Dirty Laundry

Double Tapered Style

2008-11-18T22:14:00.003-06:00

That video just works itself, which gave us really all of November to focus on things that might be considered work related. And that's kept us from trying to offer opinions on whatever happened with the past four Nebraska Football Games. But seriously, the real question we have right now regarding the Huskers is, What the hell did Cody Glenn get suspended for?

One of the more intriguing things about Bo Pelini's first year as the new sheriff in town is how he's handled the media. And one week ago, during his normal Tuesday Press Conference, Pelini stood up in front of his sheep and dropped a bomb that nobody saw coming: Former Running Back turned Linebacker Cody Glenn was suspended from the team indefinitely. All indications are that he's gone for the year. But for what?

Glenn had played remarkably well for somebody who switched positions during his senior season, so much so that there was serious speculation that he could be a mid-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was one of the great stories of this team going into the Kansas State game.

And still, after a week, where WE'VE asked anyone and everyone, and other members of the media have patrolled nearly ever bar in Lincoln, nobody can uncover the truth. The rumor mill has been working overtime, and we've heard every possible story. None has any merit. Frankly because Pelini has his staff and team so buttoned up on the situation that nothing has come out. Which in this day and age, is just insane.

All Pelini is on record about the situation is that Glenn violated team rules. But what rule would lead to a Senior starter getting suspended indefinitely? Which makes everybody think it had to be something really bad.

Pelini didn't have his weekly presser today, which means he could dodge any questions about Cody Glenn for another week with no game this weekend. If it's a simple "violation of rules", you'd think Pelini would address the situation again one week from today and say the Glenn would be activated for the Colorado game, which is the last home game for the seniors. Imagine the seniors getting introduced prior to the game and there's no sign of Cody Glenn. Wouldn't that suggest the kid did some serious shit?

Obviously he didn't go LP on somebody, or Andy Christensen, because there would be a police report and nobody would have to rely on Pelini to get the scoop. But nobody has anything on Glenn. At least nobody in the know is talking about it. Yes, some players paid tribute to Glenn during the K-State game with "shout outs" to him via their sets of eye black.

The smart money is on Pelini making a statement by suspending Glenn for doing something minor. And if that's the case, he has to at least activate him for the Colorado game and give him a chance to return to starting linebacker for the bowl game. If Glenn's still suspended next week, this story stinks to the heavens. Even after the Lawrence Phillips fiasco, Osborne gradually brought him back to the point where even HE got to start in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, give NFL scouts something to think about, and leave early for a shot at the pros. And LP went Spiderman on an apartment building, breaking into an old girlfriends apartment (a player for the University Women's Basketball Team no less) with the team's future starting quarterback hiding in a closet. And oh by the way, pulled the woman's hair down a flight of stairs for good measure. Even he got a second chance.

So if you don't see Cody Glenn at Memorial Stadium (on the sidelines, in uniform) next Friday, something aint right in Denmark. He did something more than shit his pants in Vegas.

Nebraska/Oklahoma Week, Part 2

2008-10-29T08:09:00.002-05:00

The 10-year Anniversary of the 1995 Nebraska Cornhusker Football team, considered by many to be the greatest college football team ever, served as the backdrop for another "classic" moment in the Nebraska/Oklahoma "rivalry". Even though the game featured future NFL phenom Adrian Peterson, it's mostly remembered for a coach going to the throat slash card on national television and spending the rest of the following week denying that it ever happened.

Oh but it did, Billy C, it did.

2005 -- Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 24: Two years after this game, some Nebraska fans would look you in the eye with all seriousness, and argue about how this game should go down as a Nebraska victory. There was some merit to this, as in July, 2007, the NCAA ordered Oklahoma to "vacate" all of it's 2005 victories. That decisions was wisely overturned in February of this year, because seriously there's nothing worse than having Husker Fan swear up and down that they should have had an extra victory in 2005. You just can't win that argument.

Neither could Callahan, after acting surprised at anyone who brought up the "throat slash" he blatantly did during the 4th quarter of this game against the Sooners. My favorite part of that short video clip is seeing Kevin Cosgrove walk up to Callahan, trying to look interested with that playbook stuffed smack down the middle of his pants. It might have been the only time Grover acted inspired all day.

The Sooners did have Adrian Peterson, who would run for 146 yards against Cosgrove's complex traps. Nebraska had Cory Ross gaining 21 yards on 10 carries. The Huskers did also discover that they had a real find though at Quarterback in Junior College Transfer Zac Taylor. Billy C would ask Taylor to put the ball in the air 45 times against Stoops and Company. And Nate Swift, who THIS year is setting all sorts of career receiving records, had 9 catches for 116 yards. So things were actually looking up for Callahan and company.

But the idea is to actually win the game, something the Huskers couldn't do after falling behind by 21 points. For the 2nd straight year against their hated "rivals", Husker fan would have to be content in their team not backing down.

And for the 2nd year in a row, they'd have to come to terms with another bizarre incident involving their head coach.

Of course, this being just year 2 of the Callahan Experiment, defending Callahan came rather easily to some Husker fans (look at some of these old comments on that you tube video for proof, most of them say, "That's how I reacted after that play" or something like that). It wasn't the Throat Slash itself that caused such a ruckus. Watch the video again. Callahan actually catches himself first a few seconds before going through with the gesture. Which means he had a brief moment of clarity where he KNEW he shouldn't pull off that gesture. Then he said, "Oh, fuck it", and went ahead and did it anyway.

Again, this part defines Callahan at Nebraska. There was that little part of him that knew somebody would see this, or it would cost his team a penalty, or golly, that Osborne fellow is actually here at the game celebrating some team from 10 years ago and he certainly wouldn't tolerate this behavior. And then there was the "Oh, fuck it" part of Billy C. We'll admit, sometimes that "Oh, fuck it" part was what wanted us to see if he couldn't actually work out with Nebraska longer. Because sometimes the "Oh, fuck it" card comes in handy.

But then Callahan had to face his weekly comrades at this Tuesday Press Conference. By then, the video was everywhere. The game was nationally televised on ABC. It was Oklahoma/Nebraska, which always gets attention no matter how badly the teams are playing. The very first question Billy C was asked on Tuesday was about that video posted above.

"What throat slash?" Callahan responded. "I don't remember any throat slash. What are you talking about."

If only we could find the audio of that press conference. The tone in Callahan's voice compared to what Pelini's been offering on a weekly basis this season. The difference is just remarkable. Callahan knows he's lying when he says this, knows it's out there, and you can just hear it in his voice. But somehow, he flat out denies it ever happened.

Nebraska would go on to their first Bowl Game under Callahan that season, beating a pretty good Michigan team in a rather entertaining Alamo Bowl. In Billy C's eyes, it was a successful season. Maybe even a sign that things were on the right track.

Yet Callahan's eyes don't think that throat slash ever happened. Which is fine, because thousands of Husker Fans are still getting to sleep at night convincing themselves that Bill Callahan, Head Coach, Nebraska Football, never happened either. .

Nebraska/Oklahoma Week, Part 1

2008-10-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

The Nebraska/Oklahoma "rivalry" gets the revisit treatment all week long, and of course everyone is pointing out the rich ties between Bob Stoops and both Carl and Bo Pelini. As another World Series winds down (one that might not be over by the time Saturday's NU/OU game becomes final), "Oklahoma Week" becomes one of talk about the rivalry everyone wants it to be, or wishes it once was. Not to gush on sentimentality (and really, the major games have and will continue to be covered to death), but there are some forgotten nuggets in this rivalry that are worth revisiting.

2004 -- Oklahoma 30, Nebraska 3: The last time Nebraska played in Norman, Oklahoma, during a season and era everyone would just as soon forget. And for many reasons. This was the game that to Husker Fan was like watching that hot ex-girlfriend have sex with a guy you know at that moment had everything over year. Yes, Bo Pelini, the guy everyone wanted as Husker Head Dog, was helping coordinate a defense for the Sooners that was hell bent on shutting out Nebraska. This was less than a year after Pelini was passed over (or depending on the story, not even considered) for the Nebraska job, despite openly campaigning for it. Nebraskans wanted Bo, he wanted them, but the guy in charge wanted...well, shit, he really didn't know who he wanted. He certainly didn't want Bo. So he waited until Al Davis fired this short Irish guy who resembled the Bridges Brother who didn't play The Big Lebowski. The one who turned all of the Oakland Raiders against him, but damn if he didn't have the biggest playbook in the world. And oh by the way, he's got Kevin Cosgrove to take care of whatever defense they might need.

Did we mention that Billy C had a Quarterback with little interest or skills in directing this West Coast Offense? But Callahan would make him shovel out the shit anyway?

Oklahoma was a 30-point favorite, and it certainly looked like we'd have a push as Pelini and Company were on their way to a 30-0 shutout with 33-seconds left in the game. The Sooners got tagged with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as the Huskers were set to run out the clock with the ball deep in their own territory. Why did Oklahoma get a flag? Too many "Hillbillies" were throwing oranges onto the field, which allowed the Corn start at their own 28-yard line instead of their own 13. No big deal, as Joe Dailey and this merry group of misfits couldn't muster up anything against Pelini's game plan.

Then out of nowhere, on a fullback trap play of all things, Steve Kriewald (seriously, Steve Kriewald) busts through for a 48-yard gain. And Callahan gets the Huskers in line as if they were on their way to a game-winning score. He hurried the offense along, called for a run play to get the ball in the center of the field, and made poor Joe Dailey try one last pass attempt to get closer to pay dirt.

And here's where one would get the impression that Callahan had money on this game (and if he did, he could always go to the Pete Rose argument of saying he was betting on his own team and taking the points). As only 1-second remained on the clock, he hurried his kicking team on to the field so that David Dyches could kick a meaningless field goal as time expired.

Vegas went crazy. Husker fan took some bizarre satisfaction in NOT getting shutout by a far superior Oklahoma team. A little "at least we didn't get completely blown out" mentality.

What everyone remembers from this fiasco, of course, was everyone throwing oranges on the field in hopes that the Sooners were Orange Bowl bound (home of the BCS Title Game that year, Oklahoma was 10-0 and ranked 2nd in the BCS poll after the game). Orange fruit flew all over the field, causing confusion to Billy C and his big-ass playbook. I still maintain that Callahan had no clue why anyone, at the end of a football game, would have pause to even think to throw oranges on to a field. Especially in November (remember back to Callahan's first year, he was quite puzzled with many a tradition at the collegiate level).

Noticing the oranges littering the field, Callahan uttered one of his finest quotes as Husker Head Coach to one of his assistants, overheard by many players and media folk.

"Fuckin' Hillbillies."

Legend suggests he actually got close enough to some OU fans and actually said, "You guys are a bunch of fucking hillbillies", but it was the "Fucking Hillbillies" line that became his slogan. In fact, the slick Billy C didn't even deny saying it, and actually APOLOGIZED for using the phrase at the following Tuesday's press conference.

There were Champs Bowl representatives at the game checking the Huskers out for crying out loud. What sort of impression was this for Callahan to leave on these fine citizens?

The two things that somehow sum up the bizarre Bill Callahan era at Nebraska: Hurrying up to kick a meaningless field goal against the coach who would one day replace him; and "Fucking Hillbillies", not so much that he said it, but that he admitted to saying it. Because one year later, the whole world would witness another Callahan incident during the OU/NU game in Lincoln, something he would deny doing for the next three years. But we'll get into that game tomorrow.

Mad Men: Meditations in an Emergency

2008-10-26T23:05:00.003-05:00

"I sell products, not advertising." -- Don Draper, during tonight's Mad Men Season 2 finale, one with so many water-cooler moments any spoilers will be out before anyone makes it to work in the morning.

Don Draper is the ultimate salesman. Nobody works a room like him. We learned through flashbacks this season that he used to sell cars for a living, and was so great at that he was able to make enough money to keep his "widow" on his payroll. Don has landed more accounts for the Sterling Cooper advertising agency than any Account Executive. He saved the Lucky Strikes account in the series pilot, and most famously closed the deal that brought in Kodak. As Alice Cooper (Bertram's sister, not the rock star) noted last week, "Don's very savvy." Don was the only one to immediately pick up on Peggy's new haircut for crying out loud. You would think Duck Phillips, for all of his jealousy and personal vendetta he has against Draper, would understand the importance of Don Draper at Sterling Cooper. Roger spends most of his time chasing the hot young Secretary, and Bert makes an occasional figurehead experience.

Duck's been reaching the boiling point with his frustration in making a big impact at Sterling Cooper for sometime. And out of all of the great scenes tonight, my favorite had to be the poker game that Duck played in the conference room, Duck on one side of the table with the new British owners, Don on the other end with Bertram and Roger. Duck and Don had their aces up their sleeves, but Duck was blindsided by two very important things: Don knew about Duck being named President; and most importantly, something we the audience have know for sometime, Don Draper doesn't have a contract. So Duck got his head handed to him, as Draper was playing with house money. "If the world is still here on Monday," Don says as he leaves the meeting, "We can still talk." Duck's been back on the bottle for a few episodes now, and his inability to hold his liquor contributed to his temper tantrum following Don's exit. Nobody knows who will be running the new Sterling Cooper, but we know one thing for certain: It will not be Duck Phillips.

As anyone into Mad Men surely realizes, not all story lines get tied up nicely. But there were two biggies that had to at least be addressed tonight. The obvious one being Don and Betty somehow getting back together, and the other regarding Peggy's baby. We'll deal with Peggy first, because her storyline set-up a scene between her and Pete that will surely go down as one of the greatest in this series short history, one that will warrant major recognition for Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser.

You could never tell how Pete would eventually find out about knocking Peggy up, her having the baby and giving it away. But the entire storyline regarding Pete and Trudy this season and their fighting over adoption a child led you to think that somehow those story lines would cross. What I didn't see coming was Pete finally breaking down and professing his love for Peggy, even getting to the point of calling her "perfect". Pete and Peggy get an incredible scene together in Pete's office (on the very couch where they wildly had sex early one workday last season, which was also a nice tough). It's a long conversation, one that allows for pauses. This is especially important for Peggy, who's had to keep so much bottled up inside of her through the season in order to keep her career on the fast track. Mostly inspired by Father Gill's continuation to unburden herself of her guilt, Peggy finally admitted to Pete what happened. Father Gill only appeared in three episodes, and it often seemed like he wanted Peggy to admit her secret to him. I'm glad it didn't work out that way, and the scene with Pete finally showed him to be more human, even allowing him to tear up when Peggy leave the office. The wonderful inter cutting between Peggy in bed later that night, relieve and smiling as she does the sign of the cross with Pete sitting alone late in his office with the rifle suggests the new differences between the two. Peggy is content with her professional life, and free from carrying around the guilt that plagued her outside the office. Pete with the rifle is startling. Remember, this show spent the better part of an episode this season ("Six Month Leave") surrounding suicide. Pete's lost both women in his life, after not exactly admitting that he loved Trudy when she left their apartment earlier.

"It must be nice, needing time and just taking it," Betty says sharply when Don finally comes back, literally hat in hand, to meet Betty at the stables. But unbeknownst to Don, Betty just learned she's pregnant, even though she doesn't have any idea "How that's possible". She continues to ride horses, smoke more cigarettes than Don on a normal day, and even orders a Gimlet at a bar while Don sits in his hotel room watching "Leave it to Beaver" with the kids. Part of Betty's growth during her separation with Don is that she's spent many times trying to actually walk in his shoes (remember last week, when she even endorsed his own checks). She had the manipulative revenge moment with Sara Beth, and tonight she wanted to see for herself how Don spent many a night. A gentleman who doesn't look that much different from her husband orders her a drink, and after first waving off his advances, she winds up in the Men's Room with him in the back of the bar (very convenient to have a nice couch at the ready in case such situations arise). She makes sure he understands this is a one-time thing. "I'm married," Betty tells her suitor as they enter the Men's Room.

Part of what makes Don an incredible salesman is how he picks up on things in preparation for his pitch. And he learned something from his California trip. Dick Whitman can go back to being Don Draper, let Betty move on without him, and go around and have affairs with the Bobbie Barrett's of the world without a care in the world. But Anna Draper helped him understand how he doesn't have to be alone. When Don writes Betty that letter -- the one that finally has her call Sterling Cooper ans ask him to come him -- he remembers all of this: "I understand why you feel it's better to go on without me, and know you won't be alone for long. But, without you...I'll be alone forever." The episode ends with Betts having to tell Don something. For a moment, you think she might admit to the affair, thinking that Don would finally do the same and they could officially move on. Instead, she simply offers, "I am pregnant." Jon Hamm gets his James Gandolfini moment here, where he can say so much with small facial expressions that suggest so many different emotions. We fade to black as Betty and Don hold hands, with the idea that they're at least going to give their family another try.

The back drop for the entire episode is the Cuban Missile Crisis, something many of us thought would be a part of this season. Those who lived through those 13-days in 1962 will tell you without exaggeration who absolutely terrified people were. It's a great way for Matthew Weiner to show how the main characters react to the news. The Don Draper who comes back to New York (at least the Don we see at Sterling Cooper), remains the center of calm. "Nobody really knows what's going," he tells Roger. The newly rich Roger, madly in love with Jane, can't believe Kennedy would ruin all of his fun, "Just when I was getting a second chance at life." Harry's big concerns are over how Kennedy's news bulletins will interrupt his programming and cost the agency money. And poor Pete. Just when he thinks it's the right time to proclaim his true feelings to Peggy, he spends his Friday night alone with that rifle, pondering his own demise.

Overall, what a season. Mad Men only has two completed seasons in the books, and both are like separate novels. What do Weiner and company do from here? Does he jump 2 more years to 1964, where Beatlemania is about to take America by storm? The one thing Weiner is on record about is how he doesn't want to deal directly with the Kennedy Assassination as that's been so over-played. The one thing that Duck did get right was about the future of television and the need to spend more advertising dollars with that medium. It's just too bad Duck won't be around to see any of this, at least not at Sterling Cooper.

I hope we haven't seen the last of Jimmy Barrett, and remember his "Grin and Barrett" television show has a 36-episode commitment, which would give the series at least a 2-year run. Could accidentally watching one of those episodes bring back further friction into the Draper marriage? I just don't want Jimmy's story to end with Don knocking him down at that bar in "Six Month Leave". That punch came from Jimmy's blunt "You're garbage...and you know it" confrontation to Don, and of course Jimmy telling Betty about Don fooling around with Bobbie.

There will always be such big questions regarding Don Draper. Will he ever let Betty in on the whole "Dick Whitman" story? Can he really go and give this family life a legitimate effort, even after seeing the Jet Set life isn't for him? Or will he grow bored after a while, like he did after just two episodes this season and giving in to Bobbie Barrett's evil charms simply for the reason that he could?

Another question (and again, on a show like Mad Men, something like this is completely possible): What if Pete Campbell really can't take working in the same place as Peggy Olson? A few weeks ago, audiences might have rooted for Pete to blow his head off right there. But after that tearful meeting with Peggy, Pete won over the audience.

The really big questions remains: When does AMC start season 3?

Mad Men: The Mountain King

2008-10-19T22:15:00.012-05:00

Spoilers regarding tonight's pertinent "The Mountain King" episode of Mad Men. But first to address those wanting to get into Mad Men for the first time. We've been asked a lot, "Which episode should I start with?" You can't just pick up somewhere in the middle (like, I don't know, say tonight's episode). Creator Matthew Weiner set up season 2 of Mad Men where you didn't have know everything from season 1 to get into the show, but you do have to watch from the season's first episode to enjoy and appreciate each episode. Weiner goes for character before plot, but he winds up balancing both impressively. So if you're new, start from the beginning -- hell, go back and start with Season 1 and then find time to let all of this season envelop you.

Mad Men has always been about identity, or in a lot of cases, lack thereof. It was summed up perfectly in the episode "Six Month Leave" by Freddy Rumsen, after he was fired from Sterling Cooper: "If I don't go into that office everyday, who am I?". Nothing spoke to this idea more tonight than Bert Cooper, and his reluctance to go along with the merger with those "Brits" Duck fell off the wagon with in last week's episode. Cooper wants no part of this change, but the money behind a lot of his success (his sister, appropriately enough named Alice Cooper) and a rather devil-may-care Roger convince him it's the only thing to do. But it makes Bert fear losing his own identity. Sure it's a nice payday for everyone, but like Freddy, if Bert Cooper doesn't come into that office everyday, even if for nothing other than to confuse a baby shower with a birthday party, what else is there?

Pete's clearly been looking to form his own identity from day one. He used the one trump card he had (his father-in-law's executive status with Clearasil) to land a big account. But tonight he was pushed further into adopting "someone else's child" by his wife. If Pete knew of the merger meetings going on behind closed doors, there's no doubt he wouldn't have stood up to his father-in-law's threat to "review" Clearasil. But looking to make his own mark, and not wanting "someone else's" child, Pete makes a critical error. The merger going through will leave somebody like Pete "up for review" as I'm sure we'll see next week, and just losing the only real account he's brought to Sterling Cooper can't bode well. Then again, Pete's an asshole, considering that it's a major miracle that he hasn't been spreading gossip about Don's absence since the California trip (of course, Peggy gave Pete the idea to not bring up such talk).

Betty's still looking for her own identity since she tossed Don to the curb. She even perfectly forges Don's name to endorse his checks. Betty's initial reaction to catching her 8-year old daughter smoking in the bathroom is, "You'll burn the house down!" Like everyone else, Betty doesn't know where Don is, or if he's coming back. But she did get her own sense of satisfaction as her planned meeting between Sara Beth and Arthur worked out exactly as she planned. You could tell Betty was just waiting to use the line, "There's a difference between wanting and having" when she got the chance with Sara Beth. Betty's reward to daughter Sally for smoking -- actually it was for becoming a "young lady", but a lot of it was guilt over how bad of a parent she's been -- is the pair of horse riding boots she's been wanting since episode one of this season. Sara Beth is a wreck, and Betty's still not sure what will happen with Don. But Betty will now parade Sally around when she sees her at the stables, just to rub it in as much as she can to Sara Beth.

Joan's situation is the worst, and easily the most unsettling. Her fiance Greg shows no interest in her sexually (and remember, this is JOAN we're talking about). Not until they can sneak into her boss's office. Joan's been at Sterling Cooper for 9 years, she knows how that place runs. Even the thought of having sex in Don Draper's office is forbidden. But it's the only way Greg thinks of her. He sees how well Roger knows Joan, and assumes she's tossed around the office. Greg raping Joan on the floor of Don's office is one of the most disturbing things we've seen on Mad Men. Since this is AMC and not HBO, it's not as graphic as the Dr. Melfi rape scene from the Sopranos, but there is a stunning close-up of Joan's face as she's raped, while she stares off at Don's coffee table and couch. Joan's not as young as Jane, at least not young enough to make Roger Sterling leave his wife Mona. Getting older meant she had to get married, and notice how even after that wretched scene she still brings up all of his "Doctorly" wonders. Joan isn't the marrying kind, she's certainly not one to put-up with someone like Greg. The fact that she was violated, especially in the work place where she's considered the Queen of the Castle, is something Joan Hollaway can't keep tucked away, Peggy style.

We've said all along that Peggy Olson has been Don Draper's hand picked successor. In a way, Don's been cloning himself through Peggy, personally and professionally. While Don continues his trip, Peggy gets her chance to be Don Draper. Everything she does to land the Pop Sicle account is vintage Draper. The way she describes how "Everyone cuts Popsicles in half, all year round" and likening it to "Christianity, behavior, not religion" sounded like something right after Don Draper's playbook. Peggy is as savvy as Don is business-wise. The night before the pitch to Pop Sicle, she walks around the darkened Sterling Cooper offices, smoking away. And after she lands the account "all by herself", she realizes her growing identity should be rewarded with the ultimate prize at that agency: Her own office (Freddy Rumsen's no less).

But the big story, as it always is with Mad Men, remains: Where the hell is Don Draper? He didn't go off with his Jet Set friends from last week, realizing that a life free of any obligations was too boring for him. He goes to the one person in this world he can be completely open and honest with. It's the woman he called last week from Joy's house, the woman we got to see briefly in a flashback from "The Gold Violin" episode. Her name is Anna Draper, the widow of the original Don Draper. She tracked Dick Whitman/Don Draper down by finding the person using her husband's social security card to get a driver's license. She's been on Don's payroll since she first tracked him down, to the point where we learn he even asks Anna for a "divorce" when we flashback to him telling Anna about meeting "Elizabeth" and how great her laugh is. Dick/Don goes to Anna because he's so lost. Lost from the unfulfilled promises he thought he'd get from the Jet Set. He can tell Anna things he could never tell Betty. But mostly, he needs help in finding his way. "I have been watching my life," Dick tells Anna. "I keep scratching at it, trying to get into it. I can't."

But Dick Whitman/Don Draper can actually drop any facade when he's around Anna. He fixes a chair of hers, something that would have come in handy at the Draper residence a few episodes ago. He can go out and talk to people without having to give them some life lesson pitch. He can stare in wonder as mechanics merge "two Buick's and a Pontiac." He even introduces himself as "Dick". And he sure loves the ocean. Anna Draper gets all of this from Dick Whitman because she's the only one who truly knows his secret. He can let his guard down to somebody. Anna even suggests he can have a life with Betty and the kids. "People don't change," he says back to her, in a moment that was both honest and Don Draper-esque. "I always felt that we met so both our lives could be better," says Anna. As "The Mountain King" ends, we can see Dick Whitman AND Don Draper allow their sins to be washed away.

