Huskers Testing My Cautious Optimism; Survive Wyoming

I went into this season cautiously optimistic about the potential of the 2013 Huskers. The first game didn't give me much to justify that optimism. A three point win over a Wyoming team when favored by 30 is concerning.  Giving up a school record 35 first downs is concerning.  Giving up 602 yards is concerning.

And I can hear the uproar; for some, it's downright alarming. Are people reaching for the panic button?  No doubt some are, but I'm going to hold off on that for now.  Nebraska played pretty poorly Saturday night on both sides of the ball.  Fortunately, they came away with the win...and that's pretty much the main positive on the night.

Credit Wyoming for playing well, especially quarterback Brett Smith.  In the first half, Smith and running back Shaun Wick repeatedly found seams up front in the Husker defense, racking up 178 yards on the ground by halftime. In the second half, it was Smith finding receivers through the air, and suddenly turning the game interesting even after many fans had already headed for home.

While the net result was similar to Nebraska's last two games, the personnel on the field were quite a bit different...and that should temper the reaction to throw in the towel.  Last year, it was seniors making mistakes and getting beat; against Wyoming, it was freshmen and sophomores who were being counted on in crucial situations for the first time.  Sometimes it went well; way too often, it went wrong.

Let's start up front with the defensive line.  The defensive ends didn't seem to have a great night, especially senior Jason Ankrah. Randy Gregory did a lot of good things, even if the referees disagreed. What was up with that roughing penalty?  In the stadium, I could have sworn I heard the ref mention "ejection", but fortunately that wasn't the case.  I have a lot of mixed opinions on the call. In the spirit of the new "targeting" penalty, I kind of see the call. It was a vicious hit...but I don't think it was illegal either, unless you are considering any vicious hit to be worth of a penalty.

Inside on the line, I felt a little better about Thad Randle's play, and I thought I saw some good things from Vincent Valentine.  Judging from the amount of snaps Valentine played, I suspect the coaches did as well.

With Wyoming lining up in the spread, Nebraska spent most of the night in nickel and dime defenses, and David Santos was usually the only guy in the middle. Coaches were continually screaming at Santos from the sideline, and in the second half, true freshman Josh Banderas saw quite a bit of playing time.

The secondary was off and on.  Stanley Jean-Baptiste had a great first half, but safety play seemed to be lacking quite a bit.  Mo Seisay has has moved into Corey Cooper's dime spot with mixed results; offhand, I think Nebraska's better off with Nathan Gerry as the dime linebacker.  Sometimes the coverage was fine; sometimes the quarterback and receiver just make the play.  Other times, especially in the fourth quarter, the coverage was lacking... especially on that last touchdown that made it a three point game.

While the offense put up decent numbers, there certainly was the potential to do a heck of a lot more.  Some of that apparently was by design; for some reason, Tim Beck called an awful lot of screen passes.  It never seemed Nebraska had much interest in stretching the field, being content to dink and dunk.  Backup I-backs Imani Cross and true freshman Terrell Newby were the highlights of the day.  Cross's first touchdown of the day was highlight reel material; the legend of the "Beast" only grows stronger.  He's shed a few pounds, but none of his power.  And I liked what I saw out of Newby in his first action at this level.

Bottom line on today is that while Nebraska was good enough to win today, that won't be good enough to win most weeks.  Next week is Southern Miss, who lost to Texas State 22-15 for their 14th straight loss.  But after that is UCLA, with another mobile quarterback, who beat Nevada 58-20.  Earlier this summer, I wasn't too concerned about UCLA.  If I don't see significant improvement on defense next week, I'll become very concerned.

Preseason Big Ten Power Poll Ballot

With the death of the BlogPoll, the CN staff decided to implement a staff "PowerPoll" of the Big Ten teams. In the interests of full disclosure, here's my preseason ballot.  Remember, this is a "Power Poll", which ranks the teams in terms of perceived strength  Because each team plays a different schedule, it doesn't necessarily mean that this is a predicted order of finish.  And because it's preseason, it's all just a guess.

1: Ohio State

With Braxton Miller back after an undefeated season, it's hard to vote anybody else on top at this point.

2: Nebraska

Most of the offense is back, which should be even better in 2013. And I'm cautiously optimistic about the defense; no, Bo Pelini didn't forget how to coach defense. He may have made some mistakes in recruiting early on; let's see if he's figured it out.

3: Michigan

The Weasels are the trendy pick, but I have enough questions about their running backs, receivers, and secondary this season. And that's even assuming that Jake Ryan returns at 100% in October...which I really doubt.

4: Northwestern

The Wildcats are a team you want to rank higher, but I can't get over how Nebraska dominated them last year - outside of the special teams debacle.  Look at that stat sheet again if you can't look past the final score.

5: Wisconsin

Despite a new Bert-free coaching staff, I don't see the Badgers dropping significantly.

6: Penn State

I don't know when the Sandusky-scandal sanctions will finally take hold, but Bill O'Brien is a heck of a coach.  Underestimate Penn State at your own risk.

7: Michigan State

That defense is amazingly good.  But that offense is amazingly putrid.  Last season, LeVeon Bell salvaged the offense, and he's off to the NFL.  If anybody thinks that Andrew Maxwell is going to be any better in 2013, just remember that the quarterback competition went from a two-man race to a three-man competition to a four-man "Can anybody throw a decent pass" debacle.  They say when you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one.  What does it mean when you have four?  Simple.  It's a mess.  I reserve the right to upgrade Sparty if they decide to burn Damion Terry's redshirt and play him, but with no quarterback, a converted linebacker at running back, and receivers who can't catch the ball, I just don't see how the Spartans can be seriously be considered a contender.

8: Minnesota

Jerry Kill has a reputation for putting together solid teams.  I almost could rank the Gophers ahead of Sparty.  I think they'll surprise in 2013.

9: Indiana

The offense should be pretty good and they may also pull of an upset or two.

10: Purdue

A few too many questions with a new coaching staff.

11: Iowa

Other than linebacker and the offensive line, I have a hard time finding much to be optimistic about in Iowa City.

12: Illinois

Will Tim Beckman even survive the season?

"Cautiously Optimistic" About Husker Football in 2013

After a long winter, spring, and summer of discontent over the end of the 2012 Nebraska football season, it's finally time for 2013 to kick off. Well, discontent for others... I'm not discontented. Disappointed over the B1G championship game?  Absolutely! (/wisconsin scores again)  But discontented?  Nope.

I'm not as bothered, or as fatalistic about Nebraska's prospects in 2013. Are there concerns?  Absolutely.  Don't last year's problems portray even more problems this year?  Maybe...but likely not.  From my perspective, the success or failure of Nebraska in 2013 depends on improvement in four areas:  defensive line, linebackers, pass protection, and ball security.  The first two are related, as are the last two.

I expect improvement on defense in 2013.  Fans should demand it. They will be young, and they will make mistakes.  But I think the new guys are a significant upgrade in talent.  I keep hearing good things about Vincent Valentine at defensive tackle; the question is more "how good can he be" and how can Nebraska bring out more of his ability and realize his potential.  Randy Gregory looks like he can be the playmaker Nebraska has lacked at end in recent years.

The new linebackers are supposed to be more athletic than their predecessors. Speed was the issue, in my opinion, in covering UCLA's Johnathan Franklin, Ohio State's Braxton Miller, or Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. Fix that, and some of those deep gouges don't happen. Sign me up with KOZN radio's Damon Benning on that "cautious optimism" bandwagon.

