say, as the details are not terribly clear. (Here's the agreement, in PDF form, if you want to read a lot of legalese...)

What do we know? There is a proposed preliminary agreement, and the Royals have signed off on it. The Sarpy County Board is interested in it, but won't vote on the preliminary agreement until next week. We also know the parameters of how much Sarpy County and the Royals think this will cost, and what the Royals intend to contribute to this agreement.

What don't we know? Where the ball park would be located, and how Sarpy County will pay for it.

The Royals have agreed to pay $350,000 during the development phase, $2 million during the construction phase, and $450,000 a year (with inflation adjustments periodically) for 25 years. The stadium is expected to cost $20.3 million, though site preparation and acquisition costs could stretch the bill upwards of $26 million. The stadium will be financed through bonds. The stadium is expected to seat around 6,000 fans.

Some people have reported that this means the Royals will pay for half of the stadium, but that appears to make the assumption that Sarpy County will pay 0% interest on the bonds. (Disclaimer: I'm not an attorney, nor an accountant. So my interpretation could also be completely wrong.) By my math, that should cover about $8.4 million of the cost, if financed at 5.5% over 25 years. ($2.3 million up front, then about $6.1 million amortized over 25 years.)

That means that Sarpy County still needs to cover $12 million to as much as $17 million as their end of the deal. They pledge not to raise property taxes for it, but it's becoming clear where Sarpy County plans to get the funds for their share of the ballpark: the taxpayers of the state of Nebraska.

Bellevue State Senator Abbie Cornett has introduced three bills in the state legislature to help pay for the ballpark. LB 615 creates a county sales tax for "entertainment districts" and allows the use of both the state and county sales tax to be used to help fund projects in and around the entertainment district. LB 616 allows counties to divert state cigarette tax receipts to projects, such as the ballpark, and LB 617 allows for taxing districts be developed for property and sales tax purposes for building projects. Those are the keys to whether this happens, or not.

Here's the gist of those proposals: they would allow Sarpy County to claim much of the state and local taxes generated at and around the ballpark, and use that money for the ballpark. Of course, in the case where those taxes were already being used by the state, that means a shortfall in revenues. Much of these proposals were proposed twice before, and were voted down for that very reason. And in this economy and in this budget situation, I still question how these proposals stand a chance. If they fail, then Sarpy has to find $1.5 million or so a year to pay for this ballpark.

At this time, there does not appear to be a plan B in the works, or at least proposed at this time. In terms of the preliminary agreement, there doesn't need to be one. Sarpy can walk away from the deal at any time up to June 1st. What this essentially means is that Sarpy County can approve this agreement next week, and change it's mind if the Legislature doesn't pass these bills. The county board has no risk to vote "yes" next week, as they aren't committed to the deal until June. The Royals, however, are committed, and thus, won't be able to consider counteroffers from MECA or other cities.

There were a couple of interesting items in the proposal. First of all, Sarpy County and the Royals intend to pursue the NAIA College World Series for the new ballpark. Which seems kind of silly, since that would require the Royals to vacate the new stadium for a week and a half, and they already complain about having to leave during the NCAA CWS. Granted, the NAIA series is shorter, but it would seem that the Pacific Coast League wouldn't particuarly enjoy having to schedule all those road trips around both college series. On the other hand, bringing new tourism to the area is always a good thing. That's one benefit for the entire metro area.

The bigger one is that old canard: parking. The agreement calls for paved parking around the stadium, one spot for every four seats, with the following stipulation:

"all of which shall be revenue producing parking spaces for the ORoyals."
--- Section 9.3

That's right. The Royals apparently plan to charge for parking around the new ballpark. How much will they charge? Well, let's look at what other PCL teams charge: Iowa $6, Indianapolis $5, Colorado Springs $6. So guess what? All those complaints about MECA's $6 parking? Well, guess what. It would happen in Chalco anyway.