Other Highlights from "The Mountain King":

We know we make the comparisons to The Sopranos a lot with Mad Men, but damn if Anna Draper didn't look and even walk like Svetlana, the one-legged Russian who was the straw that broke the back in getting Carmela to throw Tony out of the house. Like Dick/Don does with Anna, Tony certainly thought highly of Svetlana. And who else was reminded of Janice Soprano when Betty was on the phone with Sara Beth, taking such odd delight in her sadness?

"Let me tell you something," Peggy tells Ken and Sal when coming up with their Pop Sicle idea. "The Catholic Church knows how to sell things."

Yes, that was The Day The Earth Stood Still on television when Joan first initiated sex with Greg, the very same movie that's coming out as a re-make co-starring none other than Jon Hamm.

Bert looking for any sort of way to stop the merger: "You can't trust the Brits."

Peggy is so comfortable in her new office she explains how she got it to Pete: "I'm sleeping with Don. It's really working out."

Paul made it back from his trip in one piece, but got dumped by Shelia. He sees Peggy taking advantage of the opportunity in having Don away: "Why don't you just put on Draper's pants while you're at it?"

Roger really doesn't care what happens. Whoever asks about Freddy's office first gets it. Just get this little merger over with so he can move along with this life and not be late for dinner with Jane.

Alice telling Roger he has "two children to look out for." We learned tonight that it was Bert's widow who introduced Roger and Mona. So there are many reasons none of this sits well with Cooper.

Peggy had to pour Sal & Ken scotch into those cheap plastic cups, then endured the wrath of that bastard of a copy repairman. No wonder she wanted her office so badly.

No Duck Phillips tonight, even though his merger idea is in full swing. You can never predict what will happen on next week's season finale. This isn't the type of show that will neatly tie everything up, have Don come home to Betty and the kids with open arms, and make the world right again. Don isn't even shown in any of the preview's for next week's finale. We know we have a third season already ordered for this series. But what the identity of this show will be after next week is anyone's guess. And a big reason why we won't stop watching.

Our Moneyball Movie Is Officially Happening

2008-10-19T13:20:00.007-05:00

Our long national dream, one that we first tried casting over two years ago, finally has the green light. We never thought of Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball, but now we can actually see him pulling off the role of the rascally rabbit who is the Oakland A's General Manager. And there's excitement over who's adapting Michael Lewis' classic into a script, but they need to re-think their choice of director.

Steve Zaillian is slated to adapt the book into a screenplay, and really you can't ask for a better writer to do such a thing. But their choice to direct Moneyball: The Movie is none other than David Frankel. Before you get too excited, Frankel directed The Devil Wears Prada, and even worse, two episodes of Entourage (including the pilot, although we do have to give Frankel points for staying away from the train-wreck that's become Entourage since season 1). But this has to mean that Frankel is a big fan of Adrian Grenier, somebody who has no business being in any sort of movie like this.

If Pitt's really on board, he's got enough pull to name his own director. And seriously, wouldn't David Fincher be fun for this? The only thing we insist is our original idea of Paul Giamatti playing Bill James. The only casting change that needs to made is for the role of Kenny Williams, now that Harold Reynolds has found consistent work. Our new vote is for La Monde Byrd, who most recently has been seen on Mad Men playing the roll of Hollis, the elevator man.

Game 7: Nebraska 35, Iowa State 7

2008-10-18T15:04:00.003-05:00

After next week's game, Joe Ganz will have finally played the equivalent of a full season. He's got 10 games under his belt (as a starter that is) after Nebraska beat Iowa State 35-7 today at Ames, and he's already thrown for 3,524 yards. Which is more than Gill or Frazier, more Vince Ferragamo. The most important thing is the Corn got a win today, even if it was against a team as awful as the Cyclones, but after losing 3 straight, you could tell afterwards that Pelini was relieved to finally get that win in conference play.

Let's go back to Ganz. He was 27 of 37 for 328 yards, all of this despite having to listen to the Versus announcers complain the entire first half about how Ganz was "out of rhythm". Nebraska gets the Versus treatment next week, again at 11:30am. Versus is the former Outdoor Life Network, the home for the NHL. Days of Thunder, the movie known mainly for introducing Tom Cruise to Nicole Kidman, immediately followed the Nebraska/Iowa State game. We'll probably have Vanilla Sky after next week's Baylor game. This tells you all you need to know about the Versus network. I'm really surprised Andre Ware isn't calling some of the College Football games they carry. But get used to Versus, because that could be the network that will carry the Bowl Game Nebraska goes to (two more wins and they're in!).

Unless this is continued proof that Shawn Watson and Ganz have some things figured out. The big phrase of the week to describe the "new" Husker offense was "Dink & Dunk". The quick, short passes that move the chains, keep the clock going, and keeps the opposing offense on the sidelines. The Huskers are doing more than that with Ganz. You still can't completely trust the offensive line, but from a confidence standpoint they did rack up some rushing yards. Nate Swift -- who, when his career at Nebraska is complete, is going to be remembered as one of the better receivers to have played here -- ran a reverse in the first quarter that could have been a huge ran if Ganz would have completed his blocking assignment on the play. So it's not a "Dink and Dunk" offense, they're keeping with doing whatever works with these kids.

Remember, this isn't a very good Iowa State team at all. Yes a win on the road, especially a conference road victory, is harder to come by in this crazy year of college football. Baylor beat the Cyclones just as easily (38-10 at home) last week. I don't think Baylor's that much better than Iowa State, so if Pelini and company really want to keep things going they'll over-deliver next Saturday in Lincoln. There's no reason they shouldn't roll up an even bigger margin against Baylor. Because Pelini has everyone on board with everything.

We mentioned in last week's post about the great theater that Pelini's press conferences have been. This week added a new wrinkle, as Pelini tried to keep things light around the media. He was Johnny Carson to the covering local media, who played Ed McMahon, laughing too-loudly at anything Pelini had to say. Some sounded like Max Cady, sitting in the front row of the movie theater watching Problem Child with Nick Nolte's concerned family in the back during Cape Fear. You had to think that Bo had a moment like Tony Soprano did during the "All Happy Families" episode of The Sopranos. Tony would tell the worst jokes during a poker game, only to have Paulie, Vito and Silvio fake laugh at him like it was the funniest thing they ever heard. There was even that creepy-slow motion shot we got from Tony's perspective, where T watched his employees belly laugh at his "Boring 747" joke. You have to think Pelini had a moment like this at his Tuesday Press Conference, where he could have made these yokels laugh at anything he said. And they did.

After today's game, Bo was in a justifiably more relaxed and even pleasant mood. He commented on how badly his team "needed" a win. Pelini knew he had a great Texas Tech team beat last week, even out-coached Mike Leach. The moment Bo Pelini officially put his stamp on the Nebraska football program, where he became the Head Coach, came on that fake field goal attempt in the final minutes of the 4th quarter last week against Tech. After Leach pulled off that 4th and 5 out of his ass, thinking only to draw the Husker Defense offsides but wound up going for what could have been the deciding touchdown. Pelini calling for the fake field goal afterward, getting the touchdown to force overtime, shifted everything his way going forward. He wasn't going to be happy to just play a Top 10 team close on the road. That call let everyone know he was all in, and since then everyone's officially bought into his "system". Even though we know Bo hates giving things like "systems" a name.

The other thing that has Pelini happier is his defense. He was embarrassed after the Missouri nightmare, and since then his defense has continued to gel and take shape. We knew going into the season that things would get better following Hurricane Cosgrove, if only because things couldn't have gotten worse than Grover Ball. The team still makes mistakes (how many fumbles did they have on that opening drive today? Wasn't it at least 3?), and the penalties have got to get under control (but they only had 4 today). But today was just about getting the win, getting in position to beat up on Baylor for next week.

So how good is Nebraska? We still don't know. They could finish 8-4 and I wouldn't be surprised. The only game left that I feel totally confident in betting the farm on is the Kansas game in Lincoln (we'll get more into that when we get to that week's game). They're not a complete team, but they're finally showing signs of becoming the team that Pelini wants. And shit, right now, that's not bad.

Mad Men: The Jet Set

2008-10-12T23:05:00.001-05:00

As Roger Sterling would say, we don't want to get too deep before the cocktail hour, but there are only two episodes left of this rather brilliant season of Mad Men. And after tonight, some new shifts in the storyline make us wonder how things will play out over the next two weeks, especially since our main character is now obviously focused on reconnecting with his former identity to the point that he's officially searched out an old friend from his former life. (As always, spoilers follow for those who haven't seen "The Jet Set" yet.)

Which is all the more interesting when you consider how everyone in this series has always been about "moving forward", especially tonight. I always draw similarities between Mad Men and The Sopranos, and we had a big one tonight. "The Jet Set" is the equivalent of The Sopranos "Kennedy & Heidi" episode from that series' final season (an episode ironically enough, co-written by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, who also wrote "The Jet Set"). In "Kennedy & Heidi" Tony couldn't handle staying home to deal with everyone's emotions regarding the death of Christopher, so he, like Don Draper, runs away. Tony goes to Vegas, finds an old stripper girl friend of Christopher's, has wild sex with her, does peyote, and ultimately finds his own revelatory moment in the desert, ending that episode screaming "I get it!". It was enough to satisfy Tony to come home and accept his killing of Chrissy and deal with the world he created.

Don Draper has always ran away whenever he found himself in a situation he couldn't "Draper" his way out of. In California, Don was to be all business, but "The Jet Set" shows us this was more of a vacation for him than anything else. Don meets a new, fascinating group of people, a group more well-off than Midge's beatnik friends from season 1. The nomads Don falls in with tonight are well-off enough to the point they can come and go as they please with no worries about money. This season has made many references to how "well-off" financially Don is, so the idea of running way with this care-free group appeals to him. He even meets an ideal companion in Joy (played by Laura Ramsey), who bears a striking resemblance to his wife Betty (and yes, that was January Jones playing the figure of Don's imagination early on to suggest the parallels). Joy may or may not be the answer Don's been looking for. He does wind up sending his suitcase back home, but Betty's house appears empty, and the delivery man can't find anyone there to take in Don's belongings. But Don's not completely ready to run-off with this new, attractive band of rich misfits, obvious in his final scene tonight. "Hello, it's Dick Whitman," he says to an unidentified person on the phone. "I'd love to see you. Soon."

While Don stays in California, Pete, who initially wanted to take in some relaxation time on the trip only to find himself having to be all business while Draper drifted away, comes back to Sterling Cooper to find everyone moving forward. Roger's going through with his divorce, has Jane convinced to marry him, and Peggy's got a brand new look, thanks to one of the young copy-writers Kurt. You know...the one who we thought from episode 1 of this series might be, as Tony Soprano would say, a "little light in the loafers." Kurt has moved forward more than anyone at Sterling Cooper, announcing to a stunned group of of co-workers, "I'm homosexual. I make love to the men, not the women." Of course this is heart-breaking for Salvatore, who like Don has been forced to lead a double life. He's more stunned when he hears Ken -- the object of Sal's hidden interest earlier this season -- announce to everyone that he doesn't want to work with a "queer."

And then there's Duck, who we've been suggesting all along is the biggest thorn in Don Draper's side. Now that Roger's moving forward full-tilt with the divorce, his lawyer warns him that his wife, "has the marriage license, and she wants to hurt you. I have a list of conditions, and an alimony that would support Rita Hayworth." Roger might really think that Jane will offer him the "life he's always deserved to have", but he's ignoring the fact that he'll be stunned financially. Duck sees this as his big chance. He meets with his old British colleagues, offering them the chance to buy Sterling Cooper on one major condition: Duck is named Don Draper's boss.

While everyone tries to move forward, we finally see with Duck that this isn't possible unless he resorts to his dark past, namely the bottle. This is the first time we get confirmation that Duck is back to the booze -- and really, it's suggested he's been clean all season, until that meeting with the British ad men where Duck realizes he's actually better at his job when he's drinking. Duck even has a case of Tanqueray shipped to the office (brought in to him by none other than Joan of all people, and don't think for a second that she's not paying careful attention to all of this). Still drinking, Duck finally empresses Cooper and Roger, as he's finally become the person they thought they were hiring last season. Duck can't have the impact at Sterling Cooper without help from his drinking, and you know this isn't going to end well. But with Don away, Duck's plan is firmly in place: Being named head of creative in his brokered deal means that he can literally become Don Draper. And on a show where everyone's trying to be someone else, it makes perfect sense for Duck Phillips, who slowly realized this season that it was Draper who had been running things at Sterling Cooper (or at least getting too much credit).

More highlights:

Roger encouraging Duck to go all Pac-Man Jones and go out and "make rain" if he really wants to show he's been worth bringing on to Sterling Cooper.
January Jones had a lot of heavy lifting to do over the past three episodes, and tonight we only got that brief shot of her at that bar in Don's vision in California.
Pete notices something different about Peggy when he returns home. Ken's response: "Kurt's a homo." Out of everything that hurt Sal, Ken's reaction to having a "queer" around has to hurt him the worst. It's not enough to have the young Smith come right out and announce his sexual preference in front of everyone, something Sal couldn't do. But then to learn Ken is repulsed by the whole thing, you have to worry about Sal.
Joan may have officially lost the interest of Roger, but the "straight" Smitty is clearly smitten by her. This might be the first time somebody younger than Joan has shown an interest in her, and it throws her for a loop.
Not sure why, but I don't buy the fact that Jane tells Roger that their souls are the same age. Perhaps it's her horrible attempt at poetry.
Poor Peggy: "I always pick the wrong boys," stating the obvious.
Don's fascination with Joy isn't at all surprising, considering that unlike Betty's father, Joy's dad treats her simply like a friend. He even walks in on them in bed together as if they were just sitting at the table having coffee. Joy even tells Don her father will take care of him because he's "beautiful and doesn't talk too much."
Don having that moment of clarity while watching the show on nuclear missiles. It serves as the moment that he goes from being Don Draper back to being Dick Whitman. It's never safe to make guesses on what happens next with "Dick Whitman" after that phone call, and my haven't we come a long way since the Jimmy and Bobby Barrett arc, but you have to think we'll get some resolution on who Don/Dick called at the end of "The Jet Set".
Even if Duck's boozing gets him what he wants (in particular, becoming Don Draper's boss), he'd still have to deal with the fact that he doesn't have Don's talents. Duck might be able to scheme with Don on leave, but he's still no match for a determined Don Draper in that office.

Game 6: Texas Tech 37, Nebraska 31, Overtime

2008-10-11T22:53:00.003-05:00

Now that we don't have Billy C to kick around and blame for all of society's woes, the finger pointing on why Nebraska lost it's last two home games -- or more importantly, let Missouri come into Lincoln and turn a nationally televised night game into the equivalent of a spring game -- became the flavor of the week going into today's Texas Tech game. The Corn were 22 point underdogs, and like last week, nobody expected them to win or even play the Top 10 rated Red Raiders close. The general mood had everyone hoping that Nebraska just wouldn't get embarrassed, you know, like they did the last time they went to play in Lubbock. Ladies and Gentleman, your improving 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers, now officially 3-3 and win less in conference games. Before we dissect what might have been today, let's recap the two big rumors that fans suggested had Nebraska trending down. What we're hearing, and separating what could be real from what's just horseshit (or as TO would say, horse pucky).

Shawn Watson and Bo Pelini Are Not Seeing Eye To Eye: Watson's big problem is that Husker fan doesn't like him, has never liked him (after all, he's the one responsible for THIS mess from 2001) and never will. Because he flirted with Nick Saban, that silly bastard. Because too many people still can't get past the fact that he's a CALLAHAN guy. He'll never win Husker Nation over, and most of these folks think/wish Watson's gone at the end of this year no matter how things turn out. Watson is still a great football coach, a great offensive mind. And let's not forget, after everything that went wrong last year, Nebraska certainly had quite an offensive display going for them, at least during the second half of the season.

In the Husker home opener, Quarterback Joe Ganz picked up right from where he left off last year (now again, this is, or was, a GOOD thing). Ever since (well, until this afternoon at least), Ganz looked as uncomfortable running the offense as Joe Dailey was during year one of the Billy C experiment. In games 2 and 3, against much weaker opponents than Western Michigan was in week 1, the Huskers offense lost it's identity. They tried the option a few times. They looked for anything that could resemble any sort of running game that just wasn't going to happen. The whispers around Lincoln have suggested that Pelini was nixing a lot of what Watson wanted to do. We always figured that with Watson on board, Bo would put his major emphasis on the defense and let Shawn figure out what to do offensively. Whatever the hell it is, just figure out whatever plays would work for the players they have now and go with that. It looks like that finally happened with today's game. Could be just a coincidence that the Huskers looked awkward during their last four games (at HOME no less), only to hear this suggested rumor and have Ganz throw for over 300 yards today and almost beat a team ranked 7th in the nation on the road. Did we mention Ganz was 36 of 44 throwing?

Pelini Isn't As Tough With His Players As He Is With The Media: One of the best parts of the season so far have been the Tuesday Bo Pelini Press Conferences. So far, they've been the slow burn to what a frightened pack of media members assumes will lead to a Mike Gundy-like Meltdown. God these are fun to watch, only to hear somebody shitting their pants while asking Pelini a question. Bo has these guys on eggshells. Anyone who covers that weekly press conference goes in with only one goal in mind: To NOT be the one who makes Pelini go batshit crazy and create a youtube/Sportscenter moment. The better way to go about this at this point is to actually try to be that guy who asks the question that makes Pelini snap. But you can't go in too confident, because Bo can smell fear, which means he'll jump on some poor soul from the Hastings television station who's on his first year at the job. Should be you, Travis Justice. But Justice would use the moment to spin his way into the limelight. Don't worry, we'll save "Travis Justice is Nebraska's Jay Marriotti" comments for another post, but you can't blame a guy for wishing a ravaged Pelini scream, "I'M A MAN, I'M FORTY" in Trav's face, and then curb stomp him.

But back to the rumor at hand. It was suggested that Pelini hasn't taken full control of this team shaped in his attitude because some of the players are "too sensitive" and he's waiting until he has all of his "own" kids to do that. Sorry, not buying it. Pelini's been all about changing the atmosphere since day one. Sure this is his first head coaching gig, and maybe he hasn't come in with the crazed intensity of when Jimmy Johnson took over the Dallas Cowboys. We've already seen Pelini give it to an official (in a move that cost his team a possible win against Virginia Tech). And if he's thisclose to boil at the local media every week, you know it's gotta come out somewhere. Hell, the kids are at least practicing in PADS this season, something they didn't do over the past four years.

Pelini's problem today, as it has been all season, has been the costly penalties. Nebraska had eight today, Tech only had two. Of course die hard Husker fan is blaming the refs on this trend (and really, it's good to hear these guys again, isn't it? We haven't had fans blaming the officiating from Husker Fan in quite some time, I was beginning to miss it). Somebody needs to really press Pelini about those holding penalties at this week's press conference. I vote for Sean Callahan.

Everyone sure feels better today than they did during the week. But let's not forget that Nebraska is now officially just a .500 team. If today is that first real step in the right direction, is everyone still confident this team can find those three more wins to, you know, get invited to a Bowl Game? As good as the Corn looked in the 4th quarter today, that doesn't mean they'll win in Ames next week, or even when they come back home to host Baylor. You want momentum, how about an actual win. That would really have shook shit up.

Mike Leach and Bo Pelini have the exact same nose. But Leach looks more like the overweight guy in accounting from your office who wears a short sleeve shirt with a bad tie. Yes, we're aware that Leach has his own fits with the media, but if you had to pick which nose you'd want with you in a knife fight, you have to pick Bo. As crazy as it was when Leach tried to draw the Huskers offside on that 4th and 5 play from their own 36, you had to be impressed with with Pelini's later call on that fake field goal.

Yes, this really was the first ever overtime loss for the Huskers. They were 5-0 before today. Just when you thought Callahan killed every streak, here comes Pelini to ruin just one more.

Last week, Chase Daniel and company looked like they were going to waltz all the way to Kansas City to face Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championship. Then crazy Mike Gundy of all people has to go and shatter that plan. Considering Texas has to play Missouri, Oklahoma State and then Leach in the next three weeks, they're not the safe pick to win the South. One has to wonder what Mark Mangino thinks of all of this?

Mad Men: The Inheritance

2008-10-05T21:58:00.017-05:00

Before we get into the spoilers for "The Inheritance", tonight's Mad Men offering, a lot people discussed the often contentious relationship between the creatives and the sales people when it comes to advertising. One aspect around the entire Don Draper character is that he's both. He controls the relationships with the clients, as he understands that the one who owns the creative, owns the clients, and the one who owns the relationships, owns the clients. This was on full detail tonight when he was prepping Pete Campbell, an account executive on a business trip. "You're there to sell," Don tells him. And when Pete refers to the client as "controlling the purse strings", Don vehemently reminds him, "No...they're the customer."

"Nothing's changed. We were just pretending."

Don and Betty are still separated, but another stroke from Betty's father brings them together, at least for perhaps a final visit to her parent's house. This is the second stroke for her father, and Betty, who's had just about enough of all of the secrets being kept from her, is reaching the breaking point. This second stroke happened three days before Betty found out about it. Now her father is so far gone he confuses Betty for his dead wife (even groping her in an uncomfortable scene), but he does at least recognize something she can take to heart about Don. "He has no people!" he shouts regarding her husband, "You can't trust a person like that." Betty lets Don sleep in the same room as her at her father's place, but not the same bed. Don has what seems like a dream where Betty approaches him in the middle of the night, looking for physical affection as if to suggest all is forgiven. But on second viewing, it appears not to be a dream, that Betty needs this sort of interaction after the long day at her father's.

But the family maid -- who's really the only person left at her family's house who Betty trusts -- let's her in on the truth. "It's just going to get worse" regarding her father. "It's all good outside that door." Those last words give Betty the strength to keep Don from coming back in. She realizes this is just the opportunity for him to use his charms to come back home. But Betty's at least recharged: "I know how you feel about grieving."

So Don's still out of the house, but he still lives by the Draper "Moving Forward" mantra. For the first time we can remember, he shows up to work not in a classic grey suit, but rather a sports coat and pants. Don notices a print piece for the Rocket Fair in Los Angeles he was sending Pete and Paul to attend, but true to his mantra, decides to go "move forward" and go on the trip himself. Don says his motto is "moving forward", but an even better one for him is "running away."

This pushes Paul out of the trip, but offers him a chance to go to a rally with his girlfriend Shelia in Mississippi. Interesting note here: James H. Meredith was the first black student at the University of Mississippi on October 1, 1962. The event was a flash point in the civil rights movement. Considering last week's episode took place during the suicide of Marilyn Monroe, it's suggested we're close to this moment in history at this point of the series.

Pete meanwhile is dealing with his own family issues. He won't even consider adoption ("It's someone else's child"), and even admits to Peggy of all people that he hates his mother, and admits his worry about flying on an airplane for the first time since his father died. Peggy being Peggy eases his anxiety ("Statistically speaking, it's not likely to happen twice in the same family"), but Pete still doesn't think another crash would be the "worst thing that could happen."

Betty is still drinking during the day, but she's at least cleaning up better than she has the past few episodes. Then that creepy kid Glen shows up. Betty invites him in after he admits he's been running away, even cleaning his clothes and putting him into one of Don's own undershirts. It isn't until Glen tries to hold Betty's hand that she realizes this kid is more lost than she had ever been. Betty calls Glen's mom Helen Bishop to come get him. "I hate you," Glen tells Betty. "I know," Betty replies. "I'm sorry." Finally Betty finds somebody she can let in on her own little secret, telling Helen, "Don isn't living here."

The episode ends with Pete and Don flying off to California. Pete's nervously wearing a blindfold in flight, while Don's smokes another cigarette, looking out the window at all he's running away from.

Highlights and notes:

Cooper walking in during Harry Crane's baby shower: "I just want to say, Happy Birthday."

Joan making it a point to simply walk by when Shelia comes to the office to meet Paul for lunch. She always has to know everything that's going on at Sterling Cooper.

Well, we did at least get the Roger and Jane affair confirmed, and oh the look on Joan's face when Harry got that Tiffany's box from them.

Joan didn't need to type up a memo explaining to Paul why he wasn't going to California. Going right up to him at Harry's party was the only way to go.

Pete: "Everything's so easy for you." Peggy: "It's no easy for anyone, Pete."

Another episode for January Jones as Betty to shine. Seriously, if she's at least not nominated for an Emmy next year, the entire voting's a joke.
As always, the episode title reveals everything, and here it's all about what we pass down to our children. But what is it that Don Draper/Dick Whitman inherited?

Glen admitting to Betty that he doesn't like ham. Interesting parallel between Don's son asking what his own father liked to eat in the "Three Sundays" episode: "Ham".