Room still left on the Husker D bandwagon. Ill drive. They'll be better than pundits think. Thanks to @bbbprinting pic.twitter.com/FPNhoz9EIW
— Damon Benning (@damonbenning) August 20, 2013

On offense, pass protection was the number one problem last season. When Taylor Martinez got blindsided or pressured to throw early, that's when many of those turnovers occurred. Fix the pass protection, and turnovers should improve in turn.  Can pass protection improve?  That's not quite as clear; it's been a point of focus this off-season and the coaches have talked about utilizing more depth on the line this season.  But improvement there is what I hope to see.

It may be tough to really evaluate this the first couple of weeks.  UCLA may give us a better chance, though the Bruins have their own issues this season. It really may not be until November when we really get a good read on the progress Nebraska has made this season.

USA Today's Paul Myerberg had a nice preview last week of Nebraska.  It's a very optimistic view; he puts the Huskers at number 11.  What was most notable is that he's making observations I've made but most everybody else either ignores or doesn't get. 

It's just one of the ways Pelini has grown since assuming one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in college football following the 2007 season. He's mellowed, for one, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. He's become more comfortable in his own skin. He has taken two hugely vital steps: one, he's admitted to his early regime's recruiting errors, and two, he's made efforts to amend his new-guy missteps. The only thing similar between the Pelini of 2008 and the Pelini of 2013 is the crewneck sweatshirt.

 Many people still hold to the perception that Pelini either can't or won't recruit.  He certainly doesn't recruit the way some recruitniks want him to.  But he's definitely changed things up.  Recruiting coordinator Ted Gilmore was gently nudged aside two years ago when it became clear to Pelini that there were talent issues. We saw those issues manifest themselves last season on defense.  Now we finally get a chance to see if the young pups who've been recruited since can solve the issues.  Cry if you wish about the Tobi Okiyemi's on the roster.  From my perspective, that's spilled milk.  Hopefully those guys get their education.  The focus is on who's coming into the program, and who'll we'll be seeing on the field.

It won't be perfect in game one, but I expect we'll see some good things.  And with a defense this young, seeing some good things in August and September should bode well for the future.  And if we don't see those good things, we'll have to be patient to see if it's just first game jitters before declaring the wheels have come off the cart.

I feel better that Nebraska has young guys coming in to fill the problem areas from last season.  Would you like to be a Michigan State fan who now has to hope that quarterback Andrew Maxwell has somehow improved enough in the off-season?  Not likely, especially when head coach Mark Dantonio has his quarterback depth chart as a four-way tie.  Would you like to be an Iowa Hawkeye fan who's hoping that Jake Rudock is the answer despite not being good enough to sniff the field with James Vandenberg struggling?

Some of these players we are counting on in 2013 weren't on campus last season.  Some were injured, while others were redshirting.  Bottom line is that they weren't the problem last season.

This Saturday, we get our first chance to see if they can be part of the solution.  Cautious optimism.  That's my mantra for 2013.

An Open Letter to Iowa Football Fans

Today, some @BHGP members stumbled across my preview of this season's Iowa Hawkeye football team on CornNation and took issue with it.  Rather than respond piecemeal, I'll respond in an open letter.

Dear Hawkeye Fans

Thank you for stopping by CornNation and reading my preview of the Hawkeyes. I understand you didn't like it and have a few issues with it.  That's fair; it's very likely that I made a mistake or two. I don't follow your team in depth, so I do my research and sometimes I run into bad, outdated, or just downright inaccurate information. And sometimes I miss things.

Did I get a few details wrong?  Undoubtedly.  I spend a few days each week reviewing an opponent before writing my preview, so I can't be as thorough as the people who cover the Hawkeyes full time. That being said, you aren't my target audience.  I'm writing for Nebraska fans, giving them an brief overview of each team. I think I do a fairly good job, compared to what the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal-Star, Big Red Network, and Hail Varsity provided this season.

That being said, I do want to address some of the criticism:

The “obvious holes” article you cite was written right before our game with you. THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON. If those holes were so obvious, wouldn’t you have written that article right about the time you wrote this one?
Oh, that’s right, YOU DID. And while THAT article was also blatantly homerist (Pelini’s defense didn’t really eat . . . anyone alive last year, and JVB scored a rushing TD against it), it didn’t point out the “obvious holes” in the Hawkeyes.
And you guys wonder why we make fun of you over at BHGP. Even we aren’t that blatantly homer. You guys are more like WRNL than a serious blog.

Of course, when I reference "last year" in an article written in August 2012, I'm referring to the 2011 season...and specifically, teams that featured a drop-back pro-style passer.  Like Michigan State (24-3) or your own Iowa Hawkeyes (20-7).  Or Ohio State with Joe Bauserman...

Yes, JVB’s production dropped dramatically last year. He was also learning a new offense under a new coordinator. Mike didn’t mention that at all. Not having his go-to guy in McNutt didn’t help.

Did I fail to mention Greg Davis in the preview?  Guilty as charged; I did leave that out.  But I did mention McNutt's absence multiple times. 

Was it all his (Vandenberg's) fault? Not entirely; nobody stepped forward at receiver to replace Marvin McNutt as a deep threat last season.

Nobody last season filled the shoes of Marvin McNutt, and that inability to stretch the field made it a lot easier to defend the Iowa offense.

 But does that really solve the problem of the lack of playmakers in the passing game?

 So your objection is what, exactly?

Didn’t mention all the injuries on the offensive line, and what that did to the running game. Went from averaging 150 yards a game to somewhere south of 100 after Scherff and Donnal sustained season-ending injuries in the span of 3 plays against Penn State. The loss of those two guys – even when compared with everything else – was when the wheels came off.

 Again, did you even bother to read?  My specific reference to Scherff:

Junior left tackle Brandon Scherff (6'5" 315 pounds) started the first seven games last season until he injured his leg.

 Of course, even if Iowa averaged 150 yards a game rushing last season, the Hawkeyes would have been fighting Minnesota for seventh place in rushing average. Even with Scherff, and with the most difficult part of the schedule ahead, Iowa's offense had issues.

When you're using Bleacher Report, you know you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

 Your point is what, again? I was ridiculing Bleacher Report for claiming that Iowa was a darkhorse candidate to win the west division of the Big Ten in 2012. 

Bottom line, you didn't even bother to read my article.  Most of the things you said I missed were in there.  You simply didn't like my conclusions.  Which is fair.  If I were an Iowa Hawkeye fan, I wouldn't like this either.  But sometimes, the truth hurts.

The last time I received this type of response from an opponent was in 2009.  After spring practice, Colorado dumped their offensive coordinator and decided to implement a pro-style offense in Boulder.  I compared it to trying to jam a square peg into a round hole.  The gang at RalphieReport.com howled initially...but it only took six quarters for reality to hit them.  And hard.

Since then, Dan Hawkins has been fired (twice!).  And that offensive coordinator they called "terrible"? You've probably heard of him:  Mark Helfrich, now head coach of Oregon.

So when an Iowa fan says things like

Heaven forbid Iowa fans to think the articles written about the Hawks on a Hawk-centric website are better written and researched than some/most/all of the stuff Husker Mike puts out.

All I can do is sit back and smile. I've read it all before.  Thanks for your feedback.

Outfit a Missouri Fan in Husker Gear and Help Fight MS!