So what happens next? The way the Sarpy/Royals agreement is structured, the county board vote is a mere formality. It'll get approved...but doesn't mean a darned thing. The real action is in the Legislature where the three Cornett bills begin deliberations. If those pass, the Chalco ballpark is 99.9% home, as much as I hate to say. If those fail (which I've maintained was the key sticking point all along), then this becomes a much more interesting issue. Sarpy County leaders will plead that this is the ONLY way the Royals stay in Nebraska, but the truth is, there is still another option. (I mean, there is still the question of whether 6,000 seats is enough, and whether $20 million is enough, but that's an issue for another day...)

It's getting dimmer. But it's still there, waiting for the leaders across the area and the state to do the right thing.

A Perfect Sports Weekend in Omaha

Despite losing an hour of sleep this weekend, I thought it was a pretty good sports weekend around here even before I realized just how good it was around here. Yeah, it was cloudy, cold, and wet outside, but all the sports news came out shining.

Husker athletics had a great weekend, with baseball sweeping a four game series with Cal State Northridge. Basketball had another decent showing on the road at Baylor, with the outsized Huskers putting on another great effort to finish 8-8 in the conference. Each game, it seems to be somebody else stepping up and make the plays. On Saturday, it was Toney McCray blocking shots, getting rebounds, then finishing up with a highlight reel slam dunk. Sadly, the game really didn't count for much; the standings for Oklahoma City were already set, so Nebraska and Baylor meet again on Wednesday morning to open the Big XII tournament.

UNO hockey swept Ferris State this weekend, shutting out the Bulldogs 3-0 on Friday night, and winning 5-2 on Saturday night. Jerad Kaufmann had a great weekend in net, and UNO had the breakthrough weekend fans have been waiting two months for. Up next for UNO is #2 Notre Dame in South Bend. The Irish swept UNO in Omaha last month, though both games were tight all the way. The bye week before the first round of the playoffs did UNO wonders, and for the first time in years, UNO heads to the 2nd round without any major injuries and relatively rested.

More good news came in on the ballpark front, where talks between Sarpy County and the Omaha Royals bogged down last weekend, meaning that the March 15th deadline will pass without an agreement. It's still likely that a tentative agreement is going to occur in Sarpy County, though it does open up the possibility of MECA reopening talks. We can only hope that common sense will prevail.

Like I said...nothing but good news over the weekend on the local sports scene. I can't think of a single bad thing that occured myself.

Thursday Night Beer: OWH Reruns for Hockey Coverage

Another side effect of the struggles of the newspaper industry was seen today in the Omaha World-Herald. After laying off another 38 employees and cutting pay 5% across the board, the Omaha daily newspaper essentially reran old news instead of compiling a preview of the UNO's first round CCHA playoff series. Surprised (and disappointed) in Chad Purcell; usually he's better than that. We all know about the Chancellors directive last fall, and Tom Shatel was told nothing would change until after the season. So why rerun old news?

Of UNO's many losses down the stretch, one of the worst was the first game at Ferris State in late January. UNO got off to a quick lead, but gave up a short-handed goal late in the 2nd to go down 3-1. The third period was simply a disaster that evening as the Bulldogs scored four times to blow the game wide open. The next night UNO came out firing, but still could only manage a 1-1 tie, losing the shootout 2-1. So now Ferris State comes to Omaha for a best-of-three series. The Bulldogs are on a slide of their own, losing their last five games, and going 1-6-1 in February. So it's a battle of teams trying to reverse their fortunes. UNO had a bye last week, which might serve them well being rested up, not having played since tying Minnesota State a week and a half ago.

Great game for Husker basketball last night against Iowa State. True to form, nobody outworks this scrappy bunch. They'll cause somebody some fits down in Oklahoma City next week at the Big XII tournament. But hopes that this team would get some much needed height next season dimmed with the news that 6'11" Christopher Niemann tore his ACL in a practice earlier in the day. Yes, he probably could play next season, but it seems it still requires 18 months to fully recover from an ACL tear.