Game 5: Missouri 52, Nebraska 17

2008-10-05T02:03:00.001-05:00

It'd been exactly 30 years since Missouri won a football game in Lincoln. You couldn't fin find anybody (and seriously we mean anybody) willing to go out on a limb and suggest Nebraska remotely even had a chance last night. These are two different programs. Nebraska's on it's third coach in 5 years. The Tigers have their version of Tommie Frazier in Chase Daniel. None of these Missouri players were even a dirty thought in 1978. And yet somehow, last night's blowout-with-ease effort is easily right up there with the worst losses in the past 10 years, equally embarrassing as some of the other biggies as we play "Remember When" here in a second.

And let's not forgot: Chase Daniel sat out the entire 3rd quarter. The score was MU 52, NU 10 as the 3rd quarter ended, and that was really it. Missouri brought in anyone who didn't have a jersey dirty yet to get in on what would be their longest (at least according to the clock) drive in the 4th quarter.

Nebraska is still so desperate for answers that they wound up switching punters. Missouri didn't punt once. Nebraska had 10 penalties before Missouri even had one.

Read that last paragraph again, and remember this game was in Lincoln, and the Missouri punting unit could have spent their trip to Lincoln trying to find Melissa Midwest or the other two Playboy Playmates who were down at the N Zone. Mizzou hung 52 on Nebraska (again, this was IN Lincoln), and this wasn't even a team coached by Callahan.

Oh, for those of you scoring at home, or even if you're alone, let's look at those biggest losses of the Post-Osborne Era, and fuck it, we're even in the mood to rank 'em:

Colorado 62, Nebraska 36: First official sign that Frank Solich was in trouble, but again, this game was in Boulder, CO at least.

Kansas 76, Nebraska 39: Final nail in the Callahan coffin

Missouri 52, Nebraska 17: Only the worst home loss since 1955. You know, before Elvis, and we don't mean Elvis Peacock

Texas Tech 70, Nebraska 10: First real sign that this whole Billy C act might night work in Lincoln; Pollyanna Husker fan will use this score as a barometer for next week's game (...at least they didn't lose 70-10 like they did the last time they played there...").

Oklahoma State 45, Nebraska 14: Final nail in the Stevie P experiment, and until last night, the worst home loss anyone could remember

Tonight was a statement game for the Pelini era. Let's remember some very important things. Frank Solich recruited kids to come to Nebraska based upon the style of offense he wanted to run. Billy C brought in (alleged) 5 star recruits who could run his West Coast Offense. That means different quarterbacks, linemen, receivers. The biggest difference was that Solich, unlike Callahan, recognized he needed to make a big change and find the right guy to fix his defense. And of course, we know what happened. Solich (with a strong recommendation from Pete Carroll of all people) made the right decision, hiring the guy who just now happens to be the current Head Coach at Nebraska. Callahan forgot there was a need to play defense, and his loyalty to Kevin Cosgrove was a liability.

Pelini's other problem perception-wise is he can't use the "I don't have MY players" excuse that Callahan sold everyone on. Billy C kept Joe Dailey in as quarterback for all of that brutal 2004 season to suggest to everyone that Solich left the cupboard bare, and that he had to have the RIGHT quarterback in place to orchestrate his complex offense.

Last night, Nebraska committed 14 penalties. Missouri had only 1. I'm sorry folks, but that's coaching.

As bad a taste that Callahan left in all of our mouths -- so much so that the Husker Radio Network won't even mention the guy by name, something that is completely telling and funny itself -- you can't say he didn't leave at least some talent for Pelini and company to work with. He still has a competent quarterback in Joe Ganz, but since game 1, it seems that neither Shawn Watson nor Pelini know which direction to move Ganz.

The Husker Sports Network spent the 2nd half saying things like "This team just needs to forget about all of this and just move on" and "We told you earlier there would be bumps in the road. This is just one of them, and you fans just need to get past this and move on."

WHAT?

Let's listen to what the Corn's new fearless leader had to say to find the truth (and if anything else, you have to give credit to Bo for at least being completely blunt): "It all starts with me. We got out-coached tonight. We weren't well enough prepared. We got beat and we got beat soundly. I'm the head of this ship and I take full responsibility for it. I have to do a better job."

That's refreshing to an extent, but can it help a Husker Nation who woke up this morning (or is probably still asleep following a game that didn't officially end until after 11:30pm central time) wondering if this team is going to win another game this year. None of the remaining 7 games are gimmies. Not Iowa State at Ames. Not Baylor at home.

So how much of a pass are we going to give Pelini five games into his regime. The expectation level was that he'd finish this 5-game home stand at least 4-1, and if they somehow lost to both Virginia Tech and Missouri, they had at least better keep both games close and play with that old-school passion.

Missouri brought back the Billy C ghosts. The Huskers let a much better Missouri team waltz into Lincoln and made it look like a Spring Scrimmage. This was worse than last season's USC ass-whooping in Lincoln. Fans certainly love Pelini's honesty in standing in front of the media and taking all the bullets and blame for this mess. But what will they say when this team finishes 3-9?

The best anyone can hope for is that the Huskers find a way to beat Iowa State on the road, use what (at leased used to be) home field advantage to beat Baylor, grow by the point that when Kansas and Colorado come to Lincoln that the Corn can squeak wins out of those games, letting Pelini finish year one 7-5 and draw a Bowl Game. Others think a win at Manhattan, KS is still a possibility.

But from what we saw last night, this Nebraska team isn't going to win another conference game this year. Through the litter and the wreckage of the past four years, Nebraska fan is bloated with entitlement, and walking dazed and drunk. It is important to remember that this is the first head coaching job Pelini's ever had. He's still a very young guy and very much learning on the job. You'd just like to think his first year is going to finish better than his predecessor's first one did.

Another huge difference between the past two opponents worth pointing out: Despite both teams traveling very well, we mentioned how rather friendly the Hokie fans were. They made numerous efforts to make friends with everyone, and to Nebraska's credit, they didn't want to hold hands with all of them and sing "Hands Across America", but everyone had very nice time. But regarding Missouri fan...the best way to describe them (and this impression was made BEFORE kick-off mind you) is "white trash". It's not that they weren't well-behaved, nor did Nebraska fan want to pick fights with any of them. They just weren't a rather impressive group, those Tiger fans. Maybe a lot of that has to do with the fact that, you know, they're still trying to understand this whole concept that their football program is currently one of the best in the nation, and they have a quarterback who very well is going to walk away with the 2008 Heisman Trophy.

The most telling quotes regarding both fan bases. Va Tech fans left last Sunday morning letting any Husker loyalist by saying, "We all had a very nice time here, thank you all for your hospitality." Of course, after going home with a satisfying win can put anyone in a good mood. This, though, came from those in Missouri colors: "Man, you guys just suck. Sorry."

Weekend Preview: Mad Men, George Brett, Huskers Apathy & Cubs Misery

2008-10-02T22:11:00.000-05:00

It's the top of the 7th inning of game 2 of the Dodgers/Cubs NLDS, the Cubs are down 6-0...and Carlos Zambrano is still pitching! And he's thrown 105 pitches. I'm sure Cub fan is calling for Lou Piniella's head right now, pinning what could be another collapse on someone. Sort of like Don Draper is doing with Duck Phillips on Mad Men. Or George Brett would on the crab legs at the Mirage.

After all that's gone on with Mad Men over the past several weeks, one of the biggest mysteries surrounds that of one Herman "Duck" Phillips, or at least how he is the antagonist regarding Don Draper's character. Duck is a tortured soul, albeit a talented one who in season two of the series is slowly building to someone Don can pin most of his problems on.

The big mystique surrounding Duck is why he was let go of a what Cooper called a very good gig at Young & Rubicam in London. It's been obvious since we first met Duck that he's had a battle with booze, which is what makes him such a fascinating character in the Sterling Cooper world. Victories and problems are met with a simple trip to the liquor cabinet, something Duck doesn't partake in. It's part of why he was so eager to cut Freddy loose, a statement that boozing on the clock is frowned upon. And the Don versus Duck battle has been brewing since this season's first episode, when Duck strongly suggests younger talent is needed for Martinson's Coffee. Duck's instincts are correct, as we see in the later episode "The Gold Violin", but Don is frustrated at bringing in new blood. "So, now that I've given you your babies and your Xerox machine," he says do Duck in the second season's first episode, "Should I throw in a couple of elephants? I don't want there to be an excuse when you can't bring in Martinson's Coffee."

The relationship is further tested in the very next episode, when American Airlines has the crash that ironically kills Pete's father. Duck knows an old friend at American Airlines, but not the true decision maker. Never mind the fact that Don has been trying to build Mohawk Airlines as the agency's "big" airline. Duck is so desperate to make an impact at Sterling Cooper that he uses his contact at American -- and then ultimately Pete's confused emotions over his father's death -- to impress Roger and Bertram into dumping Mohawk for a chance to land the American Airlines account. Don, for all of his flaws and secrets, knows better. Dumping Mohawk for a possible "foot hold" with American is the wrong business move. This is further confirmed when Duck makes the staff come in on a Sunday (during the "Three Sundays" episode) to get ready for a Good Friday pitch to American. Duck's contact is fired on the very day of the pitch to American, infuriating Don further.

The boiling point happens in the "Maidenform" episode, where we begin to learn more of what haunts Duck. We meet his ex-wife, two kids and family dog Chauncey. His ex-wife is going to re-marry, his kids have accepted their new life, and oh by the way, the new husband is allergic to Chauncey. All the while, Duck has suggested to Don that Playtex wants new creative, as in creative similar to the material the Maidenform folks are doing. As much as we, the audience, know about Don, we also understand he's extremely smart when it comes to the Sterling Cooper clients. Yes, Don Draper is an unfaithful husband and an uninterested father, but he knows the advertising game. Playtex is kicking ass sales wise, and there's no reason to fix what isn't broke.

But Duck is adamant on presenting a "Maidenform" campaign to the Playtex folks. "You've been pitching the clients ideas to me more than you have ours to them" is what Don tells Duck in one of the series more telling moments. Roger had sensed the growing tension between Don and Duck, demanding they schedule a lunch to call a "truce". Since Don is too busy nailing Bobbie Barrett and going to the movies, a simple meeting in Duck's office will do. The two reach an understanding regarding the American Airlines/Mohawk fiasco, while Paul Kinsey presents a rather clever idea for Playtex (the Jackie/Marilyn campaign). The Playtex brass are impressed with the new idea, but they're more comfortable with what's working and pass on Paul's idea.

Which of course leads to one of the more talked about scenes of the season. It's another wasted chance for Duck to impress, and his immediate reaction is to find the nearest bottle of the hard stuff (something very easy to find at SC). But as an attention-starved Chauncey stares at him, Duck refuses the drink. He walks Chauncey out of the building, and throws him out on the New York streets. Chauncey's too much of a reminder of the past he's thrown away, and he can't even accept the loving admiration of a dog that he wishes his kids would keep to remind them of their father.

The mystique regarding Duck's falling off the wagon has been one of the greatest parts of this season. We assume through further episodes and crafty editing that Don is back to to bottle, especially, in the next episode "The Gold Violin". Matinson's Coffee is now going by "Martinson", and the two new young creative sparks help land the account for Sterling Cooper. Duck is a more confident soul in knowing the young lings "who think young" can land the account, and this moment redeems Duck's status at the agency. The young Smith team impresses the Martinson folk enough to sign with SC, and Don finally recognizes Duck's "Good advance work" in getting those who think young to ink them. Duck suggests landing the account could now lead Sterling Cooper to get "Life Savers", but his brief moment in the sun is tempered as Cooper gives Don all of the credit, another opportunity for Duck to turn the bottle. Again, we never actually see falling off the wagon, but it's implied in his frustration with not getting the deserved credit that all is not right in his world. Don celebrates, as usual with a celebratory toast, even asking Duck if he'd like for him to bring in "something for him", but actor Mark Moses' acting suggests his pain is too great to resist temptation.

Duck plays his sobriety at the Draper dinner party perfectly, suggesting he'll have a drink with dinner while just drinking tomato juice while everyone else liquors up before the meal. We even get a close up of Duck drinking from an empty wine glass during a toast. But then there's the Freddy incident, dividing Don and Duck even further. Don's the one who gave Duck a chance at redemption by bringing him to Sterling Cooper when his career was wrapped around a tree and losing his plush gig in London. Now, as Freddy suffers an embarrassing drunken incident, it's Duck who demands the firing. The irony isn't lost on Don, and this is all going to lead to a big blow up over the next four weeks. (And special thanks to Nobody's Sweetheart for that great illustration above).

Since the start of the Missouri/Nebraska game is so late (8pm central time, believed to be the latest kick-off time ever at Memorial Stadium), the NLCS could be all set with the Phillies/Dodgers by then. Here's the state of Nebraska football right now: Everyone's so convinced Chase Daniel and company is going to come rolling into Lincoln to make a big statement that Husker fan seems to be content if the Huskers can just keep the game close. And Missouri hasn't won in Lincoln since 1978. Even CALLAHAN'S teams beat the Tigers in Lincoln, even though he was embarrassed both times in Columbia. But seriously, nobody's picking Nebraska to win on Saturday night. Kevin Kugler is suggesting a Missouri 56, Nebraska 26 final. If that's the case, the Pelini honeymoon is beyond over. Even after everything that's happened with the Husker Football program, shouldn't the element of playing at home -- in a night game no less -- offer some sort of advantage? Or has everyone just given up after the Virginia Tech loss?

The George Brett video has drawn a ton of interest for good reason. It's that good, and we don't think it's anything for him to be ashamed of. It's one of the greatest baseball stories ever. It doesn't diminish his legacy as perhaps the greatest third baseman ever. It's a great moment, granted one where he didn't realize there was a camera following his every move. But everything about it is such comedy gold. It's better than anything Ron Shelton could have put in Bull Durham. At times, it reminds one of Bill Murray's "Dali Lama" speech to the scared caddy in Caddyshack. Brett is and forever will be my favorite baseball player, and that video should actually serve as a sales piece in getting free agents to come to Kansas City to at least enjoy spring training.

But right now, it's Cub fans who are literally shitting their pants. And a Boston media what a World Series that would bring Joe Torre, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Lowe would be like.

Major League Baseball Playoff Preview

2008-09-30T19:42:00.014-05:00

There are many reasons to watch the 2008 Major League Baseball playoffs with great interest. None of which include the fact that we finally have a post-season without the Yankees. Or Jose Guillen for that matter, which really pisses me off (but if you don't think a Royals fan can be overly excited for a 2009 season featuring The Mexicutioner, Zack Greinke and the enigma that is Guillen, well then you probably don't care about that shit that James Earl Jones says about hope in baseball). Here's what really has us excited about this post-season:

Harold Reynolds: Lost in the big mystery about why Harold was let go from ESPN is , he's really fucking good on television when talking baseball. TBS has let Harold do some in studio work (as in the All-Star Selection show) and be the color guy (like he did tonight for the White Sox/Twins AL Central tie breaker). And he's good at wherever they put him. I know Tim McCarver has his critics (we'll get to him later), but seriously, over the past 10 years, who's been better on television covering all things baseball? We're glad HR is back with TBS's under-rated coverage of the playoffs. He'll make staying up late for a West Coast game worthwhile. Famously harassed a woman on a flight to Omaha into marrying him because "she had nowhere else to go."

Dick Stockton: Mostly known for his NFL and NBA work, but let's face it, he's as good as it gets for play-by-play. Also married to Lesley Visser, who was the Erin Andrews of her era. Stockton did the Twins/Chisox game tonight with Harold. If you can't enjoy Stockton providing your play-by-play, there's no hope for you. Probably means you don't watch Mad Men either, which is what this blog is more or less going to be all about over the next month, and that would mean we don't like you.

The Cubs Factor: Good God, is there a more nervous bunch of perennial favorites going into the post-season than Cubs fans? The Cubs finish an incredible season and have home field advantage through the National League, and you won't find a more rabid bunch of folks looking for Steve Bartman's head if Derek Lowe shuts them down in Game 1 of the NLDS. But I still say there's a conspiracy factor in place about MLB scheduling those September Cubs/Astros games at Miller Park, close enough for Cubs fans to travel in droves, as it became clear that the Yankees were going to miss the October parade. I wonder who Bud Selig would really root for in a Brewers/Cubs NLCS.

Manny Ramirez: You really want to rain on a Red Sox fan parade? Suggest a Red Sox/Dodgers World Series, with Manny coming back to Fenway for Games 1 and 2. That's a long way from happening, but consider that Manny will be at Wrigley for at least 2 games, and he's suddenly woken up since the trade to Los Angeles. Is there a better first round series than the Dodgers/Cubs series, even if the Dodgers got in by playing in such a weak division (as Hank Steinbrenner would like to remind anyone and everyone)? Has parlayed the whole "Manny Being Manny" myth into a justifyication in wearing uniform number 99 with the Dodgers.

Joe Torre: This is the 14th straight year that Torre has managed a team to the post-season. And he's on the Veteran's Ballot for next year's Hall of Fame vote. And in case you haven't heard, they're tearing down the old Yankee Stadium. Torre is likely going to get in the Hall, and go in as a Yankee. What if he brings some of that playoff magic he had during that late 1990's run with the Yankees? What if Torre and Manny start the World Series at Fenway? Torre knew what he was getting into when he took the Dodgers gig. He had the chance to win the weakest divsion in baseball, and then got Manram gift wrapped to him at the trade deadline. And if he somehow punks the Cubs and the Brewers/Phillies winner, what does the Yankee brass think? This is now the third different franchise Torre's led to the playoffs. But the Yankees think they're better off without him.

Lou Piniella: Sweet Lou took a lot of (deserved) heat for the way he handled Carlos Zambrano during last year's Division Series. Like Torre, this is also the third franchise Lou's brought to the post-season dance, but anything less than a World Series at Wrigley is considered a failure. And imagine if Lou takes them there, but faces the one team that he couldn't get over the hump in Tamp Bay...

Kerry Wood: It's now been ten years since Wood pitched what has to be one of the all-time greatest games, when he struck out 20 Astros on that chilly day in Chicago. He's now the team's closer, but a 9th inning with Wood coming in to protect a one-run lead had more drama than Don Draper talking his way back into Betty's bed on Mad Men. And this is now Kerry Wood's 4th trip to the post-season with the Cubs, which is something sort of a miracle.

CC Sabathia: He could very well start every game in the post-season and nobody would be surprised. And if the Brewers get past the Phillies, you're sure to see a "Sabathia signs with the Yankees for 7 years/$140 million" before December headline. Also: Fat.

Jamie Moyer: He's 46 years old, which means he's the same age as John Slattery, who plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men. I figured Slattery was easily in his 50's. If the Phillies are down 0-2 to the Brewers, they'll be counting on Moyer to bring them back to life. Is married to the daughter of Digger Phelps, which doesn't win him any fans. And he's also older than...

Greg Maddux: This story from bleedcubbieblue.com sums up all you need to know about Maddux: "'Watch this, we might need to call an ambulance for the first base coach.' On the very next pitch Hernandez drove a line drive into the chest of the first base coach, who, fortunately, wasn't seriously hurt. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Kent Mercker and others sitting around were needless to say completely freaked out. Maddux explained that Hernandez had been jammed inside by Braves pitchers for the whole series and he could tell from the shift in his batting stance he was going to rip one towards the first base coach's box." Would rather be playing golf with John Smoltz and Tom Glavine right now than worrying about whether or not he's on the Dodger's post-season roster.

Brett Myers: Beats his wife; Was sent to the minors mid-season, and is somehow now considered a feel-good story regarding the Phillies; Again: Beats his wife. The worst thing we can come up about Zack Greinke is that he thinks Brad Pitt's acting career peaked with Legends of the Fall. And we're supposed to root for Brett Fucking Myers?

Ken Griffey, Jr.: I could really care less whether he plays in a World Series. Seems to live off the fact that he's more "user friendly" than the more talented Barry Bonds, but everyone glosses over what a dick he's been. One can't help but realize the similarites between Griffey finally getting post-season glory to when Frank Thomas had to sit on the bench when the White Sox finally won their title in 2005. Reds fans are secretly hoping he breaks his leg.

A.J. Pierzynski: Confirmed prick, but very proud of it. He will undoutbedly be a part of some sort of bizarre controversy, one that will make Dick Vitale shout for 10 straight minutes next Monday on ESPN's Mike & Mike Radio Show.

Jermaine Dye: One of my all-time favorite former Royals, who I once went out of my way to heckle until acknowledgement because I was pissed he was traded for Michael Tucker. Has a bizarre scar on his face that makes him even more likable. If he were playing right field for Boston, there would be Hall of Famer stories written about him.

The Rays: Not really the "feel good" story everyone wants you to believe. If they were so "feel good", the Trop would sell out every game and they'd have somebody other than Dick Vitale as their spokesperson. A real "feel good" story would be Zack Greinke starting Game 1 of the ALDS for the Royals, more worried about Brad Pitt and the box office for Burn Before Reading and the Mexicutioner ready to save the day. There's really nothing to like about the "Devil" Rays.

<Ozzie Guillen: The world would have been better off with his team blowing the game tonight against the Twins. Now MLB has to worry about a possible Rays/Angels ALCS. Without Jay Mariotti to kick around, what can Ozzie give us?

Josh Beckett: Is hurting more than Bosox fans want you to believe, but now that the Red Sox have become the Yankees, who cares? Also: White Trash.

Neil Diamond: Penned a song about Caroline Kennedy that has become a Fenway Park anthem, and is wondering when all of the residuals kick in; Probably wondering why the Reds never adoped "Crackin' Rosie"; hates Saving Silverman, and wonders why his management staff let him appear in the movie.

Mike Scoisscia: Is hated by one Jose Guillen, which makes him public enemy number one one our list; gets credit for being a good manager despite the fact he works for an owner who over-pays for talent; Also: fat.

Francisco Rodriguez: Just a little too eager to own one of the most over-rated records in all of sports; Like CC, is playing for a big-time contract, which the Yankees will be happy to pay him; Like Stallone, probably doesn't need to wear those glasses.

Torii Huner: Is secretly laughing at everyone who thinks he needs that extra "i" at the end of his first name; Has agreed to blog this post-season at mlblog.com, and has Rob Neyer pulling hairs over the fact that he still doesn't draw enough walks in the "Moneyball" era.

Prince Fielder: Hates his dad, who was a very good player for some very bad teams; Subscribes to what the common folk refer to as a vegan lifestyle. Despite all of that, still: fat.

The Brewers "Now or Never" Stance: You have to at least admire what the Brewers are doing with their "All In" policy here. They fired their manager with less than two weeks to go in the season. They've asked poor CC to pitch every other day. Their team very well could look worse than your 2007-09 Kansas City Royals. And here they are, in the post-season. Considering this is the first time since 1982 the Brew Crew has made the play-offs, even if they get swept by the Phillies this is worth it.

Brad Lidge: Francisco has been getting all of the press, but the best reliever (other than the Mexicutioner of course) in baseball in 2008 has been one Brad Lidge. He'll get no Cy Young support, even though he should be the clear winner of that award. Lidge had an incredible season for Philadelphia, but everyone's memory of Lidge is that playoff monster he gave up to Albert Pujulos a few years ago.

Jon Lester: Sure he survived lymphoma, and will start Game 1 of the ALDS against the Angels. I love this from wikipedia regarding his no-hitter against the Royals this year: " It was also only the second no-hitter ever pitched against the Royals". I'm still trying to figure out what's worse: The fact that the Mets have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter; or that the Royals have only been no-hit twice in their rich history.

Terry Francona: Yankee fan thinks more of him than they do of Torre, despite the fact that Torre won four titles for the Yanks but Francona has won two in Boston. Is never going to stop chewing tobacco, and considering that Curt Schilling simply refuses to stop blogging, who can blame him?

David Ortiz: The most beloved Red Sox player of the past 25 years, despite the fact that he has no business even trying to play first base should they make the World Series; Misses Manny Ramirez more than he'll ever admit; despite the cries of Bosox fans, is not getting close to Cooperstown, no matter how much he smiles for Bob Costas during interviews.

Jason Bay: Wondering why he still has to play games into October; Hits his knees every night that he's no longer a Pittsburgh Pirate; wonders why Dan Shaughnessy follows him around everyday.

Cal Ripken, Jr.: Still pissed that brother Billy has the baseball card where he's holding a bat that has "Fuck Face" on the end of the bat; wishes Dennis Eckersley would start drinking again if only to add to the TBS studio crew's broadcast; secretly texting messages to Derek Jeter about missing the post-season for the first time in his career.

Chip Carey: Is never going to make anyone forget about Harry or Skip; despises the fact that everyone wishes Stockton could do play-by-play for every game; understands that anyone who willingly goes by the name of "Chip" is instantly hated.

Tim McCarver: Despite his critics, is an extremely competent analyst; told Bob Gibson a hitter was "colored", only to have Gibby reply, "What color is he?"; has to share a little too much time with Joe Buck over the next four weeks, which gives him a pass; famously called out the Yankee's wrong defensive shift in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

The "Windy City" Series Element: More likley to happen than one might think. The White Sox get to play a DEVIL Rays team in over their heads and the Cubbies have that home field advantage through the NLCS. In an election year that saw the heavily favored Diamondbacks miss the playoffs, what would an all-Chicago series do for Obama's chances right before the election?