A friend in Kansas City is participating in the Bike MS event in Kansas City next month.  He's a Missouri alum, but he's offering to wear the colors of whichever fan base supports him the most.  He's hoping that his fellow Tiger fans will come through, but frankly, wouldn't it be awesome to have him wearing Husker Red instead?

I am excited to share with you that I have committed to peddling 73 miles in the upcoming Bike MS Kansas City Ride to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. I need your help and I am willing selling out for a good cause. So, with a donation today you can help choose if I wear for the event a MU Tigers (Go Tigers!), KU Jayhawks, K-State Wildcats, NE Cornhusker or Bike MS cycling jersey. When you make a donation please put which team jersey you prefer next to your name and the jersey with the most votes by 5 pm on September 23rd wins. 

So there's our challenge, Husker fans.  Your donations work in multiple ways:  it helps fight a disease, and it helps a Mizzou fan see the light... if for only one day.

Won't you help a Missouri fan Rock the Red in Kansas City?  Please donate... and share this with others!  Let's make this happen!

(Yes, he knows I'm asking Husker fans to help out.  Hopefully, we get enough of a response to really feel some Husker Power...and in a positive way!)

UNO Hockey's Matt White, Alex Simonson, and Preston Hodge Ticketed for Disorderly Conduct

From the "Nothing Good Occurs After Midnight" department, we get the following from the Omaha World-Herald:

Matt White, 25, Alex Simonson, 23, and Preston Hodge, 21, all members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha hockey team, were each ticketed Aug. 3 on suspicion of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

White and Simonson are both senior forwards, Hodge is an incoming freshman defenseman.

The circumstances surrounding the disturbance are even more disturbing, though.  The three hockey players were allegedly harassing a group of African-Americans with racial slurs.  It escalated from there, and Hodge ended up being knocked to the ground and may have suffered a head injury; he was taken to a hospital and treated and released.  White is alleged to have thrown a punch, while Simonson shoved others.

Dean Blais issued the following statement:

“We’re still gathering information about what transpired. Once we’ve finished gathering all the facts, we’ll be able to comment further."

I suspect that if the facts of the case match up with this initial report, and these allegations are true, Hodge's UNO career may be over before it ever starts. White's playing days in Omaha may be over as well, no matter how prolific of a scorer he's been. Racism - especially when it leads to violence - cannot be tolerated.

It's also important not to presume guilt in situations like this.  But if this story is substantiated, Blais won't have much choice in this matter.  No way UNO can tolerate a situation like this.

The Uproar over Keith Olbermann's Return to ESPN

It's been curious to observe the reaction of many folks to Keith Olbermann's return to ESPN. Even before he appeared before a camera and said a word, the reaction has been swift and furious from some.

Ok, exactly which one of you fuckers is responsible for bringing Keith Olbermann back to television?
— CornNation (@CornNation) August 8, 2013

And we all know why... it has absolutely nothing to do with his work as a sportscaster.  It's his legacy of work at MSNBC and Current TV as a progressive commentator, and some people can't separate Olbermann the sportscaster from Olbermann, the advocate for President Obama's health care reform plan.

It's unfortunate when we let disagreements over politics and policy bleed over into completely separate discussions. I personally don't think much about George W. Bush's politics or eight years as President of the United States, but I suspect he'd be an enjoyable guy to sit next to at a ball game.  (And here it comes...someone will undoubtedly tell me to move to China in the comments...)

Olberman has made it clear he's going to cover sports, not politics. So I'm not sure why some people want to boycott ESPN because they disagree with his politics.  If you want to criticize him over his comments over A-Rod or the role of the designated hitter, fine.  If you want to criticize him over his moronic idea about replaying the final play of the 2005 Alamo Bowl, where Michigan tried to enlist the Stanford band, fine.

But because he skewered Republicans five times a week on another network?  What does that have anything to do with sports?  Remember, Olbermann's background is sports broadcasting.  He launched ESPN2, and nobody complained about him then.

So why now?

A Few Nebraska Football Season Tickets Are Still Available

Following up on CornNation's article about donation requirements dropping, I contacted the University ticket office this morning.  The article is rather misleading in implying that the entire stadium is somehow "on sale" - it's not.  In fact, for the most part... it's sold out.

But note I said "for the most part".  There are still seats available in the upper end zones, though they require a $150 per seat donation.  Is this down from past years?  Yes.  That's a function of supply and demand.  Nebraska added 6,000 seats this season.  Most years, only a few hundred seats become available, mostly because season ticketholders pass away or choose not to renew.  I suspect that very few people choose to not renew, but rather sell their tickets on the secondary market.  So that cap meant that donation requirements are typically very high.

Thanks to the expansion of the stadium this year, an opening existed earlier this season to get into the stadium for less than in past years. Calling it a "collapse" is misleading, because I suspect this is a one year thing related to the expanded supply.  Next season, it'll start moving back up since there won't be any additional capacity.

Is Memorial Stadium at it's ultimate capacity?  I suspect it's approaching it, considering the population base in the region.  Further expansion would either need an influx of interest (either more people moving into the region or another national championship) or a reduction in price.  I don't ever see prices reducing, so I think that expansion is likely complete.

Note I said "earlier this season".  If you think you can call up and get seats anywhere in the stadium, you'll be disappointed.  Those tickets are now sold out.  But a few seats do remain in the upper end zone, if you are still interested.

Former UNO Receiver Justin Coleman Earns Scholarship at Iowa State

When UNO dropped football in 2011 to pursue a move from division II to division I, a lot was made about the students who were affected. And with good reason...the players didn't do anything wrong, but had to pay the price for the past problems of the UNO athletic department.  And while UNO's decision to drop football and wrestling was bad for the students who lost their teams, it was the necessary decision for UNO.

That's why it's nice to see things work out for the former Mavs... like former UNO wide receiver Justin Coleman.  He transferred to Iowa State as a walk-on, and took his game to the next level.

Now he's fighting for a spot in the starting lineup for the Cyclones...and earned a scholarship.
OK, it's not an "I'm so proud" speech... but still, a classy move by Paul Rhoads.  And great for Coleman, who's football career might be turning out even better than it would have at UNO.

The Most Annoying Sounds in Omaha Sports Radio

Last week's announcement that Nick Bahe was returning to Omaha's airwaves wasn't a surprise.  When he announced he was leaving 93.7 radio in Lincoln in May, you had to assume he was heading back to Omaha. At that time, though, I figured it was to KXSP (590 AM) to replace Michael Grey, who had just flown off to Seattle.

Depends on co-host, but yes. RT @dpm917 Anyone else think Nick Bahe moves to 590 before the fall?
— Husker Mike (@Husker_Mike) May 8, 2013

But once KOZN-1620 AM obtained the rights to Creighton basketball, 590 looked unlikely and 1620 seemed to be the destination.  The big surprise is that Bahe is bumping the Jim Rome show to weakling sister station 1180 "the Mister Microphone".  Bold move by 1620 to go completely local from 7 am to 6 pm daily... and especially to bypass Rome.  I'm not a fan of Rome; his schtick has gotten incredibly tired over the years.  If you get on Rome's bad side, he's merciless.  Remember how he ripped on "Beau Bridges" (err... Bill Callahan) during his time in Lincoln?  Granted, Billy C deserved plenty of criticism, but Rome's was pretty myopic.