I'm still troubled by the whole Barry Turner arrest situation from last weekend. Today, the Lancaster County attorney declined to pursue charges, thus ending Turner's legal problems. Now, was this a case of much to-do-about-nothing? The snowstorm story seems plausible, and a pillow fight doesn't sound terribly serious. The bite, on the other hand, is another matter entirely, but I'm not sure what I'd do after getting whacked in the head with a candlestick. Frankly, it might come down to the simple fact that spending a couple of nights in jail was punishment enough from a legal perspective. In the end, we may never know what, if anything, Bo Pelini and the athletic department do about this situation. Hopefully it's something (if only counseling for both parties), since while the situation might not have warranted legal action, it does raise warning signals about the relationship.

Major Culbert's departure from the Husker football team is sad in one respect. When you consider how Culbert got yanked around from running back to linebacker back to running back then safety under the previous regime, he deserves some credit. All that moving around hampered his development, and probably his confidence and attitude as a result. Last season, one had to wonder why he wasn't playing more, but I think it finally became apparent that it just wasn't going to work out for Culbert on the football field. Hopefully he'll stay in school and get his degree.

Sarpy Boondoggle Announcement Misses Key Details

Details keep trickling out about the Sarpy County ballpark and the proposed agreement with the Omaha Royals, but the key details continue to be omitted. Today's news is that the Royals and Sarpy County have agreed to a 25 year deal, but the key information still isn't known.

• How much is it going to cost?
• How is Sarpy County going to pay for this?
• Where is it going to be built?

So let's get this straight. We don't know where. We don't know how much, or how it's going to be paid for. Yet they can say there is a 25 year deal?

It's not difficult to understand why the exact location hasn't been announced. Negotiations are still underway, and it's probably safe to bet that the Royals and Sarpy County have a pretty good idea where it's going to go. Until those negotiations are finalized, no announcement is going to be made. WOWT reports that the most likely locations are by Cabela's (previously destined for office space, though the economic downturn may have put those plans on hold) and along highway 370 south of Papillion.

The Chalco location by Cabela's already has it's own issues, even if it's available again. The Papillion location would be a dismal failure for the entire metro area, as very few people from Douglas County will want to take the time to drive down 72nd or 84th Street to get to the ball park.

But why not start disclosing the price and how this ballpark is going to be paid for? Talk that the ballpark is somehow a "done deal" without those details is, well, simply crazy. When those seemingly minor details get announced, is it going to be dependent on asking the state legislature to pay for it? How much will property taxes go up?

The great thing about these continuing little announcements is that they seem to build up momentum in favor of the project, without providing anything of substance to criticize. So until details actually start to emerge, this remains a boondoggle.

If Sarpy does manage to pull this off, it'll be a very disappointing day for the city of Omaha. MECA's failure to land a deal with the Royals last summer reflects badly on that organization and the people associated with it. It means the downtown stadium won't be properly utilized, and the chances of upgrading Omaha's AAA affiliation diminish, if not completely disappear.

Death of Newspapers Could Harm the Husker Blogosphere

Tomorrow morning, Denver finds themselves a one-newspaper town following today's shutdown of the Rocky Mountain News. That's better than San Fransisco, where the Bay Area's only daily newspaper may only be days from shutting down. The parent company of the Chicago Tribune is in bankruptcy, even with selling the Chicago Cubs off to Omaha's Ricketts family for hundreds of millions. In Omaha, the World-Herald trimmed several pages from it's daily edition last month.

Are newspapers a dinosaur? In some respects, yes. The costs of newsprint is increasing, and by the time the paper hits the newsstand or lands in your driveway, the news in the paper is several hours old. Has the internet, and the rise of the blogosphere killed the newspaper?

In it's current form, it seems that way. But the truth is that blogs are dependent on the newspaper industry for it's very survival. Kill the newspapers...and you kill the blogs. Sounds backwards, you say? Let me ask you this...where do most blogs get their content?

The newspaper. Sure, there are a few blogs that do some original reporting, but those are the exception, not the rule. Every one of the BigRedBloggers I've come across do this as a hobby; we all have real jobs that pay the bills for us. We do it because we enjoy it, and we do it in our spare time. That's why you don't find much "news" on the blogs, but rather commentary and analysis. News gets included to, but more often than not, it's a link to mainstream journalists who cover the Huskers as a full-time job. Something that bloggers don't have the resources to do.