Mad Men: Six Month Leave

2008-09-28T18:33:00.014-05:00

Mad Men took a week off to celebrate their much deserved Emmy wins, but somebody forgot to tell the folks over at ON DEMAND, or at least the Cox Cable people. They kept tonight's "new" Mad Men episode, "Six Month Leave" available for viewing free the entire week. They didn't have the HD version available, however, which for this show is saying something as it sparkles all the more in high def. So for those who couldn't wait until 9pm tonight, there was the opportunity to watch it anytime you wanted the past 7 days. We mentioned that Mad Men has been on an incredible roll this season, and that continues with their latest offering (and if you haven't seen tonight's episode yet, everything following has to be considered spoiler material, but really you should be upset that you could have watched it on your terms anytime over the past week; in fact, it's still available for FREE on demand even now. But again, stop reading now if you haven't watched the episode).

"Six Month Leave" finds Don and Betty dealing with their separation after the fall out that was last week's episode. But more importantly, this episode is about how everyone reacts to two big events: The shocking suicide of Marilyn Monroe and how it affects the female characters; and what happens when a drunken Freddy Rumsen literally pisses his pants at work.

The episode begins with Don, coughing while finishing off the morning's first cigarette, getting the paper outside of his hotel room, reading the headline, "MM: ACCIDENT OR SUICIDE". The parallels between Monroe's demise and Betty's own free fall at home are scary as we cut from that newspaper headline to a disheveled Betty wanting to do anything but find a reason to get out of bed, a far cry from the woman who was so excited to get dressed in the montage from the beginning of an earlier episode this season called "Maidenform". Betty pays no attention to her children, spends her days drinking wine and passing out on the couch, never bothering to make the bed she once shared with Don. She even hears a news report about Marilyn's passing while she wanders about aimlessly and lifeless in her home. Like her friend at the stables told her weeks ago, she's sad, but the first half hour of this episode shows she way past sad, and January Jones plays her with such succinct devastation you can't help but think Monroe's suicide is some sort of red herring.

Peggy's reaction to the Monroe news is what we've come to expect from her as she and Don talk about it in the elevator only as something to just to pass the time. But she impresses Don by saying, "We're lucky Playtex didn't go for that Jackie/Marilyn campaign. We'd have to pull everything indefinitely." Don's facial expression to Peggy shows how impressed he is that she thinks like that, while the other women in the office are in tears over the news. Peggy takes to her career like Don would (he himself had the exact same reaction after the American Airlines crash during the season's 2nd episode, telling Paul to pull all of the Mohawk Airlines ads immediately). Joan keeps her true feelings to herself, lying on Roger's couch when he's supposed to be out for cocktails at 4:30. When Roger walks in on her crying, he can't believe that even "Red" is moved to tears by Monroe's passing ("She was a stranger. Roosevelt...I hated him, but I thought I knew him."), and consoles Joan by telling her in regards to Marilyn Monroe, "You're not like her. Physically, a little bit." No matter, Joan is visibly shaken by the news. "This world destroyed her," she tells Roger sharply, echoing her own feelings of sadness after being passed over for the television department position in last week's episode. "Someday you'll lose somebody...and realize how painful it is." Many female fans have been worried about Joan's character ever since "A Night To Remember", some even wondering about the Marilyn Monroe comparisons before this episode.

But the real life-changing moment for Sterling Cooper happens during what's at first one of the funniest scenes in the series' short history. Salvatore, Peggy and Pete (and why is it when those three are together in a scene there are great comedic moments?) go into Freddy's office to prep for a meeting they have with the fine folks at Samsonite. After pouring Sal a glass filled to the absolute rim with whiskey (Bryan Batt's expression while holding the drink and saying, "Thanks Freddy" is priceless), Freddy decides to piss his pants in the middle of show prep. He did at least have the common courtesy to do so with his back to his three colleagues, but each of their reactions tells you everything you need to about each character. Sal finds the whole thing absolutely hilarious, Peggy wants to sweep everything under the rug and move on, while that snake Pete already begins thinking how he can turn this opportunity to his advantage. Freddy goes over to pass out as his desk, and Pete immediately seizes the opportunity. "He can't leave this room," Sal suggests. Peggy says they should tell Don, an idea Pete immediately throws cold water on.

Those in the "Pete Is A Weasel" camp get further confirmation in this episode. Pete finds the one other person who will find Freddy's act "disgusting" in Duck, and they rat poor Freddy out to Roger. Peggy was the only one smart enough to realize they should have let Don know, as we learn from Jon Hamm's frustrated expressions when he gets blindsided by Pete and Duck going to meet with Roger about the pants pissing incident without him. And if you don't think this will further make Duck public enemy number 1 in Don's camp, you haven't been paying attention. Something is slowly brewing between the two, and there may not be enough big accounts around for Duck to bring to the agency to keep him off Don Draper's shitlist. Don also laughs when he hears the Freddy pants pissing incident, and doesn't think it's anything to get worked up about. Roger tells them they need to cut Freddy loose (but "he can still give blood" for Don's blood drive) for "conduct unbefitting". Don wants no part of this, partly out of loyalty to Freddy and knowing how important his job is to his identity, but mostly because Pete and especially Duck are so in favor of gunning for him. "The other agency's will laugh about this," Roger warns, "But the clients, they already think we're all like that." Don agrees to go with Roger to dinner and give Freddy a "six month leave", which everyone knows is a polite way of firing, and provide the guy a proper send-off. And it's not like Betty has opened the door back for Don to come home anytime soon, so he doesn't need to get permission to enjoy a night on the town.

It's worth noting that the actor who plays Freddy, Joel Murray, is the brother of Bill Murray, which explains why Freddy's character has been one of the most beloved on the series. This doesn't make Freddy's exit from Sterling Cooper and the show any easier. Murray and Hamm have a great final scene together, when Freddy says to Don, "I'm not kidding. What am I gonna do...If I don't come into that office everyday...who am I?" Don himself knows the feeling, and as he and Roger continue drinking after sending Freddy home, he finally admits to Roger that he's staying at the Roosevelt, away from Betty and the kids, but hasn't felt sad about it at all. It's one of Draper's most honest moments. Marriage isn't a necessity to him, although he's not as sharp at the office after sleeping at the Roosevelt instead of Betty's bed. Don doesn't realize it at the time, but he's selling Roger on the idea of being happier away from marriage. "Moving forward" is something Don Draper has always been about, and he's taking the same attitude towards his separation. Roger takes the advice to heart while seeing his own escape, and the episode ends with Mona confronting Don about "encouraging" her husband Roger to leave her after 25 years of marriage.

Great moments and Notes:

Don telling Peggy she was basically getting Freddy's job after her presentation to Samsonite, but not before reminding her he didn't appreciate being "ambushed" by Pete and Duck. "Don't feel bad for being good at your job," Don tells her after she expresses feeling bad about Freddy. Peggy's becoming a Draper clone in a lot of ways.
Don noticing Jimmy Barrett at the underground bar, then giving him that "Archibald Whitman punch" to the face. Jimmy had that coming for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was confirming Don's affair to Betty, but there was justice in him getting clocked in front of Freddy, who was passed out drunk when we first met Jimmy making fat jokes to Mrs. Schilling. Nice touch in having Floyd Patterson in the same bar.
"I thought you could talk anyone into anything?" Betty to Don after he suggests he doesn't have the time to fight with her if her mind's made up about him not coming back home. Maybe he really is happy to just live at the hotel.
Don Draper about how to explain the separation to the kids. "I'm working on an account and they have to put me in Philadelphia, and I'll be home every weekend." This impressed Betty, somewhat: "Did you just make that up right now?"
Great showcase for John Slattery as Roger. One of his best lines, about Freddy pissing his pants: "Can't even tell Cooper about this. You know his whole thing with germs." Roger also knows how to bring levity to something as permanent as a firing. "Freddy, there's a line, and you wet it."
Freddy realizing it was Duck behind his dismissal: "He's as dry as a bone, he doesn't understand this business."
Just when we start to worry about Betty falling into the same traps that Marilyn Monroe did, she sets up that lunch with Sara Beth and that stable boy Arthur. She totally did this as a way to ruin Sara Beth's "perfect" marriage, as Betts is in no mood to see any married couple be happy.
Yes, those extra shirts that Jane bought for Don to have around the office were from Menken's, which explains why he wanted no part of them. Given his current marital woes, he doesn't want to be reminded about his affair with Rachel.
One of the great things about Mad Men are the little things that can happen in a small scene like the one with Don, Peggy and the doorman on the elevator. "Suicide is disturbing," says Don about the Marilyn Monroe news. After losing his brother the same way, he would know. Also liked the doorman's "Some people just hide in plain sight" and "I just keep thinking about Joe DiMaggio" lines.
Peggy is still calling Don by his first name instead of Mr. Draper, at least at the beginning of the episode.
We finally get to see hints of real emotion from Peggy in the office. She feels horrible about Freddy, who was the one who discovered her talent for copy writing in the first place. And she's also livid at Pete for selling Freddy out. Pete settles her down by reminding her they'll both be getting raises, and he doesn't feel bad "at all" by getting ahead by throwing Freddy under the bus.
Don is as secretive about his marital spat is he is about his past as Dick Whitman. Jane gets on his bad side by trying to learn more about his personal troubles, which he washes right away. "I'd also avoid giving me concerned looks" he reminds Jane. Betty's the same way towards the separation, spurning offers for help from her house keeper, suggesting she just hasn't been getting enough sleep (Insomnia is something Monroe complained about to her own therapist back in the day, the similarities between the two are downright eerie).
Like The Sopranos did with the titles of their episodes, the Mad Men episode names always have more than one meaning. On surface, it would seem that "Six Month Leave" is just the term Roger and Don use to let Freddy go easy. It could also apply to how long Don and Betty remain apart. This is a show that doesn't neatly tie everything together quickly, and tonight's episode is further indication that a lot more will happen before Betty takes Don back in. There are many other ways to take the meaning of the title "Six Month Leave". I think the title reveals the importance of the Freddy incident in how it's the final straw for Don in regards to Duck Phillips. The whole idea regarding the concept of what "Six Month Leave" implies is just how these characters don't want to face the hard core reality. Rather than cutting Freddy completely lose, Roger and Don worded it as something like a vacation, where he can dry, up, come back and have the door completely open. And even Freddy knows it won't be.
Roger again: "My podiatrist went to Hazleton, came back with some great stoires. He only drinks beer now."
One of the final scenes showed the creative staff presenting new ideas to Duck, with Don Draper no where in the meeting. The smart money is that Don didn't know about this meeting -- something Duck lined up behind Draper's back -- and you know this is very well the final nail in Duck's coffin once Don hears about it. If Peggy truly learned from keeping the Freddy incident from Don, she's certainly going to let him in on this meeting, one where at least nobody pissed their pants. Somebody else green-lighting a creative concept -- especially Duck -- will not play well for one Don Draper.
And just so we're clear on Duck being on borrowed time, let's consider all that Don holds him responsible for:

The losing of Mohawk Airlines, when Duck suggested SC had a legitimate shot at landing American Airlines. Something he never had a shot at considering he didn't know the actual decision makers and his lone contact there got fired.
Making Don's creative team come up with an edgier campaign for Playtex. Like Peggy said, even if they went for it, they'd be pulling their ads now.
Calling Don out in front of Betty about the Heineken marketing idea. Betty was going to find something else to serve as the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of confronting Don about Bobbie Barrett, but wasn't it awfully convenient to have Duck Phillips start that fire, right in the Draper house?
Duck's determined insistence on getting rid of Freddy.

Speaking of Don exacting on revenge on those he feels wronged him, it isn't just the slow build before Duck's eventually exit from Sterling Cooper. You have to figure Don Draper's got a lot more work in him to destroy Jimmy Barrett than that Archibald Whitman move at that bar. Remember the infamous "I will ruin him" move he pulled on Bobbie Barrett a few episodes ago. When the opportunity presents itself, Don will find a way to kill that TV show "Grin and Barrett" and find a more user-friendly spokesperson for Utz Potato Chips. Even if Don doesn't think he can find happiness in a family life he already had, Jimmy broke two major rules, spreading the gossip to Betty and then confronting Don about it when he least expected it. Betty already freaks out when an Utz commercial with Jimmy as the spokesperson airs on television. How will she react when he's the star of his actual series?
Monroe's suicide was August 5, 1962, which means this season has taken us from Valentine's Day, 1962 to Marilyn's shocker in nine episodes. Four more episodes are set for this season. Matthew Weiner has made no secret about how this season has been about dealing with a loss of innocence amongst these characters, and the thinking has to be that the season finale will at least mention the Cuban Missile Crisis. Or if he wanted to bookend the American Airlines crash from earlier in the season, he could bring in a storyline about the November 23, 1962 United Airlines crash.
More about Jon Hamm, who's star continues to rise with every episode. We mentioned before he used to be in Fantasy Football leagues with ESPN's Bill Simmons. Rich Eisen also let everyone in on how Hamm used to play poker with their group when he was a struggling actor. Hamm's getting to be such a big deal that he's now slated to host Saturday Night Live on October 25th. But not everything is going Jon Hamm's way: He's a die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Game 4: Virginia Tech 35, Nebraska 30

2008-09-28T14:29:00.006-05:00

The most telling moment of the new Nebraska football era came following this past Wednesday's practices. Bo Pelini was short with the media, calling the sessions "average at best". Away from the cameras, the coaches were livid at all of the mental breakdowns that took place on Wednesday from all players (Cody Glenn's name came up an awful lot). Wednesdays can be the worst day of the work week. You don't have the enthusiasm that Thursday brings, or the "let's just get this weekend started" spirit of a Friday. And this Nebraska team had two full weeks of practice to get ready for what was their first real game of the year. But Pelini and staff at least acknowledging the Wednesday worry was a good sign, and it confirmed my belief that Nebraska would be able to beat a very good Virginia Tech team in Lincoln.

In fact, we figured Tech was the one game on a tough remaining schedule the Corn would find a way to put together a nice victory. Oh sure, many columnists are acting proud that "at least the Huskers didn't get blown out". Seriously, are we at that point STILL? Are we giving this coaching staff a pass for the entire year here? This was a loss, one where those mental errors that caused headaches for Pelini on Wednesday cost the Corn last night. And now Nebraska has a brutal stretch of games for the rest of the season, and even after 9 ranked teams lost over the weekend, there's only one game on the Husker schedule (Iowa State) that feels like an easy lock.

In a way, a lot of us underestimated Virginia Tech because of their season opening loss to East Carolina. We assumed that THIS was the game Nebraska could somehow squeak a win out of, before getting thumped by Missouri next week and then Texas Tech on the road. And oh by the way, everyone was (and still is) openly concerned about Missouri fan taking over Lincoln next weekend. The real shock was how well Hokie fan traveled. They were out big time in Lincoln both Friday and Saturday, day and night. I must say, for all the credit Husker fans get for being among the "nicest" in college football, these Va Tech fans are certainly an amiable lot.

Here's the major problem, one we've been pointing out for weeks: Barney Freaking Cotton. The 900 pound elephant in the room is the offensive line, something that was supposed to be one of this team's strengths. Somehow, Cotton has made the offensive line worse than it was LAST year. The Huskers can't run the ball. They won't run the ball. And this is a disaster. Let's call a spade a spade here. Pelini obviously brought a couple of coaches to his staff out of pure loyalty or to please some of the masses (we're not just looking at you, Barney Cotton, but Ron Brown as well). You have to think Pelini is seriously overly concerned about Cotton not being the right man to rebuild his offensive line. No matter how well the defense is -- and make no mistake, the Huskers have a decent one in the making and are at the very least going to do their part in keeping Nebraska in every game -- a non-existent offensive line is going to be the difference between an 8-4 season and a 6-6 or even worse record.

Oh, but let's not forget that Bo Pelini did have his own moment that could have very much cost his team the game. Husker Nation has taken to Pelini's passion and enthusiasm, going back to when he got in then Kansas State coach Bill Snyder's face after the 2003 NU/KSU game. Pelini's temper cost him last night big time when he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the fourth quarter, giving the Hokies easy room to tack on a clinching touchdown. The ironic thing is that Pelini was right to be angry (Ndamukong Suh was flagged for what was incidental contact, giving Va Tech a first down they clearly didn't deserve and sealing the Huskers fate). Pelini's outburst gave Tech a first and 10 on the Husker 11-yard line. Instead of forcing the Hokies into a field goal, Pelini's unsportsmanlike conduct put the Husker Defense in a bad spot. I'm sure Husker Nation is divided on how they feel about Bo going batshit crazy over that call. Some are pleased that Pelini stood up to the Atlantic Coast Conference officiating crew, and see this as some way to bring the entire team together. Others are livid. It reminds them of Billy C's throat slashing against Oklahoma back in 2005. They recall Osborne getting upset over a bad call, but never to the point of getting flagged for it. Pelini's got a lot of Lou Piniella in him, something we like about him quite a bit.

This week's odd Husker Sideline Guest: Rush Limbaugh. This explains why Pelini had such a short fuse last night.

Here's your Pollyanna-esque promising segment of the Husker program. This team is at least going to be competitive against everybody. Out of all things that came out of last night's loss, you can't say the entire game wasn't entertaining. Which will sure make for a more fun season than say having a team throw up 76 points on you. So after tuning up against those three pansies for the first 3 games, the Corn got a legitimate test last night. They have one of the top quarterbacks in college football, who probably isn't utilized to the best of his abilities (a lot of that can be attributed to the offensive line, and some whispers suggest Joe Ganz has a minor injury that impacts his game sometime). Nebraska's defense, as predicted, is inspired. The Shatel's and Sipple's of the world are somehow suggesting Nebraska passed this test. The idea however is to actually win the game. Until that happens against a team that isn't Iowa State this year, the Huskers haven't passed any tests.

Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

2008-09-27T09:54:00.003-05:00

Nobody would ever think to put Paul Newman in any death pool, frankly because nobody could imagine a world without him. We lost Newman late yesterday at the age of 83. He left one of the greatest bodies of film work of anybody, and we've also been fond for the way Paul Newman handled himself away from his movie work, and it's worth noting our own favorite Newman moments both on-screen and off (and we won't include all of the obvious ones you'll be hearing about over the next few days) This list by no means does Newman's career and life justice, it's just our own personal highlights:

"Where the Hell Are The Singing Cats": Paul Newman made a surprise appearance on David Letterman's very first show in 1993 when Dave took his act to CBS and the Ed Sullivan theatre. In the middle of the audience, a surprised Paul Newman stood up and asked Dave, "Where the hell are the singing 'Cats'?", acting confused that he wasn't at a Broadway play. Letterman and Newman shared a love for auto racing, and Paul would make numerous appearances on Dave's show through the years.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Really the start of the whole "buddy picture" genre, as Newman and co-star Robert Redford have such an easy chemistry it's impossible to note enjoy every frame of film. The movie holds up incredibly well (this despite the cheesy Burt Bacharach ballad "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"). So many great scenes to choose from. No DVD collection should be without this one. Also one of the greatest endings in movie history.
The Verdict : George Clooney is on record as saying Newman's role in this courtroom drama is his favorite of all-time, which is saying something considering what a huge movie buff Clooney is. What could have been standard courtroom fair is elevated by a remarkable performance from Newman, who loved to play flawed characters and not hide any of their warts. Here he again plays a heavy drinker. The fact that Newman was on record saying how much he enjoyed drinking doesn't take away from what's probably his greatest performance.
Nobody's Fool: Perhaps my personal favorite Paul Newman movie. He plays an old small-town loner, distancing himself from his son but trying to reconnect to him and the grandson he never knew. Newman so perfectly captures a character we all know in real life, only considered to spend the majority of his day drinking, but charming enough to convince Melanie Griffith to show him her tits.
Slap Shot: The role for which Newman says is most similar to his own personality, that being of the vulgar, second-rate hockey coach. As far as sports movies go, this one holds up comedically like Caddyshack and will go down as the best hockey movie ever made, no matter what the masses think of Miracle as a film.
Iconoclasts: The Sundance Channel's original series that pairs two people for an hour and basically has them walk around and tell stories about their lives. One of their first episodes featured Newman and Sundance co-star Robert Redford. Almost 40 years after Butch & Sundance, they both still have a genuine chemistry off-screen. They share stories about George Roy Hill (who directed both in "Butch & Sundance" and The Sting, as well as Newman in Slap Shot). It's a great peek into how Newman in particular spends his days, and how Redford marvels at how much Paul enjoys his life of philanthropy, watching films and spending time with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward.
The Hudsucker Proxy: Yes, Newman was in a Coen Brothers movie, sharing top billing with Tim Robbins. And somehow Newman as Sidney J. Mussburger fits right at home in the Coen's world. Not one of the most beloved Coen Brothers works, but as with most of Newman's films, it's aged very well.

Both Newman and Redford spoke for years of wanting to do one final picture together, but they just couldn't find the right script. You'd like to think Paul Newman died with no regrets, but I'm guessing he would have loved to have one more great film moment wtih Redford.

Never Trust the Crab Legs at the Mirage

2008-09-19T13:05:00.006-05:00

Our favorite video of the year, only it's from 2003. And our salt throwing folks from you tube can't stop us. This was on their site earlier today only to disappear some hours later. But that won't stop us from keeping something like this from the public, something you didn't know you wanted to see until today. Please stay with the video for the entire clip, it's already a classic. Proof that George Brett is the greatest (s)hitter who ever lived.

George has always known his shit, and this video only enhances his legendary status in our book. It's almost like Brett was dressed in full uniform for a spring training game ten years after he retired just so he could tell that true story. Just enjoy, and be more satisfied the next time you think you should feel guilty about taking that double tapered shit.

Mad Men: A Night To Remember

2008-09-14T22:57:00.006-05:00

There are times in the best television series' history where they hit on all cylinders and go on an unprecedented run that defines them. Like an album where you want to listen to every song, a television series has a period where they hit one out of the park every time. Seinfeld had a run like this (I'm thinking around season four, with "The Virgin" & "The Contest" that carried over through season five). The Sopranos had a lot of streaks like this, most notably in their final nine episodes (the only had one clinker in the middle during that run). The Larry Sanders Show had a lot of streaks like this, until Garry Shandling's fight with Brad Grey got in the way.

Mad Men is on one of these streaks, and it's beyond impressive, let alone the fact that I seem to be one of the few who actually watches (although we are a passionate lot). I still maintain it takes a lot from The Sopranos, but Mad Men creator and creative spark plug Matthew Weiner learned a lot from David Chase, and when a show is going like his is, it doesn't really matter where inspiration or learning comes from. I've said many times I thought Weiner saved his best work for Mad Men as I wasn't terribly impressed by all of his work on The Sopranos. But now it's very clear: Weiner learned so much during his three seasons with Chase & Company. He's also incredibly smart, and having his own vehicle to call the shots let's his own vision come through. And with season two of Mad Men, he's got the show on an incredible creative roll. One where you want to re-watch all episodes, anticipating a new one like you do with a show you really get into. But the biggest compliment to pay to what Weiner is doing with this season is that not only is every episode great, each one actually gets better every week. By God how else you can leave such a remarkable impression?

Which leads us to tonight's Mad Men episode, "A Night To Remember", which when we do our continuous Sopranos comparisons, was on par with that show's "Whitecaps" episode, where Carmela finally hits her breaking point with Tony about his infidelity's and throws his shit to the curb. "Whitecaps" was a high water mark for The Sopranos, as we never really thought Carmela would ever call T out for his shit, never mind the fact that it was Edie Falco's and James Gandolfini's finest hour. In Mad Men, we never expect Betty Draper to bust out hubby Don in the same way, but mostly it's because this series is set in the early 1960's, still a few years before Tammy Wynette would spell out "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" in song as the word itself was still taboo.

Another difference between "Whitecaps" & "A Night To Remember" is that at that point in The Sopranos run, we were all quite enamored with Tony Soprano. Despite all of his faults, his charisma still won us over. We always rooted for him, or at least understood him. That's a big difference between Mad Men and The Sopranos in their main characters. We certainly know enough about Don Draper (played by John Hamm, who continues to put on an acting clinic even though he isn't in Gandolfini's league). He's a phony through and through, a self made man, taking on an entirely new identity in reinventing himself. We get that he was the product of "those two sorry people" as his parents. The biggest difference between Don Draper and Tony Soprano is that we got further insight into how Tony lived inside that head of his with his weekly visits to his psychologist. Don Draper/Dick Whitman isn't afforded this luxury, because again this is (at this point in the series) 1962, and even when Tony first sought out Dr. Melfi, he did so at first in silence as it would have been seen as a weakness around his work. Something that his Uncle and Mother held against him, as they both came of age in the early 1960's as well. Tony kept Melfi around because it was really the only place he could be completely honest, and it also gave us as viewers further insight into what made him tick. We all saw something in us in Tony, even if we didn't murder our best friend on a boat or watch our father cut off some guy's finger.