On the other side, if you appeared on his show, Rome treats you with kid gloves. He throws softball questions, and afterwards, calls the interview "epic".  Bo Pelini has appeared on Rome several times and gets positive pub every time.

But is Bahe's show going to be any better? The Schick and Nick show got old pretty fast, and I suspect that Bahe going solo will be the same.  He'll have an audience though, but for me, 1620 will be dead after 11 am.

It got me thinking about the most annoying sounds in Omaha sports radio.  Here's my list of the most annoying sounds in Omaha sports radio, in no particular order.

Petros Papadakis: When he sings "OHHHH YEAAAAAHHH" to continue "Each One Teach One", that's sends me racing to change the radio in the car.  Simply bad radio.

Jim Rose:  Just about anything he does with sports is bad. Last week, I listened to Rose's sports report for the first time in nearly a year, and Rosey informed me that UNO's Tony Turgeon had been drafted by the NHL's Florida Panthers.  Uh no... it was a free agent deal. Closer than all of the Misinformation he spewed, trying to defend Steve Pederson and Bill Callahan, though.  Still wrong.

Jim Rome: The Friday scream might be the only thing that tops Petros...

Nick Bahe:  That laugh...oh, that laugh...   Nails meet chalkboard, and unlike Petros and Rome, it happens multiple times each show.

Matt Perrault and Travis Justice:  Thankfully gone...

Anybody/anything that I missed?

SB Nation Scoops the World-Herald With UNO Hockey News - Twice

Dean Blais filled the open assistant position on the UNO hockey coaching staff on Friday with Alex Todd, currently the head coach of division III Castleton State in Vermont.  Todd replaces Steve Johnson, who resigned after one season in Omaha. At that time, the rumor was that George Gwozdecky might be the guy, but now it looks like the former Denver coach is going to take a year off and give broadcasting a try.

The World-Herald's Rob White reports that the job almost went to former Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki, who instead chose to be an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks AHL farm team in Rockford. Todd is a Wisconsin native who played at Union College before taking over Castleton State in 2005-06. He's been a success at that level, but doesn't have any division 1 coaching experience.  Probably most important is Todd's background as a defenseman, along with his background with USA Hockey's summer development programs.

But White wasn't first with this story... the story actually broke with Wisconsin blog "Bucky's 5th Quarter". Not sure how Andy Johnson got the story first, other than Todd is a Wisconsin native.

Breaking: Alex Todd (@CoachTodd802) to be named assistant coach at Nebraska Omaha, replacing Steve Johnson http://t.co/kl5HUB6FDL
— Andy Johnson (@AndyJohnsonB5Q) July 12, 2013

But that wasn't the only time an SB Nation blog scooped the Omaha paper on Friday. Earlier that morning, Chris Dilks of Western College Hockey reported that goalie Dayn Belfour wouldn't be returning, now that Kirk Thompson and Reed Peters are joining the team this fall. Thompson and Peters signing was not news on Friday; Belfour's departure was.  And later that day, White also posted the story.

Thompson In, Belfour Out in UNO Goalie Switch http://t.co/SZAmSstoiR
— SBN College Hockey (@SBNCollegePuck) July 12, 2013

Dayn Belfour

Not sure how the SB Nation blogs can scoop the Omaha newspaper, except that the World-Herald never has replaced Chad Purcell on the hockey beat.  White has picked up some of the coverage, but he's stretched covering UNO's other sports as well as the Sarpy County baseball team. Maybe White couldn't get the story confirmed, and the SBN blogs ran with the story unconfirmed initially. Or maybe White just got scooped - twice - when he normally is focused on baseball, not pucks.  (Disclaimer:  I also write for SB Nation's "Corn Nation" blog, so I have a natural bias for the work of my fellow bloggers...) I lean towards the "scooped", as Johnson and Bucky's 5th Quarter talked to Todd three days earlier.

First talked to coach Todd about UNO job Tuesday, but he asked me to hold info until Friday so he could tell his players, etc. Stand up guy.
— Andy Johnson (@AndyJohnsonB5Q) July 12, 2013

Back to Belfour's departure, I did like the quote that Blais provided to the World-Herald:

“Dayn filled a position for us for a while,” Blais said. “But we’re going to try to make a run at a championship, and with that we had to get more depth at every position.”

While Belfour didn't play badly, it seems that Blais wants the team to play at a higher level. Or maybe "needs" is the better word.  That would explain why Blais ripped the redshirt off of Ryan Massa once he realized that Belfour wasn't going to be the answer in February.

And why that need?  "We're going to try to make a run at a championship."  We're going into Dean Blais' fifth season at UNO. Blais' record at North Dakota speaks for itself, but it hasn't happened yet at UNO, where the Mavs haven't made the final weekend of conference tournament play under Blais.  UNO fans are no doubt disappointed in how the last two seasons have finished up, and needless to say, Blais feels that urgency.

No doubt in my mind that Blais knows talent, and if he thinks that these incoming freshman give UNO a better chance to win this season or next, so be it.

Replacing Rosenblatt Still The Correct Decision

The dearth of home runs during this year's College World Series raised a lot of attention and criticism towards TD Ameritrade Park.  Does the southeastern alignment turn the prevailing southeasterly breezes into home run eaters than enablers?  Yes, to some extent.  But the ballpark change wasn't the only change to college baseball that season.  The bats were dialed down in 2011, which coincidentally matched the first season in the new downtown ballpark. And even before the NCAA regionals began, the LA Times noted the difference:

"Balls that might have gone 10 feet over the fence are landing 10 feet in front," UC Irvine Coach Mike Gillespie said. "It just dies and comes down like one of those parachute toys."

Again, this was June 1, 2011, and before the first College World Series game was played that year. The problem isn't so much the ballpark, but the bats.  Tom Shatel realized this during last week's Home Run Derby.

OK, so I went to the Home Run Derby last week at TD Ameritrade. And let me tell you: It's not the fences. Not the park. Not the direction of home plate. Not the baseball seams. It's those ever-loving, ever-radioactive, wired-for-distance bats.The college kids in that derby faced batting practice pitches. But when they connected, they were launching July 3 rockets into the bleachers and on occasion over the bleachers and into the concession stands.

During the series, a lot of pundits expressed their outrage over the lack of home runs and tried to pin it on the stadium. While they didn't come out and say it, the unspoken message was clear: the new stadium was a mistake.

Except it's not.  There's a lot of romance associated with the CWS at Rosenblatt.  But it wasn't because of the stadium, it was in spite of it.  Rosenblatt wasn't the source of the magic, the magic occurred because of the event.  And while Rosenblatt was stretched to fit the CWS, it was stretched to the limit.

ESPN's Kyle Peterson found this article from the Baton Rouge Advocate that revisited all of the furor from the Rosenblatt debate five years ago.  It strikes a blow at all of the myths that have been perpetuated over why the new stadium was built:

• The NCAA, not Mike Fahey, asked for the new stadium, recognizing that Rosenblatt was stretched to it's limits.
• The NCAA was thinking about leaving Omaha rather than stay at Rosenblatt.

 “We looked at it (remodeling Rosenblatt) as a short-term fix,” said Larry Templeton, who served as the chair of the NCAA’s baseball committee. “We really also had the conversation of, ‘Is this the time to start moving the championship around?’ ”

Two weeks ago, I did something that was virtually impossible to do prior to 2011... visit the Zoo during the CWS. In order to accommodate everybody who packs into the Zoo during the summertime, Zoo crowds spill over into the Rosenblatt lots...except, of course, during the CWS, when those lots are reserved for baseball fans. That kept people away from the Zoo during the Series, until the Series moved downtown.