And who are those mainstream journalists? 99% of the time, it's the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star. Omaha television stations provide some coverage, but other than highlights, it's superficial at best. Not much you can do in three minutes during a newscast, and the web sites of Omaha's TV stations are pathetic at best. KMTV's "BigRedNow" section talks about "Breaking News", but hasn't been updated in days, with most of the content weeks or months old. WOWT's Husker page has Wednesday's 10-6 win over North Dakota in baseball as the most recent news. KETV's Big Red Zone most recent news is the Patrick Witt departure, with the rest dating back through the offseason and even a little leftover Gator Bowl residue.

What about radio? Frankly, they're almost like full-time bloggers. KOZN's Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe get great interviews, but except for an occasional practice report, they aren't breaking any news. Down the dial, KXSP's "Big Show" is mostly fluff and trash talk, building on the Jim Rome audience. The radio stations are limited in what they can do with Nebraska football, as the athletic department's exclusive radio contract with IMG bars the coaching staff from appearing on radio shows not originated by the Husker Sports Network. (Which, by the way, is all that KFAB seems willing to do anymore.)

So where does Husker coverage come from? In the end...it's the World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star, for the most part. Which is why the industry's problems are so dire for us bloggers; if we lose the newspapers, we lose our sources. The signs of the strains are already appearing locally. The World-Herald ceased distribution to parts of western Nebraska earlier this year, and the size of the paper is significantly smaller now than last year. It's not incomprehendable that one (or both) Nebraska major newspapers could cease to exist at some point in the future. And frankly, there's nothing else that will be able to pick up the slack. Bloggers may try, but there's no way those of us with day jobs can break away to cover practice or press conferences.

That's why, despite their many faults, I still subscribe to the World-Herald. Perhaps it's more of a habit, but I still find the daily paper a useful resource. It's easier to read at the dinner table (with less risk of electrocution when a 2 year old spills milk all over the place). I can take it to the living room or the bathroom. I can take the Sunday edition and set it next to the computer as I post my own reactions. At one time, I even considered subscribing to the Journal-Star, but they don't deliver to Omaha, and besides, they do have a great web site. Like them or not, they are still the best resources this state has for news. Certainly, the growth of the internet has pushed both organizations into new mediums. Both now have online video, and their reporters now appear on camera filing reports. But will they be able to stay afloat in an online world?

We have to hope so, because sadly, nobody else seems remotely interested in challenging the newspapers in terms of depth and breadth of coverage.

Wednesday Night Beer: Disappointing Night for Mav Hockey & Husker Hoops

After last weekend's "close but no cigar" weekend against second ranked Notre Dame, I really had high hopes that UNO would make a strong statement against Minnesota State last evening. But last night's 2-2 tie wasn't the statement I was looking for. At times, UNO looked strong, but overall, more like the team that hasn't won in over six weeks. Now UNO has to play the waiting game, rooting for Bowling Green and Michigan to win games this weekend as the Mavs are idle. (Talk about a distasteful task for Mav fans!) UNO currently sits in a 2 way tie for 6th place, but could be passed by Ferris State and Western Michigan in the standings. If that happens, UNO finishes in 9th place, and has to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs.

At the end of regulation last night, we got our coats on and were on our way out the door when the PA announcer mentioned that a shootout would take place. Not sure why: shootouts are meaningless in college hockey except to decide conference standings, so last night's game is officially a tie. So with it long past our daughter's bedtime, we headed home, questioning the point of it. The questioning rose as we walked past the monitors in the concourse showing UNO goalie Jeremie Dupont being assisted by the trainer after tweaking a groin on the first attempt. Turns out Dupont is ok, but the questions about the shootout remain. Perhaps the shootout was beneficial for Minnesota State of the WCHA to experience, but it really didn't make any sense for UNO.