Don Draper can't have any moments of honesty like that because he's living a lie. He's living the life of a dead guy, reinventing himself after a fallen soldier because he couldn't stand or figure a way to lead the life of Dick Whitman. Lying is just something he has to do to live as Don Draper, so carrying on affairs is just part of the package. It's what he does. Like Tony, he's incredibly effective at his job, always the smartest guy in the room. It's the domestic stuff that gives him the biggest headaches. Tonight's episode doesn't offer us any new way to relate to Don Draper, and we certainly don't like or root for him like we did Tony. We can be impressed with his poker face in looking Betty in the eyes and saying he never fooled around with Bobbie Barrett (and January Jones as Betty's line of "How could you...she's so old!" was one of many laugh out loud moments). Or how easily it is for him to sell the Heinekin folks on how to deliver their product to the masses. The bottom line is we still have a lot to learn about Don Draper or really Dick Whitman. Like Chase before him, we don't know exactly where Weiner is taking us, but he's obviously going to bring more of Dick Whitman's dark past into focus.

What happens now is anyone's guess. Certainly Betty could do exactly what Carmela did, and realize it's just easier to keep the devil around than officially make him your enemy. As devastating as Carmela's meltdown was, it didn't have the slow, psychological burn that Betty's did. From her literally throwing up in Don's new car last week to drinking the day through in last night's dress while going through Don's clothes and desk in tonight's episode, Betty could really use her own Dr. Melfi. Like Carm, I figured it could all be about status with Betty, but there's clearly something more going on with her. She knew Don had fooled around before, but having someone else bring it up to her like Jimmy Barrett did put her in quite a tailspin. And yes, there is quite a similarity between Carmela hearing about Tony's fucking around from his former mistress and Jimmy telling Betty that his wife has been screwing her husband. January Jones is only 30 years old and seemingly came from nowhere (or at least bit parts in forgettable movies), but she took full advantage of her moment tonight.

What else from "A Night To Remember"? Actually quite a bit, as there were two other major storylines that perked up. The two "other" women who make the show (Joan Holloway and Peggy Olson) were also stripped of their masks a lot more. In Peggy's case, she's called out by Father Gill (played by Tom Hanks' son Colin). Again, the comparison's between his character and Father Phil from The Sopranos are inevitable, as Gill has something a bit more on the brain. He even ends the episode rocking out to Peter, Paul & Mary's "Early In The Morning", as the tension leading up to him breaking out a guitar left us thinking instead that he was going to find some pornography to jerk off to. Peggy's been trying to take Don's advice and simply learn to forget anything too painful that should leave a mark on her, but it's pretty obvious she's not going to be able to do that. She's another one who's eventually going to throw everything up, and it can't be pretty when the time comes that she can't keep it in any longer.

Joan is somebody who would be running a Sterling Cooper in 2008. But she's got to stay just enough under the ceiling before breaking it in 1962, what with having an affair with one of the agency's partners. Joan is wickedly smart, knowing everything that goes on in that office. So you know she's ready to bust out (like she is in one of those accentuating outfits) in a big way when given the opportunity. She got her chance tonight, reading television scripts and understanding where "As the World Turns" was going, how it could affect the agency clients. Of course those clients immediately fall for Joan when they meet her, and both Roger Sterling (don't worry, we'll get to him in a minute) and Harry Crane recognize this, fearful that they don't want Joan to get any "bigger" in their arena, figuring a way to get her back to Office Manager. Joan is ahead of her time. She doesn't really want to settle on her fiancee of a doctor, and deep inside knows she can do what the boys do, even better.

Roger Sterling (played with ultimate charm by John Slattery) is this show's Uncle Junior. He and Don have a Junior/Tony relationship in a way, although Roger is clearly not jealous of Don's talents. He just wishes he were as young as Don. But like Junior, Roger gets all of the best lines in the show, and you need look no further than his "Duck...Crab" introduction tonight for proof. The Roger Sterling character needs to remain in every episode, and here's hoping that last season's heart attack doesn't suggest he's going to batty like Junior did towards the end of The Sopranos and limit his appearances.

We also get to learn more of Herman "Duck" Phillips tonight, a character introduced late last season who is the Richie Aprille/Ralph Cifaretto of the series. He's somebody who increasingly gives Don Draper fits, and like Richie and Ralph his character is incredibly fascinating especially giving the time he's living in. Duck had a big battle with the booze, losing his family over a mysterious circumstance at a previous job. In a world where any problem or even meeting is taken care of with some good stiff drinks of whiskey, even at 11am, Duck is an extremely lonely man doing anything else to try to fit in. He takes a drink from an empty glass tonight during a toast, and sips on only tomato juice while all of the other high powered executives get loaded before Betty's well thought out geographic dinner party. The past few weeks have suggested that Duck is back on the booze when he's alone (even though we don't actually see it, editing and actor Mark Moses eyes reactions suggest this). How he somehow keeps from joining the other guys for a celebratory drink in this world, I haven't a clue. The hope is we learn more about Duck's previous job's incident, but you just know like Richie and Ralph, he won't be around for the series entire run. Let there be no mistake, Don has had enough of Duck's shit.

Like The Sopranos, Mad Men offers many moments of humor. Tonight's best line comes from Account Executive Pete Campbell. When he sees Peggy bring Father Gill into the office, he remarks, "Look at this...Did we just get 'Miracle Whip'?" to colleague Ken Cosgrove.

I've been recommending Mad Men to everyone since I finally got into it when AMC did a free on-demand High Definition marathon. You can watch all of season two's episodes, commercial free, the same way. And really that's the only way to watch it, as the visuals are so remarkable that high def is the only way to go. But by all means, get into this show and thank me later.

Game 3: Nebraska 38, New Mexico State 7 (Special End of the Exhibition Season Edition)

2008-09-14T09:05:00.006-05:00

The big talk during the week regarding Husker football had to do with the impressive list of non-conference opponents on the schedule for future years. Who knows what things will look like in 2014, or who will still be around (the smart money suggests this blog isn't one of those things). We do know that 2014 will mark the 30th anniversary of Tom Osborne's signature moment (the decision to go for 2 points and the win instead of the extra point to tie the game in the 1984 Orange Bowl), and it's also the year Nebraska has Miami scheduled for one of their non-conference opponents. I cannot wait to have Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis as special guests on the visitor's sideline at Memorial Stadium.

This was a hot topic because last night was simply going to be an easy tune up, as the Corn would be sharpened and focused following last week's lackadaisical effort. The first three games of the 2008 non-conference schedule have been a rebuilding program's wet dream. How the Corn got these three consecutive games at home, mixed in with a bye week to get ready for the start of the "real" season and Virginia Tech, is something we really need to have explained. I'm very confident that if Bo Pelini and Steve Pederson were ever to cross paths, Pelini would immediately curb stomp Stevie P's pompous mouth. But after he counts how many teeth he knocked out, Pelini should thank him for this comfy little three-game set-up for his first head coaching gig.

So here sits a Husker Nation, with a feel for their new football team in the same way a fan would feel after their NFL team goes 4-0 in the Pre-Season. Sure, it feels good, but you really don't have a fucking clue going into the real season. And make no mistake, that's what Virgina Tech at Nebraska will be in 2 weeks. It's Pelini & the Corn's first real test. The second half of last week's game was no "test", no matter how anyone's trying to spin things. Nobody outside of Lincoln gives two shits about what's happened the last 3 weeks at Memorial Stadium. Beat Va Tech, for a matchup of unbeatens when Chase Daniel and a wild Missouri army come to town, and then you'll have everyone's attention.

The last three weeks again showcased how much of a hard on this new regime has for wanting to merge with the marvelous Huskers of yesteryear. Many former players went on record about how much of a disconnect they had during Billy C four years of loitering. So Osborne and Pelini have made it their point to not only let basically any former player run free through Memorial Stadium on game day (I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if Grant Wistrom was allowed to actually play on a few series last night), but remind everyone of how great things once were and what they could be again. And this mentality has spread EVERYWHERE. The last three games have all been on pay-per-view, with color commentary from a former player known for saving Osborne's final season, and the only commercials during these games have been advertisements for the UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. Promos complete with TO getting carried off the field after winning his first National Championship and Johnny Rodgers finally getting his diploma. Seriously, if you're the University, you've already making a nice chunk of money from everyone ordering these games. You could have printed money by selling a few commercials during the games, no? Don't try to say there was no interest or time available. During half-time last night, sideline reporter Larry Punteny interviewed former Blackshirt Jason Peter for what had to be 10 minutes, and he was able to show off his book -- TWICE. We got the memo, everything's back to normal in Husker Land, but can we please take Don Draper's advice and move in one direction, forward?

But does the embracing of the old school mean this team has to run the fucking option? Because this offense has made it fairly clear that they have no desire to ever run one again. Joe Ganz can certainly run, but he looks about as comfortable trying to make an option play work as Dan Fouts would. That's not suggesting Ganz is only an asset throwing the ball (because last night proved he can go receiver if need be), it's not even a knock on him at all. This isn't an option offense. The option isn't only a play, it's the name of your entire offensive identity if that's what you choose. Osborne and even Solich teams ran effective option plays because that's what they DID. Their entire philosophy was built around that. You need no further proof of this than to have a flashback to Joe Dailey trying to navigate Billy C's West Coast Offense. Dailey and that entire team was made to run an option offense. So if Pelini and/or Shawn Watson really want to excite Husker fan with an option play, they'd better change and build the entire ship to go in that direction. But if running a few option plays is something just to satisfy some of the old guard, cut the cord now.

So with a much needed bye week, we still don't know what to expect. The Corn could very easily get embarrassed in their next three games. The smart thinking is that Nebraska will beat Virginia Tech (Pelini and staff with an extra week to prepare will make all the difference), play Missouri closer than expected but lose to a very good Tigers team, and then lose in a wild shoot out at Texas Tech (a tough draw for your first road game). Another thing we've learned over the past three Saturdays is that we're all relatively patient with Pelini. Sure, he had everyone scared shitless at the start of that 4th quarter last week. The lollipops and roses came right back last night. That happens when you get what you want, which is finally seeing something that resembles a sort of running game. At this point, the main concern for Husker Fan should be keeping a wild group of Missouri fans quiet when they come the Lincoln.

I do love how pissed off Pelini gets whenever somebody brings up a "name" for an offense for any team. He doesn't like the term "Spread" offense. He really doesn't want to give any offense any sort of name. He just wants to move the football by whatever means necessary, which makes for fun theater when a media rep brings up a name for any sort of offense.

Another fun aspect of the Huskers "exhibition" season: Watching Joe Ganz slowly realize he doesn't have to come running to the head coach after every single play, something Billy C infamously did with Joe Dailey.

Before I forget, why did I just now learn that Clarence Thomas of all people is a Husker fan? How did this happen? (I know now, his wife grew up in Nebraska, forgive me for being the only person who didn't know that little tidbit of information). Not only is he a fan, but he got to be an Honorary Coach last night, and he showed Ekeler-esque levels of enthusiasm after some plays. What does Anita Hill think of all of this?

You have to feel better about being a Husker fan than an Ohio State fan right now. The Buckeyes are officially where the Huskers were in the late 1980's. The only difference is TO didn't have that National Title that Jim Tressell reminds everyone he won in his second year as head coach. And Nebraska didn't have a national voice to hype them further like the Ohio State University does with Kirk Herbstreit. But really who cares now when the Corn has Clarence Thomas roaming the sidelines?

Game 2, Nebraska 35, San Jose State 12 (Special "Keep A Good Thought" Edition)

2008-09-07T14:20:00.007-05:00

The dissection of Game 2 of the Pelini era will be begin right after we get our heads around the idea of Cody Glenn, NFL Linebacker.

You could tell from as early as 8am that this was going to a much different day than last Saturday. Maybe the intensity level of home games can be attributed to how fans have decided which ones really matter. It's become obvious that in Husker Fans eyes, there are only 5 of the 8 home games that matter: Last week, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado. That's it, that's the list. Lincoln bar owners, who got kissed with all-day enthusiasm and a license to print money last weekend, were openly disappointed in the smaller crowds yesterday. We talked to at least five different downtown bar owners, and the overwhelming agreement is that they all expect a big kiss for the 8 home games this year after losing their asses from the horrible October of 2007. How anyone can expect record weekends (which last weekend certainly was) every week in this insane economy is unreasonable. But the downtown bar owners are like Husker fans: Don't just win, but win big.

It's also worth noting that on Friday, the big buzz, after San Jose State returned a large portion of their tickets, as that the Memorial Stadium sell-out streak could possibly be in jeopardy. Out of all the games on the Corn schedule, this was the easiest ticket to get. No fear, the remaining seats were gone quickly, but still, if there was a game everyone was going to sit out, this was it.

Which leads us to our actual football game. The entire lackadaisical attitude seamed to reach to the actual team as well. The Corn looked uninspired, sometimes unmotivated, especially on offense. If it weren't for some defensive adjustments, memories of the 2004 Billy C Southern Miss game were coming back. If you take away the two big touchdown returns, a very scary final score of 21-12 would have had an entire Husker Nation up in arms. Not to mention that poor kicker San Jose State trotted out on the field (and they may have just left that kid in Lincoln for all we know). It was an ugly game all around. The thinking going in was that this would be the game where the Corn tried to establish a running game. Didn't happen. Joe Ganz streak of 300 yard passing games ended. But the really big stat from yesterday that has Pelini and company worked up is this one:

12-103. Twelve penalties for 103 yards. Pelini and his staff took the blame for those, promising to fix it after the game. And let there be no doubt they will.

What should have everyone concerned is that the offensive line, as it is right now, is not one constructed to put together a serious running attack against anybody. This isn't one of the glory days "Pipeline" offensive lines. Part of that is the way the old coaching regime constructed it. Which again goes back to how important it is that Shawn Watson stuck around for at least this season. The Corn is going to have to use the best of the WCO mixed in with whatever Pelini wants to add. So the idea that some incredible rushing game needs to be established is going to be serious work in progress. We said early on that we were very underwhelmed about bringing Barney Cotton back as Offensive Line coach. Out of all the things you can point to that need fixing in Lincoln, this one sticks out the most.

We all expected things to turn around on the defensive side, and they certainly are. That was the idea from the start -- get the defense house back in order. I'm not worried there, Bo & Carl and the rest of the defensive staff flat out know how to make defensive adjustments.

The overall mood about an hour after the game was, "Well, at least we're 2-0". That is something, but the 2008 Huskers are supposed to be 3-0 going into Virginia Tech. And then they'll have two weeks to prepare for the Hokies. But yesterday, the "a win is a win" mentality swept through Lincoln. Maybe that's a hangover from all the shit that Husker fan went through the past few years, hell even during Solich's turbulent run. Could be the playing field in all of College Football has leveled a bit. It hasn't leveled THAT much, and the fourth quarter clearly proved that, as Nebraska separated itself from San Jose State. But the lack of crazed enthusiasm that accompanied Bo's first game from the fans can't spill over to the actual team on the field.

Special "What Would Have Happened If Last Year's Staff Were Still Around" Outcome: The defense wouldn't have been in position for that first quarter interception return. The D would have allowed a few more big plays. And it really could have been another 2004 Southern Miss game all over again. NU 27, SJS 23 (and an overly concerned Husker Nation would have breathed a sigh of relief that San Jose State really had no kicking game).

Matthew McConaughey "No worries, no worries, there is a siesta in the making even as we speak" Moment: The Half-time score of NU 14, SJS 9. "They'll make adjustments at halftime" was the rally cry.

The "Time To Panic" Moment: The End-of-the-3rd Quarter Score of NU 14, SJS 9. This marked the official end of the Pelini Honeymoon phase.

Tony Soprano "We're All Fucked" Moment: SJS's new kicker nailing that field goal early in the 4th quarter, making the score NU 14, SJS 12.

Bob Dylan "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" Moment: NU's 21 4th quarter points after that field goal.

Not racist in Councill Bluffs

2008-09-05T09:01:00.003-05:00

I just thought this story was hilarious. The homeowners claimed that a black doll on a cross in the front yard was not meant to be racist. Then at the end take a look at the dogs name.

Game 1, Nebraska 47, Western Michigan 24

2008-08-31T12:25:00.003-05:00

Notes about the first game of the Pelini era, after we still convince everyone that we were the first to let everyone know how good Cody Glenn, Linebacker was going to be.

Husker fan should be extremely happy with everything right now, even though lack of a running game has a lot of folks up in arms. Considering the head coach openly admits there's a lot of work to do, I'm sure that little problem will be taken care of. What's most impressive as that Joe Ganz appears to be everything you'd want in a quarterback, considering he's had to add some new songs to his playlist. You got the impression that Pelini and Shawn Watson wanted everyone to know that Ganz can actually run the ball in a pre-WCO way in addition to picking up right where he left off from last year's final three games. Which is fine, although Ganz isn't going to run the option like a Tommie Frazier or Eric Crouch. It was almost like some of those option plays were put in as another example of how everything's back to "normal" if that's the word everyone wants to us. Hell, the pre-game video showed old highlights of Husker legends with the Beatle's "Get Back" playing underneath. We get it already. Next week they'll probably play Springsteen's "Glory Days" with more of those old signature moments.

What I'd really like to get my hands on is a video of the already infamous pre-game speech Pelini gave to the team last night. I'm sure no such video or even audio exists, but players were still talking about it long after the game was over. So instead of constantly referencing the return to "normalcy", let's talk about the new stuff Pelini and company are bringing. They don't have to run the option to Husker Fan excited (although that first option play most certainly worked everyone up in a way I haven't seen in quite some time). All they have to do is win. Pelini spent a good portion of his off-season reaching out to everyone. He didn't try to be Osborne, because Bo doesn't have Osborne's personality. All signs suggest the Corn are on the right path, and frankly I like Pelini's way of doing things. He's the new king of the castle, and it certainly appears that he's more concerned about doing his job more than anything else. Obviously this a really good thing.

Bo openly acknowledged any problems from last night. He called out his coaching staff, saying THEY had to do a better job. And this was after a very nice win. Hell, Billy C famously started his post-game presser following the 2004 Texas Tech debacle with, "We saw some very good things out there". What "very good things" come from a 70-10 loss, aside from the game clock finally reaching 0:00, are now just something Billy C and Brett Favre can explain some day. Anything that worried Husker Nation last night is not going to escape Pelini and his staff. My personal favorite quote from Pelini last night: "Not to take anything away from Western Michigan, but most of what they got, we gave them because of our mistakes."

As A.J. Soprano reminded his father in "The Sopranos" final scene, let's focus on the good times here. The Blackshirts had 4 sacks last night. Last year's Chinese fire drill of a defense had a total of 13 for the entire season. Ganz once again threw for over 300 yards, which means he's done that in every game he's started at Nebraska. And that's a Husker first. There are a lot of great quarterbacks in college football this year -- hell in the Big 12 alone -- but Joey Ganz has to be one of the best kept secrets, doesn't he? Everyone focused on Marlon Lucky in the pre-season as a potential All-Everything player (and despite last night, he's still going to have a great season), but the thinking with Ganz was that his numbers would drop off. Ganz actually looks better in throwing the ball now than when he was picking apart the K-State defense last November.

That picture of Ekeler jumping on top of Cody Glenn after a big play? Just another day at the office for him. I'm just waiting for the game when Mike actually decides to run on the field to actually play linebacker for a series. In no helmet or pads either. Seriously, this will happen at some point in the season.

The other big thing to remember, aside from the fact that this was the first game of the season, let alone with this new coaching staff, is that Western Michigan isn't a bad team. It was a not an easy opener. I spent the majority of the day suggesting to the gambling community that there was no way the Huskers would cover that 14 point spread, thinking this game had 31-21 written all over it. An opening day win is still a win, no matter how you cut it. Just ask the depressed fans of Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.

Husker fan was already batshit insanely happy hours before the game simply because of the Pitt loss. Once that score went final, a bar packed with over 200 people celebrated as if Nebraska just won a National Championship. As if anyone needed further confirmation, Nebraskans really hate Steve Pederson. In fact, hate might not even be a strong enough word. Husker fan wants to capture Stevie P, and torture him all the while parading him down O Street.

I'm expecting the same reaction every time the New York Jets lose this year. This from a die-hard Husker (and in the interest of full disclosure, Packer fan): "Is it too much to ask for to have the Jets go 0-16?"

Nobody is ready to live in a world where ESPN gives Nick Saban 24-hour coverage. After yesterday's Alabama win, it appears the network is already head over heels mad for him.

Speaking of ESPN, something must be done regarding their "Junior Varsity" college football group. I love how the rock star team of Fowler/Corso/Herbstreit gets to go on the road every week and does a great job with their Gameday. However, that's maybe 3 hours of their college football day. The rest of it is covered with that JV team. I get the concept of using the bus driver (Reece Davis, who's improved dramatically over the years), former player (Mark May, who we can get into with his own post sometime this week) and wacky former coach (Lou Holtz, the one nobody in their right mind would ever think to put into any sort of broadcast job) as a way to emulate the madly successful Gameday group. What did anyone do to deserve May & Holtz ruining our Saturdays? Can't Davis do that show by himself?

New Blood, Nick Thallas, An Open Invite To The Self Righteous Brothers: Your 2008 Nebraska Football Preview

2008-08-21T22:29:00.009-05:00

We actually have a correspondent who is required to provide fun analysis this season for the Husker Games, however our "consultant" as we'll call the young lad doesn't want to ruffle a lot of feathers. Which of course we're all freaking about around here. At any rate, there's going to be a College Football Game played in Lincoln, Nebraska a week from Saturday, in case you haven't heard. And at least a few people seem to be rather enthused about this.

The problem with excitement over these pre-season practices -- and this is especially the case with College Football -- is how easy it is to work up. Mainstream media writers are on record in recalling the first, ahem, work-outs back in 2004, when a strapping young lad with the last name of Callahan landed a cushy gig with a storied college football program and brought along with him a 798 page playbook. And those practices were CLOSED off to everyone! So before we get to our consultant's notes, let's remember the immortal words of one Winston Wolff and not go sucking each other's dicks just yet. It's great to have 3-weeks of boot camp where you can beat up on each other and get into character, but until an actual game that means something is played, we really can't tell anything.

There's not a ton of breaking news to add to what everyone else has been providing because as we all know, there's a new sheriff in town. One who hasn't treated pre-season practices as some sort of top-secret event. We get it, everything from January, 2004 - November 2007 is treated like Major League Baseball treats the home run records of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (for further proof, read up on anytime Ken Griffey Jr. hits another home run, it's almost like MLB put a ban on mentioning anyone he passes on the all-time list if the name is something like PALMIERO or SOSA). Every new brochure that comes from the University features pictures of Pelini and Osborne. It's a celebration of the best of the old with what we all hope to be a return to domination. This is the official passing of the baton from Osborne. Not to Solich or that fella who came from Oakland. As far as the University of Nebraska is concerned, the last four years NEVER happened. Instead of joking about their own mistake like George Clooney does about the time he played Batman, the University would just like to bury the Billy C era some place deeper than Starkweather's grave.

But a great thing came out of at least the latter part of that era which is going to lead to something really special going forward. It's name is Shawn Watson. Watson, of course, is one of the lone leftovers from the Billy C era who happens to be the Offensive Coordinator for your 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers. This is a good thing for Husker fan, as Watson is what some are calling "the best offensive mind in college football." The mix of what Pelini wants to add with Watson's offense is going to pay huge dividends. But let's face it, Bo and his brother Carl are defensive specialists, and the defense was the major cause of concern from day one of the Callahan experiment. Watson is going to be a hot commodity at season's end, and reports on Quarterback Joe Ganz are impressive. Ganz is throwing the ball better than Harison Beck and Zac Taylor did, and he's been asked to run some non-WCO plays. All signs indicate Nebraska is in great hands with Ganz under center. The big concern and gripe Husker fan will have come January will be regarding Watson jumping ship. Anything Nebraska gets out of Watson after this season is a huge bonus.

The thing everyone needs to realize -- and start doing so with game 1 -- when it comes to Watson is that the days of keeping the same coaching staff at any program are long gone. And nobody can fault Watson if his offense puts up big numbers (which will happen in the first three games) for entertaining offers. His name will be bantered around from mid-season through January as a possible successor for anyone on the hot seat, college or pros. Pelini's the new king of the Corn, and can have a TO-esque reign if he wins like everyone thinks he will. Keep that in mind as Watson's star rises. And it will for media darling Linebacker Coach Mike Ekeler, who's hitched his wagon to Pelini's star in his coaching career but will gain much more national notoriety as the program progresses. Of course it'd be wonderful to see both Watson and Ekeler stay with the program for life. But we can't fault either of them should they have dreams of heading their own program some day. And we're talking about this before the Huskers have played a single game this season.

Speaking of linebackers, the other surprise coming from practices is the position change of Cody Glenn. Expect Glenn to be a key contributor at his new position. He's been given a new chance by a position coach who knows how to move the needle. We're expecting that both Glenn and Ganz to be named among the 2008 captains. But we're also on record of expecting a lot of things, and oddly enough we're expecting what this blog is predicting from the Huskers. (NOTE: The more time you spend on that page, the more you realize how well thought out The Bleacher Report's predictions are, even though we have a beef with the final one.)

Let's see, what else do we have here...Don't discount Bo's brother Carl, who's an incredibly sharp defensive mind as well. Bo is going to get the lion's share of the credit for turning around what was a Chinese fire drill of a defense, but Carl isn't in town just because he shares the same blood. The guy can flat out coach.