So after a morning of checking out the sea monkeys, giraffes, lions, tigers, and bears, we headed home. We had hoped to stop at Zesto's, but that landmark is closed because of a plumbing issue.  (Please reopen! Nothing tops off a trip to the Zoo on a hot day like a hot fudge shake.)  But we did stop at the "Infield at the Zoo".  We grabbed my kids wiffle ball bats, and had a great time, making our own memories at the site of so many other great memories.  My daughter did her own re-enactment of Warren Morris' legendary home run, and even though it barely went 30 feet, it was the highlight of their day.

While we were there, Mississippi State fans were gathering around the field. We loaned them our wiffle ball bats, and they posed, ala Will Clark, at home plate to re-enact their own memories. Last year's final viewing of Rosenblatt was sad, this grand reopening was truly a rebirth. And frankly, it's something I suspect my kids will want to do again and again, whenever we go back to the Zoo.

Some longtime College World Series fans will no doubt sadly channel Joni Mitchell as they realize that the outfield has now been paved, to "put up a parking lot". The foul lines and poles still exist, burnished into the concrete.  Small pedestals mark the bases, and the outfield restrooms are being renovated for use by zoo visitors. Except it wasn't really paradise.  The old stadium had truly served it's purpose for many, many years, but it was time for a change.

Certainly a lot of memories happened at 13th and Bert Murphy Drive in the past.  But based on my family's experience two weeks ago, memories will continue to be made at the "new" Rosenblatt. Really, we got the ultimate win-win.  The NCAA got a new stadium.  Omaha got a 25 year commitment for the College World Series.  The Zoo got badly needed space to expand.

No doubt about it, replacing Rosenblatt was clearly the right decision.

Creighton's Move to 1620 Leaves Little Room for UNO Coverage

After a day of teasing, KOZN (1620 AM) Radio announced on Friday that the station was taking over the broadcasts of Creighton Basketball from KXSP (590 AM). It's big news for 1620, but I'm not so sure it's a good move for local sports fans.  NRG Media, the operators of 1620, signed a five year contract to carry UNO sports on 1620 and KZOT (1180 AM) last fall. So now, NRG has the rights to Creighton mens and women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball, along with UNO basketball and hockey.

Add in Omaha Lancers hockey, and NRG controls every local sporting event in Omaha...on three AM radio stations.  I understand why NRG pursued this deal.  I'm not sure why this is a good move for fans, especially UNO fans.

The big prize for 1620 is obviously Creighton basketball, now that the Jays will be playing in the new Big East.  But 1620's signal is far inferior to 590's.  590's signal reaches into Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, and Kansas.

1620's signal struggles to reach Valley at night.

Why do I care about Creighton fans?  I don't really.  My concern is that with Creighton game coverage now on 1620, UNO coverage will get bumped even further down the priority list. I've been very disappointed by UNO's agreement through Nelligan Sports to place hockey games on 1180 AM ("Zone Two").  Prior to 1180 AM, UNO broadcasts were on the FM dial, with coverage booming all the way west to Columbus and beyond.

On 1180, the signal breaks up badly by the time you reach 156th Street.  I'm sure the main selling point in the NRG deal was to trade off hockey coverage for increased coverage of UNO basketball and to get the team mentioned on 1620's talk shows.  That was a bad tradeoff.  Yes, the Dean Blais show is back on the radio, but that's not worth the cost.  Unsportsmanlike Conduct never talks UNO hockey, and "Sharp & Benning" seemed to limit themselves to one 5-10 minute weekly segment with Blais.

And with Creighton basketball joining the NRG stable, that means even less coverage for UNO sports.  Some of those UNO basketball games that were on 1620 will get bumped to 1180, which has the signal strength of one of those old "Mister Microphones".

Can UNO get out of their Nelligan/NRG deal?  I doubt it, but it's something UNO needs to investigate. UNO shouldn't accept playing second fiddle on their radio home, and with Creighton now on 1620 AM, that's what UNO is. It's simply a statement of fact.  Creighton is going to get the coverage; they play in the Big East in front of 17,000 fans.

Meanwhile, one has to shake their heads and wonder at what the Journal Broadcast Group is planning to do with their powerful signal on 590, other than hook the transmitter up to ESPN's satellite and forget about it.  They've dropped the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs.  Now they've lost Creighton.  Michael Grey left for Seattle, and the studio has been dark ever since.  It's simply a squandered resource, and Journal doesn't even seem to care anymore.

Maybe this is the wakeup call for Journal, now that they don't have anything left other than ESPN.  I doubt it, because it seems that Journal has thrown in the towel on sports radio, even though 590's ratings had recovered and, in fact, were starting to approach 1620's.

But this should be a wakeup call for UNO.  Hopefully UNO finds a way to get their Nelligan/NRG deal modified in light of the new Creighton deal.

Nebraska's Black Uniforms: A Jaded Sellout Or Merely an Evolving Tradition?

When adidas unveiled the new TechFit uniforms that the Huskers will wear against UCLA in September, the reactions were predictable.  At each extreme, the reactions were strong:  they're awful, or they're unbelievably cool.  Some people embrace change, some people resist change. But that's cliched for the most part because I think most people actually are in the middle in this discussion.

Courtesy adidas

My take:  these uniforms are OK.  I wouldn't call them great, though I can see why players like them. The pictures that adidas released on Twitter don't do these justice.  When you look at them closely, the fabric has a subtle pattern that is cool.  But nobody watching in Memorial Stadium will be able to notice...neither will most people watching on ABC, except during close ups.

And the most important thing about these uniforms is that the players like them. After all, they are wearing them.  It's not about the fans.  It's not about the alumni.  And these uniforms are fine.  I can read the numbers on both the front and the back, and the jersey features a unique font.  So I don't have the issues that I had with the 2012 "version 0.1" of the "Unrivaled" uniform.  Those were ridiculed as "pajama-like" for good reason... many people found them ugly, but most importantly, the small jersey numbers on the front were illegible.  Even the players commented after the game that this style didn't work.

Those were bad alternate uniforms.  These are good alternate uniforms.  Alternate uniforms aren't inherently good or bad.  And it's not an adidas-is-bad, Nike-is-good situation either.  Nike dominates most lists of ugly uniforms, and adidas has released some decent uniforms as well. 

On the other hand, a lot of the criticism of these uniforms is that they are black, and Nebraska is known as the "Big Red".  Well, all white uniforms (hideous as they may be) never stopped a Husker fan from unleashing a GBR cheer.  Black won't either.

But it's breaking tradition, they claim.

Courtesy N'Sider Blog

Sorry, but uniforms are constantly changing and evolving.  In the early 90's, a patch was added to the side of the uniform and stripes were removed from the legs.  In the 80's, the N on the sleeve was removed and stripes were added.  The facemask went from grey to red.  In the 70's, jerseys were cut off with players sporting bare midriffs.  That's not a good look on football players.

And let's be honest. Black has become an official Nebraska football team color over the years with the the "Blackshirt" tradition.  School color?  Maybe not.  But the color is definitely a part of Nebraska football.

Last year's pajamas were actually based on 100 year old uniform styles when players wore the "N" on the front of the uniform...that was back before someone decided helmets were a good idea.  So even those are traditional.