Driving home, I caught the early part of the second half of the Nebraska/Texas A&M basketball game on the radio, and was stunned to find the Huskers up by 18 points. Got hone and took the dog for the walk, only to find the lead had shrunk to a few points in the waning minute. I thought Ade Dagunduro made the play of the game to flip the ball downcourt, but official Tom O'Neill morphed into the CCHA's Brian Aaron by somehow calling icing. (Yes, I know icing only applies to hockey, but it makes as much sense as saying Steve Harley was out of bounds.) So A&M gets the ball back with 5 seconds left, and proceeds to nail a 3 pointer with .8 seconds left. But the clock runs out, in apparent violation of NCAA basketball rule 5, section 10, article 10 which says that the clock stops upon every goal in the final minute. So a spectacular flameout by the Husker basketball team results in another agonizing loss. Is this Nebraska team out of gas? Have all these close losses worn these guys out? Hard to say at this point, but I wouldn't count this team out just yet.

Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star apparently got the inside scoop on Patrick Witt's sudden departure from the Huskers. Bottom line is that the Witt family essentially told Bo Pelini that they wanted to know who the starting quarterback would be at the end of spring practice so that Patrick could transfer somewhere else if he lost the competition. Naturally, Pelini told the Witt's where to place that request. Patrick Witt had to make a decision: stay at Nebraska irregardless of being the starter or backup, or start looking now for a school where he could be assured of being the starting quarterback. Harsh? Perhaps. But the Witt's forced this by implying that he'd transfer if he lost the competition. That's not a team attitude, and I don't blame Pelini one bit for putting his foot down. Best of luck to the Witt family in finding a school better suited to him.

Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe of 1620 the Zone brought up the economy today and how that affects the financing plans of the downtown stadium. Certainly travel is down, keno revenues will be down. But the financing plans did have contingencies with a buffer to ensure that the plan could withstand some amount of revenue shortfalls, but as you may have noticed, nobody last year envisioned the depth of this economic downfall. But in my mind, the question isn't whether the downtown stadium is going to happen: it's already under construction. The question is: how the heck does Sarpy County pull off a second stadium in this environment? Sounds like we might get some answers next week. Will I be eating my words? We'll see.

Sunday Night Dessert: Mavs Swept by Irish

After a tough overtime loss Friday night, Notre Dame completed the sweep of UNO Saturday night with a 1-0 victory. The Mavs had an apparent game-tying goal waived off with three minutes left after John Kemp was whistled for a cross-check. A YouTube video of the play had an obscured shot of the actual offense, but it was clear that referee Mark Wilkins already had his arm raised for the penalty as the crowd reacted to the puck in the net. A channel 3 replay just shown on "Sports Soundoff" showed the penalty shortly after Dan Charleston crossed the blue line. So while Wilkins may have erred in putting Kemp in the box, the no-goal ruling was correct.

Now UNO needs to hope for Bowling Green to win one of two games at Western Michigan this weekend. If Western sweeps the Perverts, Western Michigan moves into eighth place, and UNO goes on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Definitely not where UNO wanted to be at the end of the season. UNO has played some of their best hockey of the entire year in the last three games, but three close losses to second-ranked Notre Dame and fourth-ranked Michigan are still losses. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Nebraska basketball had a sloppy first half down at Allen Fieldhouse, but Kansas really didn't put the Huskers away until the middle of the 2nd half. Not a surprise there, but Nebraska really needs to find a win somewhere on the road down the stretch.

Heard an interesting story about Creighton fans at last night's BracketBuster game. Many attendees were oblivious to the starting time of the game, showing up hours early for the game and wondering why they couldn't get into arena. (Hint: the State Wrestling Tournament ran all afternoon, and they needed time to set the basketball court up.) You'd think that after all the commercials and news coverage about the game, more would have paid attention to a simple little detail like the time of the game.

A lot of scuttlebutt is emerging about Patrick Witt's transfer from Nebraska. The timing is interesting, but without anything solid, unseemly rumors sound like sour grapes from Husker fans. Until something comes out more definite, it's best to wish the kid the best. I've long admired Witt; other than his MIP and disturbing the peace incident a year ago, he's done nothing to change my opinion of him.