Still not sold on this whole Barney Cotton story. He spent last year coaching high school, and the media seems to love the idea of him going back the high school ranks simply for the love of it, and now he's jumping in to be the savior of the offensive line. Barney is taking over what everyone considers to be among the best players left from the Billy C era, so he's got a great chance to succeed. I mean, this is the offensive line at NEBRASKA for chrissakes. Cotton is the guy who will be heralded as loyal and hard-working and will stick with the program for as long as Pelini's around. I guess there's no harm in that, but the thinking is there currently aren't a ton of people begging for Barney Cotton to come in and save their program. It's just when it comes to Barney, we just think of Larry David going, "Ehhhh."

Ron Brown coming back, and as tight ends coach, is something we will never, ever quite understand. It's sort of like in The Blues Brothers when Jake & Elwood needed to put the old band back together. There was the scene in the movie with Aretha Franklin where the boys really wanted Matt "Guitar" Murphy to come back, and "Blue Lou" Marini just happened to be in the back cooking the "best damn chicken in the state", and got the Queen of Soul's blessing to "go on" with the band. The difference is, we know Blue Lou could play the sax and was an important part to that gig, especially the scene when Cab Calloway re-did "Minnie The Moocher", and the way he said "Chicken WIRE?" when the band posed as the Good Old Blues Brothers Boys Band. Not so sure of the case with Brown here. Although the Blues Brothers were on a mission from God, so maybe it makes some sort of sense in that regard.

Nebraska will beat either Virginia Tech or Missouri at home, but not both teams. Still wondering how the Corn has their first five games at home, and a total of 8 in Lincoln and only four road games.

No matter how the season is going in November, the Huskers will flat out destroy Kansas at home. Load up on the Corn that week, no matter what the line is. There, we said it. Why so confident? Out of everything that happened in the last 4 years, those 76 points in Lawrence last year still sting the entire state. Don't think Pelini and Company don't recognize that.

Surprise team of the year? And by "Surprise" we mean this year's Hawaii. Ball State. Remember how they almost beat a down trodden Nebraska team in Lincoln last year? Just saying...

Not sold on Penn State at all. Or Illinois. And really not willing to bet the farm on Oklahoma in the BCS title game.

Billy C and Brett Favre sharing face time in New York this fall. Yeah, we saw that coming.

Our friends at The Bleacher Report seem to be the only one's concerned with Kevin Cosgrove's whereabouts. That sounds about right.

For you Nick Thallas fans, and really that would be all of us: Gregg Hoover from Schererville, Indiana would like to extend his thanks. Everyone is now just waiting to hear when Nick is going to teach that Hunter Safety Class of his again. There are, shall we say, some interested attendees who'd like to know when they can register.

Yes, the Double Nickel's fascinating memoirs have found a place on the New York Times Best Seller List for Hardcover Nonfiction. If you haven't done so already, please do click on the link that's on the upper right of this page and purchase the book. It's not recommended as something you should read out loud to the kids as a bed time story, but is a nice read that will give you pause and even allow you to look up and say, "Whoa" quite often. In an odd twist, former Eagle Don Felder's own book "Heaven and Hell" found a spot in front of Peter's on the list, months after it was first published. How both Felder and Peter turned up even writing books, let alone becoming New York Times Best Sellers, is something we should all just leave to the historians to decide.

No matter how year one of Pelini turns out, we do know that the holidays will be a whole lot brighter with the addition of the Self Righteous Brothers Christmas Album. Oh it's not on vinyl, even though we're pretending it is. Words can never do these guys justice for the joy they've provided us. We'll forever be happy to have lived a life where we were able to see them in person, and hope to be around for the next show in Hell.

The Mad Men "Sopranos" Complex

2008-08-11T19:54:00.010-05:00

We've been very hesitant to jump all in with AMC's Mad Men, not just because it's been the industry's new go-to show and receiving praise that hasn't been heaped on a new show really since The Sopranos debuted. But the comparisons between the two shows are inevitable (Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was a writer for the last three seasons of The Sopranos). But AMC really got behind the show after it's first season, and aside from the blitzkrieg advertising campaign, the really smart thing they did was make every episode from Season 1 available on-demand for an extended period of time, allowing those of us on the fence at the beginning to jump in and figure things out for ourselves.

Here's what you need to know if you haven't watched what actually is a great series:

It's not nearly as good as The Sopranos, and frankly there may be nothing that come close to that masterpiece.

Since this isn't HBO we're talking about, there's no swearing (not even a "freaking" bomb), or nudity. Of course, the series takes place in the early 1960's, so you can forgive it for not having the Bada Bing dancers in the background.

The series main character, Don Draper, is fascinating enough for series television. But again, he aint Tony. In fact, last night's episode didn't even have Draper appear until ten minutes in. You couldn't pull that sort of shit with Tony.

Like The Sopranos, this series adds so much more presented in HD.

It's best enjoyed without commercial interruption, meaning you should wait for it either on-demand or even on itunes. The good news about this is that the new episodes are readily available at both outlets immediately following the new episode. AMC wisely premiered the Season 2 premiere with one short one-minute commercial break, and then went back to normal commercial breaks for future episodes. One of the joys of The Sopranos was (and still is) being able to watch it uninterrupted to devour it like a movie. Mad Men offers the same rewards, so wait the extra hour and watch it on-demand.

One of Chase's major mantra -- one he's on the record as saying he borrowed right from Scorsese -- is that there'd be no score music at all, just great and often obscure songs used in the background, and most importantly a perfect piece to play over the closing credits that summed up everything about the episode. My theory on Weiner not going totally with this route is he didn't plan on the budget Chase did to secure the rights to use that music throughout the series (HBO was famous for letting Chase get the money he needed to get clearance from pretty much any song he wanted). But the occasional use of some scored music under certain scenes drives me nuts. It's not needed, and the audience that gets into Mad Men can understand the mood of what's happening without a score to give us some sort of emotion. Plus Weiner really can't use a lot of appropriate songs that came out after say 1962, which limits him in some of his music choices.

Resolved to the fact it's not going to take the place of Tony and his family in your life, it's still worth mentioning that Mad Men can stake it's claim as currently being the best new series on television -- even though I prefer to catch some of the old Sopranos episodes on DVD or on-demand. Mad Men has become the go to Sunday night show now, at least until Larry David comes back with a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Another reservation I first had when Mad Men debuted was Matthew Weiner, who has the unfortunate label of being the sole writer of the few weak Sopranos episodes. However, the Sopranos episodes Weiner co-wrote with other writers (including Sopranos mastermind David Chase), are some of the best in the series. He co-wrote a number of classics: "Kennedy & Heidi" (the one where Tony kills Chrissy); "The Blue Comet" (the penultimate blood-bath of an episode where Bobby gets murdered at the train store and Silvio lies on his death bed); and "Sopranos Home Movies" (the one with what Bruce Springsteen calls the best fight in television history between Tony & Bobby and the infamous Monopoly game).

After getting through the first season, it became apparent to me that Weiner had been holding out some of his better story lines for "Mad Men"--once he realized the show got the green light from AMC--while he was helping Chase and company finish up The Sopranos. Weiner's made no secret that Chase is his mentor, fashioning a mood and style similar to The Sopranos. He's also created a classic, complex main anti-hero of a character in Don Draper (brilliantly portrayed by Jon Hamm, an actor who it turns out likes hanging out with the likes of ESPN's Bill Simmons to watch NFL games on Sundays). Hamm isn't in James Gandolfini's league in terms of totally commanding a room and saying so much only with his eyes. But it's a role of a lifetime for Hamm, and even though he has some great supporting actors and characters around him, some of those don't merit extensive screen time they sometimes receive.

So give Weiner credit for having a great vision on what he wants from this series, including being notorious for getting set pieces that are exact replicas from the time period. He's also surrounded himself with a number of crew members who worked on The Sopranos, all of whom help with the quality and mood of the show. And he stuck to another David Chase mantra: The audience will accept the main character and his flaws because he's always the smartest guy in the room. Draper's associates aren't as uneducated in the likes of Paulie Walnuts and Company, but like Tony, Don is decisive, confident and enjoys carrying on the occasional affairs while his loving wife Betty (January Jones) stays home to keep the house in order, but even she's starting to realize her husband aint exactly the most faithful bastard in the world. Like Tony, Don Draper gets bored (Draper occasionally skips ad meetings to go to the movies). And in a role reversal from Tony Soprano's therapy sessions, it's Betty who winds up confiding in a therapist. Weiner's fascinating world keeps you coming back for each new episode and rewards repeat viewings.

The Soprano's first season dealt with Tony and his over-bearing mother he never wound up making peace with (ordering a hit out on your only son's life will do that sort of thing). Draper had a similar unhappy childhood, and it eventually led to him developing a new identity, something we learn late in season 1 that only adds to our interest in Don. He keeps his secret from everyone, until one of his co-workers (Pete Campbell) uncovers the truth and threatens blackmail against him. In Tony mode, Don tells Pete, "I thought about what you said, and then I thought about you and what a deep lack of character you have...This country was built and run by men with worse stories than whatever you’ve imagined here.”

Weiner starts Season 2 the same way Chase did with his own first episode of season 2 of The Sopranos. In what's now regarded as one of the best uses of montage in any television show, Chase underscored Frank Sinatra's, "It Was A Very Good Year", using a montage of clips showing what all of the key characters have been doing since we last saw them: Tony enjoying the spoils that come from becoming the new acting mafia boss; Chrissy getting high on drugs watching television; Paulie banging one of the Bada Bing girls; and Carmela dutifully cooking family dinner. In Mad Men's opening moments of Season 2, Weiner uses Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again" while key characters get dressed up for another day of work at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency. Both song choices suggest a recognition of how great the previous season has been for each show ("Let's twist again, like we did last summer..."). And then the new season of Mad Men brings us to how these characters -- especially Draper -- are dealing with the ever changing times (Weiner wisely chose Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" at the end of season's 1 final episode).

But last night Weiner and company finally gave us Draper's ultimate Tony Soprano moment, the one that will definitely change the course of the series from here on out. The moment The Sopranos went from great television series to modern masterpiece occurred in the 5th episode of the series, "College". It's widely regarded as one of the best episodes of the series, and it also marks a landmark event that Chase had to fight with HBO to even make happen: Tony Soprano's first on-screen murder. The episode was simple enough (Tony takes daughter Meadow on a tour of colleges, she calls him out on what he really does for a living, and oh by the way a guilt-ridden Carmella confesses a little too much to her creepy priest who almost sleeps with her). But along the way, Tony spots an old friend, Fabian "Febby" Petrulio, who went witness protection some time ago. In a move Chase would spend hours defending to get on the air, Tony tracks the rat down and chokes him to death with a wire. The moment changed the series forever, as we became more fascinated by this new character. It was part of Tony's code, something he could have sent Chrissy or another member of his crew to take care of, but this was the sort of thing T needed to literally take in his own hands. The previous four episodes set Tony up to be a sort of good, family guy (as good a guy who makes his living in "waste management consultant" as he wanted everyone to believe), but now we were prepared to get the full Tony Soprano, warts and all. And more importantly to the show's rich history, anything was now possible.

Don Draper got his own series changing moment last night. Living in his advertising world, he can't prove his mettle by exacting murderous revenge. But Weiner pushed AMC to the limit by allowing Draper to show how he makes shit happen. The sudden vagina-fingering, hair-pulling and all-out turning some woman who dare shake him down into submission is a scene that literally turned on viewers. Most found it erotic and even intimidating. Others were uncomfortable. But the scene, listed below (and no, it's not the greatest quality but our youtubers will be sure to get an HD version of it up in no time - but it's our first foray into posting a youtube video and it's already getting comments there, so we're doing something I reckon) tells us even more about Don Draper, and another reason to watch the show. Even though it's not afforded the freedom that Chase and Company had for it's entire run on HBO, this moment now tells us that in this world, even in the early 1960's on a basic cable network, anything's possible.

The Pine Tar Game Redux

2008-07-24T11:18:00.010-05:00

Nobody ever celebrates the anniversary of Robin Ventura charging the mound against Nolan Ryan, only to have the Ryan Express head lock Ventura and repeatedly punch him on the noggin. I can't even tell you the year it was when future Cub Randall Simon tapped that Brewers mascot with a bat, only to have said mascot fall to the ground as if he was struck by an assassin's bullet. We'd like to think it's because neither of those moments featured a batshit crazy future Hall of Famer with murder in his eyes exploding on a home plate umpire. There are a number of reasons that every year on this day, a seemingly meaningless game between two teams who weren't going to impact any sort of pennant race is celebrated and remembered as one of the lasting images in Major League Baseball History. Oh, and July 24th is also this guy's birthday, although he was old enough in 1983 to have remembered the fireworks at Yankee Stadium.

July 24th is the day when all the sports-talk radio stations go out of their way to secure George Brett and Rich "Goose" Gossage as guests, and try to be clever by bringing in Umpire Tim McClelland in the middle of the interview, as his presence is somehow going to inspire Brett to go all Hulk on him again. It does cause the Kansas City Star to run a great piece on the game, a rare great article that's not written by someone with the last name Posnanski or Whitlock. But as Brett himself says (every year I might add), "It was just some game in late July." Oh but it had quite an ending, thanks to this cast of characters:

George Brett: Thorn in Yankee's ass for many years; clutch performer who almost stole the pennant from Yanks from 1976-78, and actually did so in 1980; seemingly the last person in the world you'd expect to draw the wrath of washed-up slugger George Scott who, during his brief 44 games with the Royals in the last year of his career, couldn't comprehend why a future Hall-of-Famer was wearing number 5 instead of him; ironically, got along well with the late George C. Scott and rather enjoyed his movies; caused many sleepless nights for Royals Groundskeeper George Toma for spitting tobacco all over the then astro-turf of the then Royals Stadium; actually used the Pine-Tar bat during games a few weeks after the July 23rd game; one of the few, brave people in the world who at one pont in time went on the record in declaring Rush Limbaugh a "friend" (although he did use his fingers to make quotation marks when referencing him as a "friend").
Richard "Goose" Gossage: Gave up pennant-deciding Home Run to Brett at Yankee Stadium in 1980; used to get teased ruthlessly by teammates Mickey Rivers and Thurman Munson whenever he'd come in to close a game during the remarkable 1978 season about how he'd find a way to blow the lead; is flat out confused as to why closers today only pitch one-inning; first assignment from Manager Billy Martin upon joining the Yankees was to throw at a batter's head in a spring training game; probably doesn't exchange holiday cards with former teammate Cliff Johnson, who he got into a fight with during the 1979 season, costing him playing time.
Billy Martin: Wild, ornery bastard who really bares little resemblance to actor John Turturo, who portrayed him in an ESPN mini-series last year; even though he died on Christmas Day, 1989, is still legally drunk; assumed every big league manager went out to a local dive after a tough loss and called the team's owner convicted and star player a liar; started "Billy Ball" while managing Oakland, a concept that was designed to do nothing else but kill the arms of the entire A's pitching staff; lost a lot of money in the afterlife on how long it would take long time buddy Mickey Mantle to join him among the departed (Billy had two years tops, but in his defense, nobody thought it would take the Mick nearly 6 years after Martin died to finally join him).
Graig Nettles: Perhaps the most over-rated Yankee player ever, who gets a little too much credit for making dramatic dives on catches in the 1978 World Series; can't understand why everyone else in the world named "Greg" doesn't use an "ai" when spelling their first name; was always a bit of a prick towards Brett; knows a thing or two about cheating, as he was caught using a bat that was loaded with six superballs inside of it during the 1974 season; threw virtually all of his teammates and George Steinbrenner under the bus in his memoirs, then was promptly traded to San Diego where he was forced to wear those McDonald's brown and mustard uniforms with Gossage; claimed to spend his childhood dreaming of either being in the circus or playing baseball.
Tim McClelland: Widely regarded as one of the best "balls & strikes" umpires in the game, yet somehow fell for all of Martin's voodoo charms on July 24, 1983 (which is all the more remarkable given Martin's almost daily ability to start fights with umpires); surreally was the homeplate umpire for Sammy Sosa's corked bat game too; scares nightmares into current Royals pitcher Zack Greinke because he's "so tall"; spent many moments over the past 25 years wondering how he -- being 6-6, 250, wearing a chest protector and holding a baseball bat -- could see his life flash before his eyes when a bug-eyed Brett charged from the dugout.
Hal McRae: Has more pent-up anger than should be allowed, justified when considering Paul Molitor and Edgar Martinez get all the credit in the world for being the best designated hitters ever when Hal was really the first really great one; has a son, Brian, who, when being thrown at during a game against the Texas Rangers in 1993 opted to charge the entire Ranger dugout instead of the pitcher; had his own moment of complete anger while managing the Royals, pulling a phone out of the wall and throwing towards Royals beat writers following a loss to Detroit; even with great moments of rage, was tossed from a game (at Yankee Stadium no less) in early 1993 and did nothing but silently walk back to the dugout; stood calmly on the on-deck circle while Brett rounded the bases after his homer in the Pine Tar Game, only to wait for his moment to steal Brett's bat during the melee that followed; is extremely irate that Jose Guillen now wears his #11 for Kansas City.
Gaylord Perry: Gets more excited in admitting that he threw a spitball than somebody with the name Gaylord really should; was so enamored with his use of the spitball that he himself approached the creators of Vaseline, begging them to hire him as an endorser; used to attend old-timers games wearing a jersey with the logo of all eight teams he pitched for; seemed to be pitching in 1983 if for no other reason than to see a moment like a raged George Brett barrel out of the Yankee Stadium dugout, so he could then play hot potato with McRae and the pine tar bat in question; doesn't like it when you confuse him with "Jim" Perry, a starting pitcher from the same era.

And Brett has his legendary you tube moment, the game has it's own wikipedia page, and every year this gives the sports world something to talk about on July 24th. We can also be thankful that this moment happened in a pre-Sportscenter world (or at least the way Sportscenter is now). The media would have called for Brett's head, likened him to Ron Artest for his violent outburst, and branded him a cheater, despite the fact that then American League President Lee MacPhail would over-rule Martin and McClelland and credit Brett with a home run and oh by the way, get back to Yankee Stadium and finish this little game.

The only downside of this moment is that it overshadows the real Brett/Gossage confrontation, one that occurred three years earlier in Game 3 of the American League Championship series. Same result -- Brett with a bomb to right field -- but this time, the game actually meant something. It decided the first pennant for the Royals.

Pelini Can't Lose

2008-07-09T19:29:00.004-05:00

In less than a month, Bo Pelini will spearhead his first official fall practices for the 2008 Nebraska football season. Yes, fall practices. In AUGUST. Which makes sense considering the Huskers first game is August 30th, so a few practices could actually be a good idea (especially since practice wasn't necessarily something that occurred a lot the last four years). No matter, we've figured out exactly what's realistic to expect from Bo and company this season, and determined how the "anything less than a National Championship" mantra started and eventually fell out of favor by looking at the first season's of the last four Husker football coaches.

Looking at the 2008 schedule (8 home games!) and all of the other variables involved (i.e. former running back Cody Glenn becoming not just a linebacker but a possible STARTING linebacker), the Pelini formula for year one is simple. Everyone (besides the coaching staff, who are justifiably preaching 13-0, and they should instill such passion in their group) should start with a safe and easy goal of a record of 7-5. As in, 7-5 is the "given" for the 2008 season. That's not being harsh, it's being realistic considering where college football is now (Missouri is going to be a pre-season Top 10 team and has a Heisman front-runner, something unthinkable 5 years ago) and the sort of shit the previous regime pulled in Lincoln (putting a priority on taking down all of the pictures of the former All-Americans over having an actual practice with pads would be just one example). Consider the shake-up with a 7-5 record as the bellwether:

7-5: Means a winning season; assures a Bowl Game (and even if the Corn lose the Bowl Game, they'd STILL finish the season with a winning record); the appropriate gut-check to see that Pelini can move things in the right direction; of course, also means the Corn loses at least one of their 8 home games, but as long as it's not one of the first THREE home games or Baylor, Husker Fan will survive.
Greater than 7-5: Euphoria, maybe not Scarlett Johansen naked euphoria, but enough to officially suggest the program is back in business. Means Nebraska beats Virginia Tech and/or Missouri, which alone is a major victory for year one of the new regime; also: Possible Big 12 North title, and under the, ahem, Billy C school of thought, that's a championship! The negative of this scenario: Husker Fan spends the off-season going into 2009 printing up National Championship shirts.
Less than 7-5: Time to panic. Even 6-6 is unacceptable. Sure, the Huskers would still get a Bowl Game with that record (a Bowl Game played well before Christmas Eve mind you). But not reaching the 7-5 standard would suggest things aint going in the right direction.

All things considered, Pelini's got the least amount of pressure for a first year Big Red Coach since Bob Devaney strolled into town (discounting the rose-colored glasses requirement debut of Billy C, Bo gets major points simply for NOT being named Callahan). Taking a look at the debuts of the four who took the task before Pelini offered to help clean this mess:

Bob Devaney: Came from Wyoming in 1962 and instigated an immediate positive turnaround, going 9-2 (NU went 3-6-1 in 1961 and 4-6 in 1960). Devaney has a building named after him (granted, it's not exactly the greatest athletic complex around anymore), and they probably first thought of naming all sorts of buildings after him based on his debut season alone. The only blemishes from his "rookie" year at NU were a homecoming loss to Missouri and an ass-kicking at Oklahoma. Instantly, Nebraska became a football school. Here's where it all started, and the Bobfather would only raise the standards with back-to-back titles in 1970-71. EXPECTATION LEVEL: Put a product on the field that could increase attendance.

Tom Osborne: Out of all four, had the most pressure on him (at least from the fan's point of view, he was Devaney's hand-picked guy, and Bob would remain TO's boss as the program's Athletic Director). He was expected to not only be Devaney, but win a National Championship. Had the exact same record in his debut season of 1973 (9-2-1) as Devaney's last year as head coach. But an extremely smooth transition, save for a 27-0 shutout at Oklahoma. At the time, TO was lambasted for not being able to beat the Sooners (NU came into the season ranked 4th, got as high as #2 and finished #13). He wouldn't gain the universal approval of Husker Nation until he went for the 2-point conversion against Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl. But it's hard to find a smoother transition of one legend handing off to somebody who would surpass his predecessor big time. Like year one of Devaney, TO made sure Nebraska won their Bowl Game. EXPECTATION LEVEL: Ridiculously high (as in, win the Big 8 and the Orange Bowl), but TO eventually kicked everything up another level and brought the program to levels the likes of which won't be seen again.

Frank Solich: He was given a pass because he was TO's hand picked successor and everyone was still riding the high that comes from winning three National Championships in four years. Frankie's first year was an awful lot like the first year of "Seinfeld" after Larry David left as a writer and producer. Things were very different, sometimes uncomfortable, but you wound up tuning in every week for the rare chance of greatness. Two games in particular from Solich's 1998 first season as the new sheriff in town suggested that trouble was all around: The opener -- the HOME opener -- against Louisiana Tech, a game NU won 56-27, but also featured 4-foot tall Tech receiver Troy Edwards lighting up the Blackshirts for 21 catches for 405 yards (seriously, how everyone didn't jump on Solich for that alone is a great mystery in Husker History); and the Halloween loss at home to Ricky Williams and Texas, the first home loss in what seemed like decades (actually, it was the first loss in Lincoln since 1991). Solich's first year suggested he certainly wasn't going to be Osborne, but fate (and by fate we really mean Stevie P) wouldn't allow Frankie a chance to show he could adapt to the ever-changing college game. Lost the Holiday Bowl to Arizona. EXPECTATION LEVEL: "Don't fuck it up", but considering he was fired after going 9-3 in his 6th season (in which he cleaned house by bringing in a new coaching staff, many of whom are now ironically enough on the CURRENT coaching staff), there was a certain sector who wanted a return to big time glory.

Bill Callahan: Of course looking back on HIS first year now, it's hard to believe that any of this happened. That Stevie P couldn't find anybody he deemed worthy enough to take the throne. That the guy who was laughed out of Oakland and really the National Football League because he was mostly known for losing his team for calling them all "the stupidest bunch of players he'd ever seen", and for being the, ahem, "coach" for the team that allowed Brett Favre to scrimmage against on that Monday Night Football game played the day after Favre's father passed away, would be the second coming of either Osborne or Devaney. Before Billy C was even fired from Oakland, the thinking was he'd wind up like former New York Giants coach Ray Handley, running away from the stadium after getting a cap popped in him, never to be heard from again. What we'd all fall prey to right away was that Billy C was a great salesman who looked upon Nebraskans as relatively simple folk who would buy deep into whatever he was peddling. In short, the West Coast Offense -- or, the greatest and most complex offense that man has ever constructed, and just to prove it to everyone I'm going to lug around a 900-page book that contains every play in the offense the players will learn -- was the new flavor of the month, so get used to it people! Oh, and since that previous coach, whatever the hell his name is, left us with such garbage, we'll just go through the motions whenever the actual SEASON starts. None of the players, recruited for the option-offense Solich preferred, were suited for this complex WCO thing, and we'd all just have to accept losing until some of Callahan's disciples came to town. Billy C's first season was really waiting on the promise of his recruits (many of whom came only to leave immediately). The worst moment of the season was of course the mind-boggling 70-10 nationally televised loss to Texas Tech, a game that summed up not only the season but the entire Billy C era. The stubbornness in shoving an offense that he never bothered to adapt to the collegiate level or even the players he had around him. And of course, hitching his star to the old Cosgrove wagon. Oh, and after 35 consecutive years, Billy C finally decided enough was enough, and the Corn missed out on a Bowl Game. Also: Still convinced that TO is just another guy who fired him; sort of a dick. EXPECTATION LEVEL: Let's just get through the season so we can see all the new toys who will be here NEXT year!