For most fans, I think it comes down to taste.  Some people like rap music.  Some people like rock.  Some people like country.  Some people like classical.

Some people like these uniforms.  Some don't.  Welcome to America, where we all have the freedom to love or hate these uniforms...and tell everybody about it.

Charging Kindgergarteners For Tap Water: More Family Fun From the Omaha Storm Chasers

I admit it that I'm not a fan of the Omaha area's minor league baseball team, mostly because I"m not a fan of the Kansas City Royals.  I've only been to one game in the last ten years or so, and frankly that wasn't exactly a positive experience.  So no, I haven't been to a game out at the Trailer Park.

But my wife was there last year on a work outing, and yesterday, my daughter went to "Kids Day" as part of her summer school program.  We had hoped to send an empty bottle for her to fill with water, but that apparently isn't allowed.  ("Send $10 with your child" was the recommendation we received.)  I tried to call the team offices Tuesday evening for clarification on their policy, but apparently nobody at Werner Park answers the phone during a game.

Image Courtesy Millard Public Schools Foundation

So we sent the money with our daughter this morning, after dealing with her displeasure at having to wear shorts with a pocket for the money. (As parents of any kindergartener knows, practicality is generally not a factor in a child's clothing choices...)  Along with an empty bottle, just in case.  We told her to be sure to buy a bottle of water if she couldn't take her empty bottle in to get filled

Well, the bottle wasn't allowed.  We kind of expected it, even though we've never had an issue at any other sporting event.  And my daughter had a great time, and more importantly, came back with the change.  She kept track of the money, and bought cotton candy and a medium cup of water.

I missed it the first time my daughter told me about it.  But over supper, we talked about it again, and how much she spent.  The cotton candy was $4, she said, and the water was $2 for a small, $3 for a medium, and $5 for a large cup.  And then she said "cup" again.

And suddenly I grasped what had happened.  My daughter had been charged $3 for a cup of tap water.  (Well, and ice.)  I expected that she'd probably have to pay for a bottle of water.  But that's not what she got.

She got Tap water.

Really?  $3 for a cup of water?

It was a 90 degree day out there, so it's not like she had a choice in the matter.  She even mentioned that she couldn't find a drinking fountain anywhere.  So I'm proud of my daughter for knowing what she spent and recognizing that she needed to make sure to have something to drink versus some other trinket.

It's not the money, it's really the principle of the situation.  Charging up to $5 (large) for a cup of the Metropolitan Utilities District's finest tap water?  Not allowing you to bring in an empty bottle, like the Nebraska athletic department or, even worse, those evil money grubbing bastards at MECA?

That's a business and a team I want to support. 

Minneapolis Columnist Says "Cold Omaha" Not an Insult Anymore

Hubert Humphrey is credited with having said the Twin Cities would become "a cold Omaha'' without the presence of major league sports. The origin of this is alleged to have been in 1976, as the debate over a new home for the Vikings and the Twins was heating up.

Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune gave a nice accounting of the Omaha sports scene in Saturday's paper.  Yes, we don't have professional sports.  But Omaha does have a nice selection of college sports.  UNO hockey and basketball.  Creighton basketball.  If you want to drive an hour southwest, Nebraska football, basketball, and baseball.  And, of course, the College World Series.

Like most outsiders, he gets a few details wrong.  TD Ameritrade Park doesn't hold 35,000 fans, though I bet that on a nice weekend day, Omaha could sell 35,000 tickets. The Trailer Park isn't exactly the "right size" for Triple-A baseball when it's the second smallest stadium in either the Pacific Coast League or International League.  But those are minor details. It's a very positive article.

...Guess what? "Cold Omaha'' doesn't exactly work as a source of ridicule these days.

From a Development Perspective, Two Omaha Stadiums are Less than One

Friday's Omaha World-Herald featured a Henry Cordes' article discussing the growth around TD Ameritrade Park and how it's slowed recently.  Some of it is a pause, now that the Blatt and 9ines projects have been completed. Others express concern about the ability of the ballpark to generate traffic after the Fourth of July.  In past years, the stadium hosted the Red Sky Festival and the Omaha Nighthawks...but both are gone.  Nothing is scheduled between the annual fireworks display and next season's Creighton baseball games.

Certainly that'll bring up claims of "white elephant" and "Fahey's folly"...but the College World Series justifies the development of the stadium.  I don't believe that the NCAA would have signed up for a long term contract at Rosenblatt Stadium without a major investment, and frankly, by all accounts, keeping the Series in Omaha pays the freight. (Just looking at the number of LSU fans downtown yesterday hammered that point home.)

This isn't second-guessing the decision to build a stadium downtown. It's asking whether it could have been done better.  And for that, everybody shares in that. Start with the NCAA who rejected portable seating plans.  Nevermind that portable seating is used when the NCAA baskeball tournament is played in domes.  But the biggest blame in my mind goes toward the Omaha Royals and Sarpy County for pushing the second stadium idea. If the stadium were in use through Labor Day, nobody would be arguing that the ballpark was sitting idle. And the more regular foot traffic would lead property owners to invest in bricks for buildings instead of canvas for tents. Those bricks would hold businesses that would stay open and drive more people to the area, even when events weren't scheduled.

Sarpy County stepped out and offered the Royals their own stadium in an effort to keep the Royals in the Omaha area...even though Warren Buffett and Walter Scott's ownership was meant to keep the Royals in the area. Buffett and Scott sold their interests in the Royals last year, now that the team is locked into Sarpy County for another 23 years.  Their investment was no longer necessary, because Sarpy County did that.

The hope of Sarpy County is that the new stadium would drive growth in the far outskirts of the metro area.  That isn't happening at the area I like to call "BFE".  Plans have been discussed, but nothing is happening.  The "Trailer Park" is still surrounded by empty fields and "For Sale" signs. Clearly, minor league baseball isn't a driver of growth by itself.

But if the Omaha area had consolidated minor league baseball and the CWS downtown, would that have generated more growth?  I'd argue yes.  In this situation, the two stadiums are less than one.  I don't believe the Royals were leaving Omaha with the ownership by Buffett and Scott, but I do think that at some point, the CWS would have, if the NCAA's needs weren't taken care of. 

It's somewhat crying over spilled milk at this point, as the situation is what it is now.  But I still can't help but wonder about the opportunity that was lost when the Royals decided to leave Omaha.

MECA Says Outdoor Hockey at TD Ameritrade Park Was a "Hit"

In a story about downtown development, I caught the following little note about February's outdoor hockey game between UNO and North Dakota:

The authority that operates TD Ameritrade is constantly looking for new events, with some success, said CEO Roger Dixon. Outdoor ice hockey in February was a financial hit for both the stadium and local businesses.

In the wake of the February "Battles on Ice", there were a lot of third-hand claims that the event lost money, but apparently that wasn't the case. From my perspective, the UNO outdoor game was a good idea that could be done even better.  Don't try a doubleheader (in case the ice conditions have an issue).  Have the rink available for use for at least a week or two before the game, and actually encourage local teams to use the rink, if only to help season the ice.  Make it a community resource, and even have some public skating times.



It's good to know that the stadium made money on the event.  Certainly the local businesses made a profit. North Dakota fans certainly filled Omaha's hotels, and that's great for the city.