Move Forward, UNO. The Civic is History, Not the Future.

Due to the state wrestling tournament, UNO got bumped back to the Civic Auditorium for this weekend's Notre Dame series. The Irish took advantage of a Alex Hudson turnover and buried a goal with under two minutes left in overtime for a 4-3 Domer victory.

For much of the evening, it was clear to me that UNO had outgrown the old Civic. The crowd was much smaller than other UNO crowds against big name opponents, mostly because tickets weren't available. (Even though it was supposed to be a near sellout, nearly 1,000 seats sat empty.) It was slightly louder at times than an equivalent sized crowd at the Qwest Center, thanks to the smaller size, lower roof, and the lack of concert acoustics.

But everywhere you went, you had signs of being someplace that time had passed by. The lines for the bathroom snaked out into the concourse. (We'll leave the disgusting plumbing problems in the restrooms out of this discussion.) The concourses themselves were cramped, making it difficult to get back to your seats in time, especially when the Qwestapo blocks your passage back to the seats. Even the ice left something to be desired, as defenseman Eddie delGrosso realized. (Krutov's MavBoni had trouble getting on and off the ice as well...)

UNO certainly didn't help themselves with atmosphere last night. They pushed the students up to the upper tier nosebleed seats rather than their usual spot behind the visiting goalie. The band was nowhere to be found, and the soundman was slow to fire up the school song after goals.

I thought last night had finally stuck a fork in the old Civic vs. Qwest Center debate once and for all, until Nick Fanto tied the game with about 12 minutes left in the third period. Then, the one asset that the Civic Auditorium still has came into play. That low ceiling without noise dampening acoustics magnified, instead of dampened, the cheers coming from the crowd, and it spread. For nearly five minutes, the deafening chants of UNO had the Irish on their heels as UNO took it to the second-ranked Domers. Sadly, it wasn't enough, as the game went into overtime, where the Irish's Billy Maday buried the game winner.

Some fans remember that remarkable stretch in the third period and recall with fondness the Tuesday Night playin game and suggest that UNO needs to move back to the auditorium. Nothing could be further from the truth. Last night's game would have drawn more than 8,000 at the Qwest Center.

But last night's game also points out that the Qwest Center is unlikely to ever be the best spot for UNO Hockey either. The spacious arena was designed for concerts, with sound deadening acoustics to make concerts great. But that makes for less desirable sporting events, except when the action is so overwhelming that it too overtakes the acoustic challenges.

It's been suggested that a refurbished Civic would be the perfect home for the Mavs. I beg to differ. It's still miles from campus. Adding in the amenities that a refurbishing entails further reduces capacity. Last night drew 7300 to the auditorium; a refurbishing might limit crowds to 6500 to maybe 7000 fans a night. And while I'd hope for sanitary reasons they could fix the bathrooms, I don't see how the concourses get solved.

No, the Civic's future is as a spot for future downtown redevelopment. Capitol Avenue has been becoming Omaha's business corridor as it develops from east to west. At some point in the distant future (once the economy rebounds), someone will want to pursue redevelopment of the Civic site. And with the convention center and exhibition hall sitting as unused relics underneath the auditorium, it's an inefficent use of the space long term for this city.

It's been suggested that $15 to $20 million could put the shine back on the Civic. It would help the old barn, to be sure. But it's not a good investment. Two years ago, Omaha tried to bid for the Big XII basketball tournament, but the Big XII rejected the Civic as too small. Yeah, you could fix the place up, but at the cost of further reducing capacity. It's a lose-lose proposition.

The answer: once the stadium debates are over, Omaha needs to revisit a secondary arena near UNO's campus. Use some of the things that make the Civic great as a starting point. Low ceilings, cement block and/or brick to echo sounds. Seats near the action. Then add in the advantages of the Qwest Center: suites, media areas, party rooms, wide concourses, working bathrooms. Then add in things that ensure a home ice advantage for UNO: bleachers behind the goal for the students and the band.