Something To Do In Lincoln Before Football Starts

2008-07-09T19:19:00.003-05:00

Well, look who's coming back (and given the fact that I had at least five of these guys in a Death Pool going back to 2003, I'm even more stunned). The still infamous Zoo Bar in Downtown Lincoln is celebrating their 35th Anniversary with a two-day long street festival (on 14th between O & P, which means that the Mackenzie's of the world will be able to smoke AND drink to their hearts content). Just to show how big of a celebration this is, the Zoo Bar is ramping things up in a big way, getting one of the area's most popular local bands to reunite for one-night only after breaking up 8 years ago.

The Self Righteous Brothers are one of those bands that you can only experience live. And in their case, live would mean at the Zoo Bar, and batshit drunk out of your ass. Because that's the way the band wants it. The two lead singers, who go by Sonny and Mister Righteous, share vocals on every song, have dance numbers choreographed perfectly, start off wearing full tuxes but lose everything except their pants by the first hour, and spend the time between songs asking audience members and bar staff to continuously bring drinks. It's the sort of show anyone five-years removed from college who is yearning for a wild night of debauchery dreams about when getting a night out.

And to further hype things up, our boys now have their own blog and of course a myspace page. And if you know the SRB's, you'll find yourself spending way more time than a person should at these sites. You'll see that all of the original members are coming back to play the Zoo Bar at 11pm on Saturday, except for their drummer, who despite living in Lincoln is declining to participate. In true SRB fashion, both of their sites are declaring their drummer dead (he's listed with the RIP tag on all pictures and mentions, and I expect nothing less when it comes to these guys). The band picture that appears in the ads for the Zoo Bars gala is of some obscure music act of guys who look like they're at least 65 years old.

If you've never seen these guys perform, I hate you. You can listen to some old songs on their blog, even look at some videos, but none of these tell you anything (although in one of their photo albums, Mackenzie is in the background dancing with a rather attractive young lady). The Zoo Bar is currently (and will do so this weekend) selling CD's of some of their early work, including a performance from their legendary Christmas show from 1998.

But you really just need to throw back a few shots of whiskey and load up to a live show. Meaning Saturday, because everyone says this is a one-time thing for them (at least three of the members had stopped performing since they last performed). There's a reason they're in Duffy's Hall of Fame. I have no clue what to expect this weekend, but they used to do a killer cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", without the chorus. Another highlight was a medley of three Tom Jones classics. Of course they had catchy original songs that also became fan favorites. The key to their act is the theatrics of Sonny & Mister Righteous. They've earned the much coveted final performance of the weekend, and I'm sure there will plenty of tastee beverages. I have no intention of being anywhere near a set of car keys before or after the show.

100 years and, done counting!

2008-07-08T21:26:00.006-05:00

D.L, Where the hell have you been on this shit? your suppose to be spot on. First I pull "High School USA" out of my ass and not a peep. Now we have the cubs practically Guarunteing thier way to the World Series with the aquisition of Harden and nothing?? Now, I know as well as you DL, that trading with Billie Beane is like sleeping with Maddona, your going to be regretting it a few years down the road(are you listening now A-rod?)but knowing the players the Cubs gave up in this trade I think it was a no brainer for Jim Hendry.

1. Matt Murton - Stuck in AAA Iowa with Fukadome and Soriano tied up in long term contracts- everyone has known he was getting moved since March.

2. Eric Patterson - Another player with no place to go, also Cubs may have been tired of waiting for him to develop and felt they waisted enough time on older brother Cory and saw little E going down the same path.

3. Josh Donaldson - AA Catcher with promise, but Cubs have a rookie of the year contender at Catcher right now.

4. Gallagher - My guess this is the crown jewel, the guy that Beane had his eyes on, it would not surprise me to see him flourish in a year or two with the A's. He has been mediocre so far with Chicago, but every Cubs fan saw promise with his young arm.

The great news with this is that the Cubs have Harden for the remainder of this year and all of next, unlike CC Sabathia with the Brewers. Also, unlike the Brewers, the Cubs did not need to empty their farm system for a one shot chance at a post-season run.

Obscure Movie of the Week "High School USA"

2008-07-03T08:56:00.004-05:00

Set in a senior high school class, J.J. (Michael J. Fox) pursues the girlfriend of a rival from a higher clique which culminates in a race at the end of the movie between the two rivals in this light comedy.Also stars everyones favorite child star gone bad Todd Bridges. This was apparently a pilot for an NBC sitcom. The network envisioned stand-up comedian Joel Hodgson as one of the stars of the proposed series. Hodgson turned the offer down. Also playing roles are Anthony Edwards and Crispin Glover. The cast is comprised of many former child stars. Tony Dow from "Leave It to Beaver" plays the principal. Angela Cartwright from "Make Room for Daddy" and "Lost in Space" plays a teacher, as does Dwayne Hickman from "Dobie Gillis", and the school janitor is played by David Nelson, former star of "Ozzie and Harriet". Even Dana Plato plays a key role as does Barry Livingston. Shit even the late Bob Denver plays a part in this movie. To give you an ideal how lame this Movie had to be, here is one of IMDB's quotes from the movie.

Jay-Jay Manners: Hey, Bandini, what's the matter?
Crazy Leo Bandini: I don't know. My toes are killing me.
Jay-Jay Manners: Uh, that's because you've got your shoes on the wrong feet.
Crazy Leo Bandini: No, I don't. These are my feet.

Apparantly this was the TV version of those Bazooka Joe comics you use to get with your bubble gum. I never personally saw this movie, but I am pretty sure I can walk myself through it based on all the other lame 80's high school movies from back then.

Your 2008 Husker Football Television Schedule

2008-06-24T16:06:00.003-05:00

That sound you hear is anger from Husker Nation over how broadcast companies could possibly take a pass over putting on games featuring Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State against a team that finished last season 5-7 and has a brand new coaching staff. Although I am wondering why Spike-TV doesn't at least try to throw it's hat in the ring for some of these games. And yes, we realize that neither Paulie Walnuts or that lazy eyed guy in that picture with him will have anything to do with calling a Nebraska Football game this fall, but you have to think one of those "Denny's" commercials with Paulie will air during a game or two. Plus google "Nebraska Football Television" and find a better picture to lead off with. Just try it.

As of now, the first three games of the Pelini era will not be televised, and if they are, those games will be pay-per-view. Husker fan is literally pissed off at the fact that only one game (the final game, against Colorado) is set for national broadcast. It is only June, and nobody knows anything until Mid-September. Television dictates terms, meaning that if a surprise team like Kansas up and decides to play well, they can get national exposure. Other than Notre Dame (who got into bed with NBC to the point that they can't carry any other college games), no other school has a firm TV schedule for their games, yet. But we say bet the house on watching these games away from Memorial Stadium, which is a better way to go anyway:

08/30 Western Michigan: As Matthew McConaughey would say, no worries, no worries. This game will be picked up by somebody. Yes, it might have to be an 11am kickoff (on August 30th, which would irk TO but the television revenue would be too much to turn away from). But count on this one somewhere, just not in HD.

09/06 San Jose St. and 09/13 New Mexico St.: The hunch is not a chance in hell. Sure, somebody could come up with some pay-per-view plan for one of them (and it would go over big because Nebraska's following), but no broadcast or cable network is going near either one of these blowouts. And by blowouts we're going out on a limb and thinking NU will be 3-0 at the end of the New Mexico State game. You know, because somebody with the last name of COSGROVE won't be allowed anywhere near Memorial Stadium, even with a ticket.

09/27 Virginia Tech: Already decided it's going to be a nationally televised game, and the whispers of the ABC Prime Time Game are growing all the more louder. We've heard reports of both ESPN Gameday and ESPN Radio folk setting up in Lincoln for this one. Expect to find Brent Musburger walking to the game with an open can of Coors Light (or just regular Coors if the mood should strike him) and talk of "Looking live at Memorial Stadium" for kick-off.

10/04 Missouri: The big question would be whether ABC/ESPN would want to have 2-weeks in a row from Lincoln (they can't take that sort of risk and have Musburger dealing with two open container tickets on their dime). But if both teams are undefeated for this one, it'd be hard to pass up. Which is exactly why there's no word on TV coverage yet. Because nobody knows anything. Certainly, unless Chase Daniel turns a knee and Missouri's season goes to shit and Nebraska is embarrassed by VA Tech, count on big-time national coverage. Either a 2:30pm CST kick-off or another prime-time affair.

10/11 @ Texas Tech: The first road game of the season (after five home games, which is just unreal) will be televised. Guessing Fox Sports Net or Versus. Just hope Pelini goes with the all-white look for road games. Or if he really wanted to put a stamp on things, go all-red and see what happens. Nobody at Tech will even notice.

10/18 @ Iowa State: Depends how well (or in Iowa State's case, bad, but we're hearing good things coming out of Ames) the teams are doing. At worst you're looking at Pay-Per-View, unless NU is 3-3 going into this game, and then some might be calling for Billy C to come storming back into town.

10/25 Baylor: Right now, who the hell knows? We were alerted to an interesting tidbit: If the World series is over by then, Fox and ESPN will be full-tilt College Football on Saturdays. The smart thinking says Nebraska may only have two losses at this point, which means somebody will make room for this gem.

11/01 @ Oklahoma: Put it in bold-face print everywhere. A 2:30pm national game on ABC. Unless somehow both teams are unbeaten, which then will turn ESPN into an overhype machine that'll make this game bigger than the 2006 Ohio State/Michigan and the 1971 NU/OU games combined. Beano Cook's head will explode while he tries to enjoy his chicken noodle soup during his weekly segment on ESPN Radio, and Musburger will openly drink Johnnie Walker Blue during the prime time telecast. And you'll see at least one clip of Johnny Rodgers "Man, Woman & Child" punt return. But probably just one.

11/08 Kansas: The thinking here is that KU falls and falls back big time. But television loves them some Mangino, and he and Pelini on the same field would make for great theater. Fox Sports Net or Versus for sure.

11/15 @ Kansas State: A "homecoming" of sorts for NU Linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, but even his hype won't reach a national crescendo. But LAST year's KSU/NU game got national coverage. And both teams were coming a part at the seams. The good thing going for NU on TV this week is that it's an off-week for a number of big name schools, so this game will have to fill that void.

11/28 Colorado: Already determined, 2:30pm CST kick-off on ABC. And two weeks of talk (at least in Nebraska) about how Colorado isn't the Husker's real "rival".

Two to three games won't make it to television, tops. But the really great news about all of this is that if you have to resort to the radio for your only live Husker coverage, you won't have Jim Rose to screech at you to cause all of those incurable inner ear infections.

DL Yankee Stadium Stop (Special Tornado Free Edition): Jose Guillen Will Not Be Satisfied Until He Is Deemed King

2008-06-11T19:46:00.016-05:00

I'm sure nobody is aware of this quite yet, but the mainstream media will very soon let everyone in on the little secret that this is the final season for the (hated) Yankees at Yankee Stadium. They've got themselves a brand new space, right next to the current one, which will be all set for Opening Day, 2009. But of course, it won't BE Yankee Stadium, even if that's what some will attempt to call it. The chance to finally see my beloved Royals in person at the old ballpark was something that couldn't be missed, even though I firmly believed I would be the only one amongst the fans openly rooting for the Royals. Which would make Yankee fans Mike Scossia, and me Jose Guillen in this relationship. I was already starting to feel that Guillen was a misunderstood baseball star, and confused that Yankee fan would possibly find that odd.

Sitting close to the field on Friday night, I felt the disconnect immediately. Amongst the legions of beautiful women who were there wanting to hand Derek Jeter their hotel room keys (more on him later) and the intense Yankee faithful who couldn't justify how New York could even play the Royals close, I got the early suspicion that I definitely could have been the only person in that building happy the Royals were winning, unless Kyle Davis had his family sitting up in the cheap seats, and if that were the case, one of them would have been thrown down to the field by the time Davies came out to pitch the 6th inning. A Yankee fan who had been a season ticket holder for years -- but is officially resigning that status when the Yanks move to their new digs next year -- had no problem with fans of the visiting team visiting the old ballpark. There was just one rule. "Don't come in here and try to take over the building and act like it's your own," he said. "You know, like Boston does." In other words, don't fuck with them, they won't fuck with you.

I understood that completely. In fact, I even said out loud, "Ahh, you mean like HUSKER fan." How Husker fan travels to almost every road football game, and tries to be like Red Sox fan at Yankee Stadium. No wonder Notre Dame was so pissed when the "Sea of Red" hit South Bend in 2000. No wonder Missouri and Kansas thought they won National Titles just by destroying the Red when they'd beat them in their home stadiums. And the other key factor that differs from, say, Memorial Stadium: Don't expect the Yankee faithful to offer some polite applause should the Yankees win big. Winning's expected, and if your team somehow wins, for crying out loud, don't poke the bear.

As I've always maintained, even through the multiple losing skids, this is a different Royals team. The roll-over and accept it Mike Sweeney days are in the rear view mirror. This team is at least going to show signs of at least trying. And the Royals during the Sweeney "Milk & Cookies" era were especially dreadful at Yankee Stadium (How bad? How about 6-33 going back to 1998). This was especially disappointing to me considering the fact that my all-time greatest sports moment happened at Yankee Stadium. Game 3 of the 1980 American League Championship Series, when George Brett hit that first-pitch, towering shot in the upper-deck to finally get the Royals past the Yanks and win their first pennant. And things started well on Friday as KC led 2-0 going into the 7th, witch the aforementioned Kyle Davies still in the game. The Yanks would scrap another run to chase Davies, but with the white hot Joakim Soria fresh, unfazed and ready to nail down an important win, I wasn't the least bit worried.

Which brings us back to Jeter. A great part of sitting right behind the Yanks on-deck circle (other than the satisfying visions of being able to pelt Johnny Damon with flashlight batteries if I chose to, and actually hit him), was to witness the magnitude of one Derek Jeter. The rest of the Yankee lineup spends their time in the on-deck circle doing what you'd expect. A few practice swings, trying to time a swing and step with the opposing pitcher. If you're Jason Giambi, you intently study the bat, all the time smiling at the fact that even though your pants are ripped and having to stay clear of any sort of pharmaceutical help as your game has somewhat suffered, you have peace of mind in knowing that nine-figure contract you signed in 2000 is guaranteed. But if you're the Shortstop Yankee Captain who everyone associates with the glory of winning four World Titles, well you veer through the crowd to see how many pretty girls you can make eye contact with. I got the sense that Jeter was the lead singer of a rock band, finding 5-7 women he shared a look with, and had a member of the road crew give them his card to hook up later at some private party. As Soria was mowing down the Yanks in the 9th, Jeter would have come up to win the game had Damon reached base to extend the game. But Derek only had eyes for a group Vince Vaughn would call, "Beautiful Babies". I'm sure Jeter would have figured he'd have another one of hid patented Yankee moments if he'd of had a chance. Not I. The way Soria was dealing, this was the Royals night.

This was confirmed as everyone filtered out of the game (with two full cold bottles of Budweiser no less, walking out with those in hand was no problem, and considering they were $9 a piece, nobody seemed to mind). First of all, instead of playing the usual Liza Minielli version of "New York, New York", which is traditionally what they do whenever the Yankees lose, the public address system played the SINATRA version instead. TWICE. It's established they only play Frank when they win. So this was a puzzler.

And outside, finally, Royals fans, in Royals gear, who couldn't have been more pleased to find one of their own, wondering who else would either make the trek from the Midwest in early June, or if a transplanted New Yorker could still keep bleeding Royal Blue. We were all so delighted, we hit a few Bronx Bars, toasting a multitude of shots that would carry through the wee hours in Manhattan. We Royal brethren stick together, and this was the sort of night where there weren't enough shots of booze to toast to. Trying to convert a German Lesbian even seemed to be in order.

By the way, the most hated man in baseball (and really, he wouldn't have it any other way) Jose Guillen went 2-4 (in the game, not at some Irish bar with German Lesbians later), with a double (he might have gone to 2nd base with a Royals fan who bore an uncanny resemblance to Katie Holmes for all I know -- yes, there was such a woman outside Yankee Stadium) and run scored. This was just a taste of what was to become an incredible weekend for Guillen.

Getting to Yankee Stadium required extra effort, which is what getting to bed at 6am THAT morning will do to you. Even if we would have been told before hand it would be perhaps the greatest baseball game one could ever hope to witness in person, making it for Andy Pettitte's first pitch was going to be a challenge. Former Husker Alex Gordon, who made some nice defensive plays on Friday night, got the day off because he was mired in a slump at the plate and it was around 97 degrees, which nobody in New York expected for early June. Newest Royal star Guillen was going to all but propel KC to an improbable win all by himself, and I felt like Babe Ruth as I called his game changing grand slam in the 7th inning.

The big highlight to come out of the game was that phony Johnny Damon becoming the first Yankee to ever collect 6 hits in one game at Yankee Stadium, including the game winner off of the previous unbeatable Soria. But the 7th inning for Kansas City was Guillen's coming out party (or again, maybe it was for some other German woman who liked what she saw from the previous night). Actually, Guillen had already hit a 2-run homer off of Pettitte in the first inning, and had an RBI single in the 3rd. I have no earthly idea what Pettitte, who had giving up the tying run earlier in inning, was still even DOING in the game to face Guillen. Pettite intentionally walked Mike "Seriously, I'm not going to have to pay to get into the Stadium to watch the game?" Aviles, hoping to get Mark Teahan to hit into a double play. Pettitte got the next best thing (getting Teahan, who frankly spends way too much time in that head of his, to strike out), but there was still the rather large problem of the batshit crazy Jose Guillen walking up to the plate with determination to plant one in the left field seats. It was one of those moments you could just feel happening. For one, Guillen just missed the grand slam, fouling one just a little left of the LF foul pole. And no way Pettitte would walk the lead run.

(No WAY Torre would have had Pettitte pitch to the Right Handed Guillen, who we've already established doesn't let anything get in the way of pissing off Yankee faithful with a killer grand slam. And wouldn't that moment, two-outs in the 7th, bases loaded with a power right handed bat at the plate, been a great time to bring in a stellar reliever? One who sparks insane levels of excitement in that building? One who would have clearly thrown his glove into the air, Jonathan Paplebon/Jesse Orosco style, if he would have struck Guillen out? Somebody like, oh, I don't know...JOBA???)

After calmly suggesting to the section we were in that Guillen was certainly going to plant one way over the left field fence, I got the sense many of them were feeling the same thing, and oddly enough not as upset about it as Yankee fan would normally be. (I blame the heat for this odd calmness from them. Also: Hank Steinbrenner, who everyone was clearly concerned about with this whole Joba experiment; a Grand Slam here and the "Joba would have been nice" cries would have been out in full force.) Because Jose takes delight in crushing baseballs and being able to cause hatred and vigor in as many people as possible, he did come through with the grand slam, giving the Royals a 10-6 lead and an excuse for some to get out of the heat (SOME, not many, Yankee fans understand the importance of staying for the entire game). Guillen had tied a club record with 7 RBI, and then went to Manager Trey Hillman and said, "I've done my part. Fuck this heat, I'm going to pick up some German Lesbians". Actually, Guillen had been shaken up by taking a ball off of his shin in the sixth, and was said to leave the game early to avoid further aggravation. I wouldn't be surprised if he just left the stadium without telling anybody, right after that Grand Slam.

What could have been a small two-game winning streak for the Royals (at Yankee Stadium no less) would turn into a game they'd give back to the Yankees three times, despite FINALLY getting to Mariano Rivera. A-Rod, Mr. June, would hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, and 666 -- I mean Mr. 6-for-6 Johnny Damon would tie it in the 8th with a 2-run single.

We finally got to see one of the most famous reliever entrances in baseball history. We've had to suffer Joe Buck talking about what an amazing moment it is when Mariano Rivera casually walks out from the bullpen to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" on television for 10 years now. You understand the moment more in person, as the Jumbo-Tron follows Rivera right from the dugout, Rivera walks in perfect step with the music, and it's a moment which allows the 50,000+ crazed Yankee fans to get as loud as the student section of a college football game when the home teams scores a touchdown. But for me of course, I didn't find the moment amazing. I was downright concerned, because the Royals have NEVER hit Rivera. They notoriously swing at his first pitches, and he usually gets through an inning maybe throwing 9 pitches and wouldn't even break a sweat in this 97 degree heat.

David DeJesus, who speaks with an infliction that suggests he'd like to audition for a job as an evening news anchor in some medium sized market in Iowa, led things off. I was expecting the usual, DeJesus swinging at the first pitch, getting fooled on a Rivera cutter and grounding out softly to Jeter. And then sending his resume to a news director in Ames, IA. He swung at Rivera's first offering, as is always the case, and promptly homered to right field. The Royals had finally broken through against Rivera, unbelievably had the lead back, and were ready to bring in the next Rivera, Joakim Soria, in to nail down another win.

Rivera would breeze through the next three batters, throwing a total of 10 pitches. Then the unflappable Soria would pitch the bottom of the ninth. I was a bit stunned to hear the PA play both "Paper Bag" by Fiona Apple and "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder for Soria's entrance into the game, but he did walk very slow to the mound. Even more surprising was that the version of "My Cherie Amour" they played was the one Eddie Murphy and Stevie did back on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980's. People really seemed to like it though.

Soria wound up blowing his first save of the year, allowing "Hip Hip Jor-Hey" to homer and tie the game (Yankee fans are a little too in love with that nickname and chant, I will go to my grave thinking that Jorge really pronounces his name "GEORGE" and this is his way to fuck with everyone), and then Damon got hit number six to bring in the winning run. Yanks 12, Guillen/Royals 11. The Royals win that game, which they had in the bag three times, and they would have taken 3 of 4 at the Bronx. And Hank Steinbrenner would, how can we say this, been rather unhappy.

And that was the final game we went to of the four-game series, and frankly after getting to see the Royals win and get all we could out of the Saturday game, nothing could have topped either of those two games. Husker Fan couldn't believe we missed the Joba start on Sunday, but again, we didn't roll in until 6am (Saturday) and another member of the group decided to stay out that late AGAIN (Saturday night, going through Sunday morning). Plus it would top 100 Sunday, and for some reason the seats at Yankee Stadium aren't air conditioned. Although we hear some of the new ones at the new place definitely will be.

The Royals split the four game series. My new favorite player Guillen would personally see to that on Monday, hitting the game winning homer off of -- who else -- Rivera to give the Royals a 3-2 win. Over the long weekend, Guillen went 9 for 16 with 4 homers, 10 RBI and 6 runs scored, and probably hooked up with that Katie Holmes lookalike of a Royals fan who alluded my grasp on Friday night. In my defense, I was stunned that somebody in a Royals shirt could look that good; there was also a chance that she really WAS Katie Holmes, and the idea of having a brain washed Katie trying to explain to me the joys of Scientology over a wonderful but hot weekend in New York scared the living shit out of me. None of that would have fazed Jose Guillen, and he would have surely tapped that shit.

Everything Comes To An End

2008-06-05T20:30:00.003-05:00

This is very disappointing, but in the interest of full disclosure, it's important to offer thanks to one Will Leitch. Actually, he's quite responsible not only for this blog, but all the incredible amounts of work time we've been allowed to waste. And now, he's moving on to bigger and better things. So it's worth noting that almost two years and one former Husker Head Football coach ago, this blog has been all his fault.

It was August, 2006. To borrow a line from Don Henley (who frankly gave this silly blog it's title), another summer's promise was almost gone. But more importantly, year three of the Bill Callahan era was about to begin, and ironically enough, it was to be his most successful year. I started to write an email to Mackenzie about how pissed I was about really all of the local media giving Callahan a pass. There were all of these rumors coming out of Memorial Stadium about Billy C and Stevie Peterson, but nobody, at THAT time, dare to speak a discouraging word about the Husker program. Mainly it was the whole Harrison Beck fallout that had me concerned. Beck was touted as the next big thing the second Callahan laid eyes on him, only to bolt the team that August.

So I started to write the email, then thought, "Really, does Mackenzie give a shit? He thinks the same thing. Who cares?" So on a boring afternoon, I found a blogger name (and really, couldn't come up with anything for a name, but since I was pissed at the media, naming it after the very song that lambasts all things of that sort seemed to fit), and basically cut and pasted the email I was about to send to Mackenzie and wrote the very first post here.

I'd known about Deadspin for a little over a month, and was starting to go to it daily. For no reason other than the fact that I wanted to, I emailed the blog to tips@deadspin.com. And that was it. Until about five hours later, I learned the power of Deadspin.