I suspect many of my fellow UNO fans don't want another outdoor game. Some prefer the climate-controlled environment of an indoor environment.  Others simply want it to be an experience reserved for UNO season ticketholders.  And some are still smarting over North Dakota's three-goal outburst that opened the game. Me, I'd love to see UNO back outside at TD Ameritrade Park in a few years. Wisconsin has talked about playing outdoors every four years so that each player who puts on a Badger jersey gets the outdoor experience.  That seems like a decent model.

I wouldn't want to play hockey outdoors every season.  But every four years or so?  That seems like the right balance, and frankly, I'd be looking forward to it.  Outdoor hockey games are simply too cool...

How did the Huskers Poach an Assistant Basketball Coach from Georgetown?

This morning's news that Tim Miles had hired Georgetown assistant basketball coach Kenya Hunter brought a sense of shock and awe to the college basketball world.  Says Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com:

Simply put, this is not your grandfather's Nebraska.

Or your father's Nebraska.

Or even your older brother's Nebraska.

The Big Ten school opened a new $20 million basketball practice facility in October 2011, will open a new $179 million basketball arena this season, and is paying second-year coach Tim Miles a salary that'll eventually exceed $2 million annually, which brings me to Hunter and his salary. A source told CBSSports.com that it'll be $230,000 a year, and that all three Huskers assistants now make at least $200,000 a year. So while Nebraska is still quite obviously a "football" school, the administration has made it clear it thinks there's no reason basketball can't operate at a high level, too.

But (and there's always a but) there is a reason Miles was able to pull this off. According to SB Nation's Casual Hoya last week, Hunter was already headed out in a staff shakeup.

As of now, the coaching staff consists of Kevin Broadus, Kenya Hunter, Tavaras Hardy and Kevin Sutton as assistants, with assistant Director of Basketball Operations Othella Harrington also in the mix as the potential new Director of Basketball Operations. However, today's hires seem to indicate that one of either Hunter or Harrington may be on the move or have to accept some other position on the bench. Unless Sutton is being brought on as DOBO or as a "special assistant", Georgetown now has four very capable assistant coaches for three spots. Given that it would be logical for Harrington to take the next step into the DOBO spot (unless he's fine with spending another year as the assistant DOBO), it would seem that Hunter, JT3's longest tenured assistant, might be on his way out.

And now Hunter is, in fact, out... out to Lincoln as a new Husker basketball coach.

Let's make one thing clear: This isn't a bad hire. In fact, it's a great slam-dunk, grand-slam-home-run hire for Nebrasketball.  The situation at Georgetown doesn't hurt Hunter's resume one bit. He has all of the coaching experience (and then some) that Miles wanted and needed on his staff, and then some.

The only thing the Georgetown situation did was make Hunter receptive to an offer to join the Nebraska basketball staff. Hunter has great experience with big time basketball:  four years at NC State, three at Xavier, and six at Georgetown. It's a great hire, and props to Tim Miles for pulling the trigger on this.

I've been skeptical of Miles' hires previously.  Hunter's addition to the Nebrasketball staff addresses my main concern of the lack of big-time basketball coaching experience on his staff.  It's truly a great move for Nebraska basketball, and a reason to be excited.

Mike'l Severe Admits to Blocking @Huskers on Twitter

Driving home Friday evening, I caught the tail end of Unsportsmanlike Conduct on KOZN-1620 AM.  After discussing the Belmont Stakes, John Bishop turned the discussion back towards Twitter and why in the world Mike'l Severe blocked @Huskers on Twitter.  (And mentioned me as well, in the conversation...)

Bishop: How could the Huskers official Huskers do anything to offend you?
Severe: I also blocked Brandi Peterson.
Bishop: YOU BLOCKED BRANDI PETERSON?
Severe: Remember that? I blocked her that one time..
Bishop: You did, you did.
Severe:  Husker Mike, Steve Sipple...

(About 9:30 minutes into this podcast...)

Bishop: You're just a blocking fool...

Severe blocked me during the Buffalo Wild Wings bowl when he started tweeting about Michigan State quarterback Andrew Maxwell's play, even though Maxwell had already been benched.  Turns out the Severe was watching the game on his DVR, and was a quarter behind.  He was confusing people on Twitter, and I suggested that he shouldn't be tweeting about the game if he wasn't watching the same thing as everybody else.

@mikelsevere Isn't Cook in now?
— Salt Creek & Stadium (@tamattes) December 30, 2012

And, he didn't like that one bit.

@mikelsevere What I'm saying...don't tweet about the 3rd quarter when everybody else is watching the 4th.
— Husker Mike (@Husker_Mike) December 30, 2012

Or maybe it was really this...

@husker_mike @mikelsevere I think he'd rather we don't tweet about the 4th when he is watching the third...
— Matt Cavanagh (@cav82) December 30, 2012

When I was checking out the @CornNation Twitter feed on Friday, another Severe tweet came up again. Seems that Severe is still as hot-headed as ever before.

@cornnation @dryhuskerfrog @matt_davison Yeah, and Platoon captains are for the fans. What a moronic statement.
— Mike'l Severe (@MikelSevere) June 7, 2013

Kind of sad what Unsportsmanlike Conduct has degraded to...

TV Ratings Belie Notion that Hockey is a "Niche" Sport

I'm a football and hockey fan, as regular readers of my blog probably should realize. I like baseball and college basketball as well, but those typically rate behind football and hockey on my interest scale. And sometimes that gets thrown back in my face by making the comment that hockey is just a "niche" sport, and that I'm an outlier in the sports community.

Is that true?  Well, maybe not as much as others might have presumed.

I've been pleasantly surprised by NBC's decision to televise the Stanley Cup Playoffs in primetime on broadcast television the last two Saturday nights.  Was it a reach for NBC?  Turns out no, because NBC actually won the network TV ratings battle with game one of the Boston/Pittsburgh series.  That's something that NBC probably hasn't done since the end of football season.

It even beat Fox's coverage of Major League Baseball.  And it wasn't a fluke...because NBC did the exact same thing the week before, with hockey topping baseball in the ratings.

Disclaimer:  the ratings for the NBA more than doubled the NHL TV ratings on Saturday night.  Not really surprising with the star power of LeBron James, but the NBA stopped being interesting to me over 20 years ago.  And frankly, when the biggest story of the NBA last night turned out to be Justin Bieber and the manager of some rapper named "Flo Rida", well, I'm not coming back to see what I'm might have missed... Because I didn't miss a damn thing, according to my Twitter feed last night.

We just sat through an NBA ECF Game 7 where Justin Bieber and Flo Rida's manager were the most entertaining aspects. #hotsprotstakes
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 4, 2013

Bottom line... hockey isn't a niche sport.  Football is #1 in this country without a doubt.  But save the niche label for sports like soccer.

The NBA Considering Omaha for Expansion? Not Buying it at All

Gary Sharp of KOZN-1620 AM found this juicy little gem from former Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter Jim O'Donnell:

NBA has quietly been surverying a number of cities as a companion expansion franchise for Seattle; Omaha, believe it or not, is on list.
— Jim O'Donnell (@jodonnell17) May 27, 2013

The NBA coming back to Omaha?  Really?

Probably not, but after the success the NBA has had in Oklahoma City, it's certainly behooves the league to cast a wide net.  O'Donnell's report probably is correct; I can see the NBA looking at Omaha, if it were on a list of a dozen or more potential targets. Certainly Kansas City is on that list, and probably much higher.  I suspect that Cincinnati, Hartford, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis, and Tampa are also on that list.