UNO needs to do this, as the Sapp Fieldhouse is also nearing the end of it's useful life as well. A new UNO Coliseum near midtown is going to be necessary for UNO's entire athletic department, not just hockey program. Add in practice facilities for UNO's sports build adjacent to the coliseum means that it's efficient for everybody.

Yes, the money's not there now. But Omaha isn't going to build this now, not with the stadium effort underway. But the need is coming soon, both for the city and UNO.

Husker Football Ticket Prices Going Up; New Screens Going Up As Well

Athletic Director Tom Osborne announced today that Husker football season tickets will go up $2 per game to $54 per game ($378 for 7 home games in 2009). A fairly moderate price increase, especially when compared to Bill Byrne's old trick of keeping the season total price the same when the number of games dropped by a game. But this season's home schedule leaves a lot to be desired for Husker fans. Yes, Oklahoma and Texas Tech are coming to Lincoln. But so are Iowa State, Kansas State, and the Sun Belt Conference (Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and Louisiana Lafayette). But what choice to fans have, other than complain? Bottom line: in this economy and with this schedule, it would have been nice if the prices could have held steady this season.

Much of the price increase is being targeted towards addressing some of the shortcomings of the 2006 stadium renovations. Two new HuskerVision screens are being installed in the north endzones for the fans at that end of the field. The entire HuskerVision system is being upgraded to high definition, and ribbon boards are likely to be installed along the east and west balconies.

The ribbon boards could be a very cool addition to Memorial Stadium, provided they are used responsibly. Many fans might be used to the ribbon boards at Omaha's Qwest Center, which pretty much are only used to show distracting bouncing advertisements during the game. (Ever notice flashing reflections during televised basketball and hockey games? Those are ribbon boards being abused.)

But ribbon boards can be useful if used judiciously. Check out a Husker basketball game; you may not realize it, but that's a ribbon board on the scorers table. It's used to rotate between advertising, but it's not intrusive because animation is kept to a minimum. In fact, it's less annoying than the old rollerboards that used to be used at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

That doesn't mean that the boards will simply flood Memorial Stadium with advertising. They can also be used as auxilary scoreboards. Take a look at this Daktronics display in Miami showing statistics. Which is how I expect them to be used in Memorial Stadium. Ribbon boards could be used to more statistics than can be displayed on the existing scoreboard, and by using the ribbon boards, frees up the north end zone screen for a widescreen HD display. Yes, there will be some advertising, but if the advertising is done subtly, with animation limited to timeouts, it won't be any more distracting than the current HuskerVision promotions. (Which can be annoying when they are played according to a schedule rather than at an appropriate time of the game.)

We'll see how Nebraska chooses to use this technology, but if done right, it has the possibility of enhancing, rather than diminish, the game experience.

Monday Night Beer: Coz Has Amnesia Over 2007, We Should Too

Kevin Cosgrove seems to have developed amnesia with respect to what happened in 2007, denying to GopherHole.com that Nebraska's 2007 defense was one of the worst in division 1-A:

GH: Your final year at Nebraska, your defense was rated #112th in the country…

KC: Noooooo (smiling).

GH: What do you recall it being rated?

KC: I don’t know, I didn’t even look at it, because the way things went down there, it was done before the season was even over. We all knew we were fired before that. It was just a tough time, and I don’t look back at that. But, we did lead the nation in sacks, did you know that?

GH: Your last year at Nebraska?

KC: No, no. We didn’t lead the nation in anything that last year. In 2005, we led the nation in sacks, and tackles for loss. You have to put a lot of pressure on quarterbacks to do that, don’t you?

Kind of reminds you of "I'm doing an excellent job", doesn't it? Coz also gets in his shots at Husker fans:

GH: What would you say to your critics? Would you take websites like firecosgrove.com almost as a form of flattery, because you are so well-known?

KC: When I was at Wisconsin, working for Barry (Alvarez) we never even knew that stuff existed. I never saw anything negative; the only thing I ever saw was positive. Then I went to Nebraska, and I started looking at the negative stuff, and that was probably the worst thing I ever did. It was the worst thing our team ever did, because our players started reading it. They were not only beating up me, but the players, and that’s a bad thing when that happens. That’s their team, they’re beating up the kids, and that’s not right. As a coach, I can take it. Everybody has their opinions, and god bless them, but I’m moving on, and I’m excited to be a Minnesota Gopher right now.

Based on the e-mails we received five years ago from relatives in Wisconsin, I can assure you that there was plenty of rejoicing in the land of the Cheeseheads when Cosgrove moved to Lincoln. By that same manner, we never saw Husker teams give up 70 points in a game before he came to Nebraska either.

I can assure you I'm excited that Cosgrove is a Minnesota Gopher today...as is the rest of the Big 11. To be sure, while eventually we'll have to move on, I firmly believe that Kevin Cosgrove, Bill Callahan, and Steve Pederson will live on forever in this state as punchlines.

UNO hockey had a meltdown in the third period at #4 Michigan on Friday night. Down 4-3 at Yost in the 3rd, two quick goals led to two more down the stretch as the Weasels got a 8-3 victory against the Mavs. Ouch. Saturday night, UNO led after the first period, and were still tied late until Michigan's Luke Glendenning scored the game winner with just over three minutes left in the game. For the most part, not a horrible performance, but with UNO's winless stretch now reaching 11 games, it's making the future of UNO hockey look more and more cloudy. As the World-Herald's Chad Purcell points out, it would have taken merely .500 hockey down the stretch to keep UNO in 4th place, and out of the Chancellor's cross-hairs. It doesn't get any easier this weekend: #2 Notre Dame comes to town.

Over lunch today, I caught a few highlights of the NBA All-Star Game on ESPN, and frankly, if you need any more proof that the NBA has become the WWE, you've got it now with Shaq's "Phantom of the Opera" entrance dance.

Chalco Boondoggle Downsizing

In a former assignment, a former supervisor had a plan to deal with projects that turned out to require more resources than were available: simply do as much as you can, and redefine the scope of the project downward. Project requirements weren't as important as coming in on time and on budget. Anything that didn't get done might get done later as a separate project later on. The results of the project usually ended being less than what was originally envisioned at best, and more often than not, wasn't even usable without a lot of followup work. But it was on-time and on-budget.

Today, Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald reports on the progress of Sarpy County's negotiations with the Omaha Royals on a Chalco ballpark proposal. As predicted, Sarpy County simply can't build a $30-$40 million ball park. So now they're setting their sights much lower. Much lower. $20 million, and a stadium with as few as 5,000 (or perhaps only 4,500) seats.

Can Sarpy pull that off? Well, the odds are better than before, though we still haven't heard how Sarpy County plans to pull this off, except for the Royals chipping in $12 million over 25 years. (That translates to about $6.5 million, amortized over 25 years at 5.5% interest) So that's about 1/3rd of the cost. That still leaves about $15 million for the ballpark itself.

Then there are site preparation and land costs. How much is that? Hard to say, but DLR tells Shatel that Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln only cost $13 million of the $32 million project. $19 million was for Bowlin Stadium for softball and the infrastructure. Add in that, and you are looking at cost to Sarpy County of over $20 million...perhaps $25 or $30 million.

Still no word on how to make it happen. Doesn't mean it can't be done...but they keep avoiding the discussion. In fact, it now sounds like an agreement could be reached without having a way to pay for it.

But what good are 5000 seats for the Royals? I argued that a 6,500 seat stadium was too small last month; so how does a 20% cut from there work? (Don't forget that last season, the Royals averaged 5400 fans a night, and that includes 22,287 on the 4th of July!) Shatel alludes to what this means for fans: fewer seats makes the Royals a "tough ticket", which is a positive way to say "expensive tickets". The Royals have done great work in recent years with promotions to get fans to Rosenblatt, so accepting smaller crowds will probably mean less expense on promotions and higher margins. But it does raise the question if it ends up costing $15 a person to attend a Royals game, whether fans will choose to head downtown for $8 independent league tickets.

Bottom line: the Sarpy ballpark is looking more possible than it did before, but if anything, it's looking like more and more of a bad idea.