I suspect that Omaha ranks below most of those cities.  Omaha has an arena that'll work for the NBA, and with five Fortune 500 companies headquartered here, there's probably a workable business community here. Creighton has shown that people will attend basketball games here.  So why not?

For starters, I doubt that the Omaha market is ready to support 41 games of $40+ tickets. Of course, I'm not sure anybody thought Oklahoma City was ready either, until Hurricane Katrina blew the Hornets out of New Orleans temporarily. And the Hornets' success in Oklahoma paved the way for the Seattle NBA franchise to move once the Hornets were able to return home.

The Nebraska and Iowa television region is probably not enough to support an NBA franchise.  If anything, the television dynamics would make Kansas City a more likely destination, due to a larger (vacant, I might add) arena, larger metropolitan area, and a more centralized television market.  You can probably sell Kansas City basketball to Omahans.  It'll be tougher to sell Omaha NBA basketball to Kansas Citians.

Would Omaha jump for the NBA? That's debatable.  I'm a hockey guy who despises what the NBA became about twenty years ago, so that influences who I follow and who I talk to.  But I hear very little NBA talk, frankly.  The only media guy with any passion for the NBA seems to be Dirk Chatelain of the World-Herald, it seems.  Of course, if the NBA came to town, that would change in an instant.

Would the NBA be a good thing for Omaha? Hard to argue otherwise, unless the team didn't work out on the court and be profitable. It certainly raises the profile of the city to be mentioned along side Chicago, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. Bringing stars to town like LeBron and Kobe on a regular basis certainly spices things up.

So while it's fun to dream, it's about as likely as me winning the PowerBall jackpot. And frankly, if I were to win the PowerBall, I wouldn't waste my money on an NBA franchise in Omaha.

Steve Johnson Out at UNO; George Gwozdecky In?

Monday's report that Steve Johnson was leaving UNO wasn't a complete surprise. I had heard talk that it wasn't working out in Omaha for Johnson. What is surprising me is the talk of who might replace Johnson.

Don't be surprised if former DU head coach George Gwozdecky is named the new assistant coach at UNO pretty soon.
— Lincoln Stars Blog (@blackblueblog) May 21, 2013

Whoa. That one raises some eyebrows.

OMGWTFBBQ @blackblueblog: Don't be surprised if former DU head coach George Gwozdecky is named the new assistant coach at UNO pretty soon.
— The Red Army (@RedArmyUNO) May 21, 2013

At first glance, this one simply doesn't pass the smell test. A two time national champion coach doesn't step back to be an assistant coach.

Of course, most schools won't fire a two time national champion coach that's won at least 20 games the last twelve years. The thought process that led to that decision is about as dim as the lighting in Denver's Magness Arena...but I digress.  Gwozdecky has been mentioned for openings at UConn and Maine, but those schools either went (UConn) or appear to be looking elsewhere (Maine).  Gwozdecky says anything is possible, and even talked to CBSDenver  about going to the pros.

“We are in the discussion stage right now with a number of different people and a number of different organizations. It’s got to be the right fit for them, and obviously it’s got to be the right fit for myself and my family,” he said. “I’m examining and reviewing and making calls.”

So why would Gwozdecky even consider UNO? It doesn't make any sense, except in this light. Dean Blais always seems to be rumored to be retiring.  Talk last year was that he might be retiring after the 2014-15 season.  He quickly dismissed it, but it was out there. When Blais was hired, Mike Hastings was mentioned as the "head coach in waiting"...though he left last season for Mankato...and did a smashing job in year one with the Red Mavericks.

So what about Gwozdecky being UNO's next "head coach in waiting"?  Unlike Hastings in 2009, he's completely qualified.  But why would Gwozdecky want to be an assistant for UNO?  That's the puzzler.  It's hard to understand why.  One reason is that he could start building the foundation of his program by recruiting for Dean Blais. Recruiting starts earlier and earlier, much to my chagrin.  Gwozdecky could roam the high schools and pick his players now, selling them on the team of Blais and Gwozdecky with the assurance that at least one national champion coach will be coaching them six or seven years from now.  And if/when Blais does step aside, Gwozdecky ascends with his having a say in where the program stands.

The other reason is simply revenge: there's no better way to prove to Denver that they made a huge mistake than to beat them time and time again. And the best way to beat them time and time again is to be a conference foe.

Money for Gwozdecky probably won't be an issue; Denver is on the hook for his contract for now.  And I suspect that if money is an issue for UNO, Trev Alberts can find a way to make it happen.  Nobody thought Alberts would be able to land Dean Blais in 2009...but he did.

And if George Gwozdecky does wind up in Omaha, UNO will boast the most honored coaching staff in college hockey.  Dean Blais is a four-time WCHA coach of the year, assistant Troy Jutting is a two-time WCHA coach of the year with Mankago, and Gwozdecky is a three-time WCHA coach of the year.  Blais and Gwozdecky have each won the Spencer Penrose national coach of the year award twice in their careers.

Is it likely?  No.  But the possibility is certainly intriguing. It never hurts to dream big, does it?

Dean Blais Gives Us an Idea of What Went Wrong Last Season With UNO Hockey

After UNO's slide from first to seventh in the WCHA was completed, questions were clear about what happened.  My theory is that it was a conditioning issue, but we never really got much of an answer from the program itself.

For whatever reason, we now have something to chew on from Dean Blais, from an interview in Wednesday's Omaha World-Herald:

“What I saw this year was way different from the year before. We had good leadership and guys who were very committed, but we just fell short.
“Two years ago we were too young and didn't have the leadership. Last year, we had the leadership and the desire, but we just didn't have enough (depth) at the end of the year.”

More contributions from the third and fourth lines?  That would have helped.  I also suspect that Blais would have liked to have had more options on that fourth line than converting defensemen, and maybe give the upper lines a bit more of a breather in the games.  And that might be the root of the conditioning issue I suspected.

So what has Blais done to address the situation?  Three eligible players won't return in 2013-14; two are walkons.  That opens up a few more roster spots, and Blais seems excited about that.

“We're bringing in some high-powered scorers,” Blais said. “Jake Guentzel, Austin Ortega and Jono Davis all led their teams in scoring, and they should help our depth up front right away. Jake Montgomery is a good up-and-down winger, and Ian Brady was one of the top stay-at-home defensemen in the USHL.”

Considering that UNO only loses Brett Gwidt at the forward positions and defensemen Andrej Sustr (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Bryce Aneloski from the defense, it's easy to see where you could see the third and fourth lines able to make more of a contribution this next season.

Goaltender could still be an issue.  Ryan Massa and Dayn Belfour should be serviceable, though Blais will need a third goaltender available.  And he's likely still looking for one.

Is that going to be enough to get UNO over the hump? The schedule doesn't do UNO any favors with a fairly rugged conference and non-conference slate. Let's be honest:  when Michigan is one of the weaker teams you'll play, you know you have a fairly rough season ahead.  After October 20th, the only opponent that isn't in last season's PairWise "Teams Under Consideration" last season was Minnesota-Duluth. (Duluth was in the Frozen Four two years ago, so it's not like they are a slouch either.)

Is this the season that Blais' team finally gets over the hump?  This is his roster now, and these seniors are his recruits. And this year, there are eight of 'em.  Blais didn't think leadership was a problem last year; with a large senior class, it shouldn't be this year.