My email in-box had already been set to filter out any and every piece of junk email, so anything that came through was somewhat legitimate. I had over thirty new emails, all people I've never heard of, some named "Anonymous", attacking me about the Bill Callahan blog I had just written, the one that was just some email I was going to give Mac. I later went to Deadspin and saw that Will lead off that day's Blogdome edition, subtitled "Clueless Cornhusker?" with my piece. And this little blog was flooded with eyeballs, most of them who were so amped up they frankly wanted me dead. People wound up writing to Will himself, asking how would dare link to such a blog. It was like having your debut song become some small unexpected hit that wound up cracking the top 100. So we had something. There was no way we'd ever be able to break Husker Football news (Huskerpedia.com was doing that better than everyone then, and still do now). But we'd be a voice that could openly criticize and say whatever the hell we wanted about the football program. Or at least go out further on the limb than say Tom Shatel.

We've still had occasional posts linked to Deadspin's blogdome, and even had two posts featured (the "Casting Moneyball Movie" and Mackenzie's "Midget Basketball" pieces). In fact, Will emailed regarding both of those blogs, saying how much he enjoyed reading them. And that was nice.

Of course about a year after that first blog debuted, everyone was clawing at Billy C and company. And now everyone is drinking the Pelini Kool-Aid (we're even guilty of that to an extent, but just wait until the Virginia Tech game...), almost like they did when Callahan first rode into town and promised big things. And now Will Leitch is moving on to bigger and better things. Which isn't surprising because he's an extremely talented writer, and has a very good gig awaiting him at New York magazine, all the more impressive when you consider Will is only 32 years old.

I don't think Deadspin will change once Will officially leaves as editor (hell, he's still going to do the occasional posting there). But anyone and everyone who knows about this place does so because of Will, because of Deadspin. Almost one-year ago, "The Sopranos" officially stopped making new episodes. We always knew that would happen, and always knew Will would move on too. But if you ever kill time reading our stuff here, just remember it's all some contributing editor of New York magazine's fault.

Harvey Korman: 1927-2008

2008-05-29T20:45:00.005-05:00

"What a fucking blow." -- Uncle Junior, "The Sopranos".

Harvey Korman goes to his grave knowing that millions of people will continue to admire him for his brilliant turn as Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles. For my money, he was, with Gene Wilder, one of the more underrated comic actors we've seen. And it's all there in Mel Brooks' classic film, even though Harvey leaves quite a resume.

A lot of people will name the infamous "Gone With The Wind" skit he was in on "The Carol Burnett Show". The scene still holds up, it's on a lot of lists as being one of the funniest ever on television. The lists are everywhere, they'll have the classic SNL skits, the Dave Chappelle "Rick James" skit, Ed Ames throwing the tomahawk on Johnny Carson, and on every list, you'll have the Carol Burnett skit. Harvey also has the unfortunate honor of providing the voice of The Great Gazoo on "The Flintstones" (often cited as that show's "Jump the Shark" moment). And he was on the train wreck that was The Star Wars Holiday Special, the one where Bea Arthur sings. Many remember Korman and Tim Conway as a comedy team, a team that frankly seems dated.

Beyond all of that, Harvey was a favorite of Mel Brooks. He had a way with delivering a line about "the piss boy" in History of the World: Part I. But his shot at immortality was of course Blazing Saddles. It was Harvey's moment, and he simply nailed it. The thing about those great, classic comedies that you remember are the performances by the main players. Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase & Bill Murray are all essential to Caddyshack. The same goes for Blazing Saddles. You need Alex Karras punching that horse in the face. You need Cleavon Little, and Gene Wilder, and Madeline Kahn and Slim Pickens. But imagine that movie without Harvey Korman. You just can't. There are so many scenes with Korman that immediately make you laugh out loud.

My personal favorite is when Lamarr auditioned for the biggest scum of villain he could find to "derail" the plans of saving Rockridge:

Bart (giving his qualifications): Stampeding cattle.
Hedley Lamarr: That's not much of a crime.
Bart: Through the Vatican?
Hedley Lamarr: [smiling] Kinkyyyy. Sign here.

He has those great scenes with Slim Pickens, where Lamarr uses such big words he uses "his tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore." My favorite exchange:

Taggart: We'll work up a "Number 6" on 'em.
Hedley Lamarr: "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one...
Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a whampin' and whompin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.
Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?
Taggart: NAW. We rape the shit out of them at the Number 6 Dance later on.
Hedley Lamarr: Marvelous.

And that was Harvey Korman in that classic movie, doing that voodoo that he does so well. Korman really didn't do much following History of The World, save some bit television guest roles and some voice work. But we'll always have Rockridge, always have Hedy -- I mean, Hedley -- Lamarr. Wilder, Karras John Hillerman (who played Howard Johnson, and became more famous from "Magnum P.I.") and Brooks are really the only ones left from Blazing Saddles. I think Korman's career was very similar to that of Ted Knights. Both were key supporting players on classic television shows, both did voice work for animated series, and both gave unforgettable performances in comedies we'll never tire of watching.

José Guillen Got It Right (AND He's A Royal)

2008-05-29T17:15:00.005-05:00

I've never found anything even remotely worth liking about José Guillen. He's been the 500-pound elephant that's invaded every team's clubhouse he's ever been in. And he famously tussled with one of my all-time favorite players, Hal McRae, when Guillen was a member of the (then) Tampa Bay Devil Rays, managed by Hal. Who would have thought that Guillen would be the one to finally do for the Royals the very needed thing that hadn't been done since...Hal McRae?

Keep in mind, I'm still trying to get past the fact that Guillen found out how to speak fluent English. I never could get past the idea of Guillen showing up for his first press conference at Kaufman Stadium, wearing uniform #11 for the Royals, a number which Hal wore as both a player and manager for the team. After learning about Guillen's surly past, I figured it was his way of sticking it to Hal. There's a part of me that still thinks that. In fact, when a reporter brought up the fact that Guillen was wearing the number donned by McRae for years, he seemed overjoyed, despite their checkered past. I don't think it's slanderous in anyway to suggest that Guillen is a major prick. EVERYONE swears by this. He might be the one guy you can say, without reservation, has a worse reputation than Barry Lamar Bonds. I know some who really like Barry. I can't find anybody who takes a liking to Guillen. Dayton Moore was besieged by anyone to avoid the guy like the plague last winter, when he wanted to throw that stupid money at him. It was almost like Dayton knew he was auditioning for Ned Beatty's role in Deliverance, knew he was going to get ass-raped, and went ahead and enjoyed it.

I defended the signing of Guillen, similar to the signing of Gil Meche. Mostly this is because I subscribe to the idea that the Royals absolutely have to overpay for free agents, especially free agents who wouldn't get that sort of money from any other team. It's the only way the Royals can be taken seriously when they want to attract GOOD free agents, let alone keep some of their younger players to long term deals. I defended Guillen when he struggled mightily at the plate, as whispers that turned into screams suggested that being off steroids had brought Guillen down to earth. He has a canon for an arm in right field, something the Royals defense desperately needed. I had him penciled in for .265/33 HR/110 RBI with an on-base percentage around .365 and a slugging percentage north of .500. Not numbers that justify the contract Dayton Moore got him to autograph, but hell it'd be at least SOMETHING.

Now I'm again José Guillen's biggest supporter, because last night's infamous tirade was worth the entire free agent contract. The Royals haven't had an outburst like that since Hal McRae legendarily ripped phones out of a wall and tossed them at foolish beat writers. That was in May, 1993. That Royals team went on to win, and frankly win big at times. Not enough to win the (then) American League West, which was clearly going to be taken by MVP Frank Thomas and the White Sox. The Royals finished 3rd in the West that year, going 84-78 but playing very well after McRae's outburst. It was George Brett's final season, and he could only DH. That Royals team had no regular hit over .300, and Catcher Mike Macfarlane led all Royals in homers with 20. Jose "Chico" Lind was the everyday 2nd baseman, and ex-Twins Gary Gaetti and Greg Gagne found Jesus and were actually vital to that team's success. The point is, after McRae shook a little life into everybody, the team finally started winning. And Kevin "Sleepy" McReynolds was on that squad!

Last night, Guillen really spoke for what the franchise has been since Brett's retirement. The face of the franchise for year's had been Mike Sweeney, and even though he is probably the nicest guy to have ever played Major League Baseball, I never really got the feeling that winning games was something that drove the guy. And I don't see it this year. Alex Gordon has all of the tools to become a David Wright, but sometimes he looks like he'd rather be on the beach hanging out with Patrick Swayze's crew in Point Break. If you shot David DeJesus with truth serum, he'd probably go on and on about how he's the luckiest guy in the world because there wouldn't be another team in the majors that would dare pencil him in their starting lineup, let alone ride the bench. I still expect great things from Mark Teahan, but he and John Buck constantly disappoint me and are mostly reminders of the Carols Beltran trade. The Royals still don't have a shortstop, anybody resembling a shortstop, or any clear cut idea on who would even be a backup plan for a shortstop.

So let's all applaud Guillen for if nothing else his moment of honesty. No burying Guillen here, only praise. He's right in saying nobody wants to win more than Manager Trey Hillman. We already knew Guillen was never a big reader of "How To Win Friends And Influence People", but I think he might have influenced some by finally telling it like it is. Yes, it'd be better if a Gordon or Teahan showed such passion. And Guillen may not even hit his weight. But maybe this guy has more of Hal McRae in him than I thought.

Royal Issues

2008-05-27T09:12:00.012-05:00

There are eight game losing streaks, and then there's getting swept in back-to-back four-game series. And that's where your 2008 Kansas City Royals are on the day after Memorial Day, which is really the first time to assess the state of what could be another sorry season.

Unfortunately the Royals can't play the Tigers every day (Detroit is tied with KC for last in the American League Central, and the Royals would be deep in the cellar if not for the way they've handled the disappointing Tigers). Starting with Jon Lester's no-hitter last Monday, the Royals have had just a dreadful East Coast swing. They get six games at home starting tonight against the Twins. Somehow, they have to find a way to take four of six before hitting the road again next week at the White Sox and Yankees.

Getting swept by the Red Sox and Blue Jays was beyond brutal, mostly because the Royals have no offense. They have to find a shortstop, somehow, because Tony Pena Jr. isn't the answer now or for the future. They need to stop fucking around with Mark Teahan and simply move him permanently to first base and give up this whole Ross Gload thing. Gload shouldn't be an everyday starter anywhere. Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star has the perfect idea of who the Royals should shake up their lineup. I'm not sold on the idea of Teahan leading off, but I like the idea of Joey Gathright playing center field everyday because of his quicks and defense, so I'd lead him off and hit Teahan 3rd. If I'm Trey Hillman, here's a lineup I'd start with tonight:

Gathright, CF
Grudzielanek, 2B
Teahan, 1B
Guillen, RF
Gordon, 3B
Butler, DH
DeJesus, LF
Buck, C
Somebody not named Pena, SS

Not anything close to perfect, but a shakeup is needed. The Royals pitching is decent enough. Planet Zack Greinke is finally becoming the ace we all thought he would. Brian Bannister is going to be a solid starter for years to come, and has been much better than his 4-6 record. Gil Meche is exactly what we all thought he would be, which is a good 3rd starting pitcher. Unfortunately, he's been the Royals number 1 since opening day, which means he's always going up against other team's aces. Luke Hochevar is coming around, but you can't expect big things from him this year. The Royals now have one of the best closers in the game in Joakim Soria, but of course he hasn't had any chance to save any games since the day before Lester baffled the Royals lineup.

Last week, George Brett said the AL Central was there for the taking, even for this team. That's a bit optimistic, even this early, even from the greatest Royal of them all. To paraphrase Rick Pitino from his Boston Celtic Days, "George Brett isn't walking through that door. Hal McRae isn't walking through that door. Amos Otis isn't walking through that door." Who I'd like to see darken their door is somebody who can solidify the shortstop position, a position the Royals have NEVER gotten big production from (save Jay Bell's 1997 season, when the Royals were again dreadful). And I'm still not big on David DeJesus as a long-term fix in the outfield. This team really needs some sort of jolt to transfix their overall mood.

It's just too bad Barry Lamar Bonds can't play the field, because he'd bring all sorts of fun to this club.

Sydney Pollack (1934-2008)

2008-05-26T23:01:00.003-05:00

We could have just thrown in your Kansas City Royals as an annual death pool candidate, but word came down earlier today that Director Sydney Pollack has gone to his great reward. He's mostly remembered as an award winning film director, although a number of his movies don't hold up like many of his contemporaries, and I found him much better as an actor in small roles.

There are two great small but effective performances from Pollack that I'll always remember. The first was in Stanley Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, where he played Victor Ziegler, a horny old man who ultimately warns Tom Cruise's character to stop going to those crazy orgies. Or at the very least, stop snooping around as to who's behind all of those masks.

The second, and most recent, was his brilliant turn in one of the final episodes of "The Sopranos", where he played Warren Feldman, an insane former doctor who becomes friends with Johnny Sack in a prison hospital. "Let me spare you the awkwardness," Warren tells Johnny when they first meet. "I killed my wife. Not that it's any excuse. I had reason to believe she was cheating on me at the time with her chiropractor. Granted, I was abusing cocaine at the time. And alcohol. But I came home one day, shot her four times. Twice in the head. I killed her aunt, too. I didn't know she was there. And the mailman. At that point, I had to fully commit." The episode ("Stage 5") finds Johnny dealing with the death sentence that came from almost 40 years of chain smoking, contemplating his legacy and ultimately dying in the prison hospital. But it's Pollack's performance that steals every scene. Yes, David Chase made it a point to cast old film directors in small roles throughout the course of the series, but Pollack made the most of his moment here.

The irony from that role is Pollack died in the same way that Johnny Sack did. Found out about a spreading cancer only to pass months later.

Obscure Movie Of The Week: Sleep With Me (1994)

2008-05-15T20:18:00.005-05:00

This is the movie that is mainly remembered for Quentin Tarantino's cameo in which he explains how Top Gun is actually the biggest homosexual movie ever, detailing all of it's homoerotic subtext to Todd Field's character at a party. It's also the first film where Parker Posey shows us her tits.

Sleep with Me is a bizarre love triangle of a movie with a simple premise. Joseph (Eric Stoltz) marries Sarah (Meg Tilly, in what looks like one of her final roles), oblivious to the fact that his best friend Frank (Craig Sheffer) has been in love with her his entire life. And from the beginning, it seems that Sarah's a lot more interest in Frank than she is Joseph. Well, that's because she is.

Joseph and Sarah are too young to get married. Joseph seems to think his engagement is nothing but an excuse to throw a big party. Both are happy with all of the friends in their lives, including Athena (Parker Posey), who seduces Joseph, and Pamela (the late Adrienne Shelly, who steals every scene in the film). But Sarah is really happy to have her true soul mate Frank around. She even privately confesses her feelings to him at her rehearsal dinner, while Joseph is busy trying to find new ways to get smashed out of his mind. In fact, we never see Joseph (Stoltz in perfect form as he always is) show anything resembling loving feelings towards his life. And really how can he with the likes of Parker Posey and Joey Lauren Adams crashing his poker party? Frank comes off as sympathetic, even though he covets his best friend's wife, because it's implied he'd be the better husband.

Six different writers wrote different parts of the movie. Tilly, Smoltz and Sheffer do most of the heavy lifting, but it helps to have Posey and company as strong support. All of the characters seem extremely real. And then we get to the final scene and finally meet a guy named Sid, who you'd never expect to hang out with this group.

Sid would be the film geek played by Tarantino. Even the people who write "Sleep With Me" off remember Tarantino's scene. It's his only scene, and he's there to dissect the homosexual movie that is "Top Gun." Yes, his monologue has become the stuff of legend, but Tarantino paid a big price for it. Turns out the "Gay Top Gun" scene was written by QT's old friend and writing partner Roger Avary. No matter what story you choose to believe, Avary did actually co-write "Pulp Fiction" with Quentin, and was even on stage with him at the 1995 Oscars to accept his Best Original Screenplay award (where, in a moment that was funny and also a jab at awards favorite Forrest Gump, Avary told the world he really had to go pee). Roger Avary intended to use the "Top Gun" monologue in one of his own movies. Tarantino barked it out in "Sleep With Me" without Avary's permission or even knowledge. Stoltz, who around the same time starred in Avary's Killing Zoe, told Roger about the incident before the film was released. So began the fall out between the two writers, which is a shame because Tarantino and Avary seem to work better together than they do alone.

"Sleep With Me" also marks the final theatrical release of Meg Tilly's career, which is a shame because she's miles ahead of her crazy sister Jennifer in terms of talent. While we're saddled with Jennifer ruining movies, Meg has officially retired from acting. This may not be the equivalent of Ted Williams homering in his final at bat. More like John Kruk getting a base hit in his last trip to the plate, only to retire a few years too early. At least she can still go to sleep nights with the knowledge that she isn't JENNIFER Tilly.

What is Rolling Stone?

2008-05-14T19:08:00.019-05:00

I stopped getting Rolling Stone in late 2000. It was after Jann Wenner and company went public with how they needed to really change with the times and basically become Maxim. Which they clearly never intended to do. But the big problem was that articles in RS, no matter the content, were going to be a lot shorter. Gone were the long in-depth pieces that made the Hunter S. Thompson's of the world household names. Wenner's thinking was that nobody had the attention spans for that sort of thing. Those longer articles were what I actually wanted from RS, and I checked out when they announced the change.

And I'm still out, basically because anything I want from them I can get on their website, even though anything new is fast food as opposed to the epic sweeps of the earlier work. Yes, I know Mac G suggests we should all give Wenner and Company another chance. But the above picture shows us that Rolling Stone wants to remain all things to all people. Or it could be they really wanted to run a cover with a picture of Old Man Henley in a shirt Radar O'Reilly would wear in MASH. The interesting thing about their latest cover story is that it's written by Charles M. Young, who wrote the LAST cover story for the Eagles for Rolling Stone, in 1979.

So who's Rolling Stone trying to attract? Yes, their website is still a source for new music (from established acts). They're often late to the party in terms of finding new artists, something they were quite good at during their first 10 years. But other magazines and of course the internet beats RS big time in that area. They've had the same film critic for over 20 years. Peter Travers is good in this area, but we usually learn about these films before Travers has a chance to put his own spin on them.

Making the cover of Rolling Stone used to be a sign that you officially arrived. This was, and to an extent still is, the case if you weren't a musician. Television from SNL to Letterman to Seinfeld to The Sopranos and last week's The Hills are perfect examples. The Eagles put out their "new" album back in November, 2007. And RS is just now running a cover story on their "bitter feud/big comeback." If Rolling Stone wanted to be at the start of that thing, they should have gotten the story after the album sold it's first million copies. Back in NOVEMBER. Shit, 60 Minutes beat them to this. In NOVEMBER! I would have been fine with the late-to-the-party effort, had Young's piece been even more detailed and in-depth, like he was in 1979.

Last year, RS did a good piece on the "bitter feud" regarding Pink Floyd. An article that would have been even better had the "smaller stories" mantra not been in place. What Wenner and Rob Sheffield and others don't recognize is that people will still spend incredible amounts of time reading and getting into things they're interested in. Vanity Fair still does that. Hell, Maxim even does this on occasion, and they continue to offer many more suggestive pictures than the RS cover picture of "The Hills" babes. Blender does a better job of detailing the catalogs of bands like The Stones and Bowie and the Eagles and Dylan, going back and revisiting their entire bodies of work. It's better than what itunes does with their "Essentials" on artists. When Blender does this feature, which they do each month, they'll detail every album, grading which ones are crucial and which ones to avoid at all costs.

Rolling Stone's original mantra was famously "All The News That Fits". Now they just offer bits of news that make you go elsewhere to get a whole lot more.

Obscure Movie Of The Week: The Jazz Singer (1980)

2008-05-10T09:33:00.011-05:00

"There are two types of people in this world. Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't" --Bob 'Bobby' Wiley (Bill Murray), What About Bob, 1991.

Three things regarding Neil Diamond surprised me this week after listening to his new album Home Before Dark:

Neil's never had a number 1 album, although that little fact changes in a big way next week as his new album is slated to become his first.

Neil isn't the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I assumed this was a given, more on that later)

The first ever winner of the Razzie Award for Worst Actor in a movie was given to one Neil Leslie Diamond for The Jazz Singer.

Regarding the last one, I assumed Neil was critically panned for the only movie he's been in where he isn't portraying himself. I'm just surprised that Neil was the award's first ever recipient, although after seeing the movie, one wonders if the Razzie's themselves weren't invented just for Neil's attempt at an acting career.

The movie was a horrible idea from the start. As charismatic -- and often cheesy -- as Neil tends to be performing his music, he's timid and awkward in the role of Jess Robin. Roger Ebert mentions that Neil spends most of the film "looking at people's third shirt buttons, as if he can't be bothered to meet their eyes and relate with them." That's about right, although it is worth mentioning that at one time, while on tour Diamond's contract rider stated that anyone caught looking at him or making eye contact was to be fired. Robin is a Jewish cantor in his father's synagogue, but still has dreams of moving from New York to Los Angeles in the hopes of hitting it big in the music industry. This sort of nonsense gets cold water thrown on it by Robin's father, played by....Laurence Olivier???

It needs to be mentioned that it this point in his distinguished acting career, Olivier had gone completely batshit nuts. In fact, he performs this movie with some bizarre, seemingly made-up accent with broken English, going out of his way to ham it up with every scene. Olivier would famously call the movie "This piece of shit" just after filming it. He'd later apologize to director Richard Fleischer, writing him a handwritten ten-page letter to give an explanation as to why he was making so many movies strictly for the money. That has to be the only reason Sir Laurence took time for this. His character says he "haff no son" upon learning Jess is getting a divorce.

What Papa Robin doesn't realize is that when the opportunity presents itself, his son will perform with an all-black singing group. In an all-black club. Wearing BLACKFACE! He's busted as the "white guy" by a heckler played by an up-and-coming Ernie Hudson. So maybe a life 3,000 miles away would do the boy good (never mind the fact that at the time, Diamond himself was almost 40-years old). Jess needs to leave his wife and babbling idiot of a father for the riches that come with becoming a rock star (the Robin family's motto is that Jewish cantor's are poor because....God is poor). When he gets to LA, Jess immediately meets the woman (Lucie Arnaz) who has his dreams mapped out perfectly.

Jess gets in a minor fight with his new girlfriend, decides to hitchhike, take up smoking, grow a beard and play at seedy honkytonks for an entire year. When he finally returns, everything is right in the world as "Hello Again" plays while Jess finds Arnaz's character waiting for him...with a brand new baby boy, which we are just to assume is his. Which is a good thing because his father accepts Jess again because he's given him a grandson. And of course Jess becomes a major star. He becomes Neil Diamond.

There are those who swear by this movie, despite just how awful it is. Search for "Neil Diamond" in youtube, and you'll see the polarizing effect he has on people with the many comments on any video. You don't want to piss Neil fan off. These people are the reason there's a 25th Anniversary deluxe edition of "The Jazz Singer". They like the fact that "Hello Again" is played at least four times during the movie. The soundtrack also gives us other Neil signature tunes like "Love On The Rocks" and his over-the-top anthem "America". So I think a lot of people are confusing their fondness for the movie's songs with the content of the movie. Many of the scenes in "The Jazz Singer" were were ad-libbed on the spot without any idea where they would be placed. The film went through two directors (Sidney J. Furie was the original hire), and Diamond had a hard time getting worked up for a scene where he has an argument with Arnaz. Oddly enough, Diamond made his band perform a Barry Manilow song to get him filled with enough rage to pull off the scene.

So acting wasn't in the cards for Neil Diamond. He's had a music career like nobody else. Many immediately think of Neil as an adult contemporary softy. But he's loved in all walks of music. He sang "Dry Your Eyes" in The Last Waltz with The Band during their last concert. Urge Overkill famously covered "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" in Pulp Fiction. So he's got a lasting legacy in movies without "The Jazz Singer". Neil's now gone the Johnny Cash route, collaborating with producer Rick Rubin for a second album. Rubin strips away the gloss and sentimentality that usually follows Neil, and his music is better than ever. Yes, there are those who like Neil and those who don't. Then there are also those who compare Neil to Elvis, notably when it comes to "Sweet Caroline". The King used to cover "Sweet Caroline" on tour towards the end of his career, and die-hard Neil Diamond faithful will have none of it. These are the Neil fans who have a soft spot in their heart for "The Jazz Singer".

Husker Fan Fascination With Announcers

2008-05-06T06:40:00.020-05:00

The Lincoln Journal Star has been doing segments this week on Obsessions of Husker Football Fans, and briefly dived into how some fans view some national announcers as "Anti-Nebraska". That's not necessarily the case, but it's easy to trace where enthusiasm over who's calling the games comes from. It starts with the Husker radio announcer. Before there was "one guy", there was a time when numerous local announcers could call the games on different stations.

Everybody points to Lyle Bremser as the gold standard. Bremser was the voice of the Huskers from 1939-1982, and his most famous call is obviously his brilliant "Man, Woman & Child" call of Johnny Rodgers punt return in the 1971 Nebraska/Oklahoma Game of the Century. Bremser was to radio what Keith Jackson was to television -- at least in Nebraska. He was succinct and crips, always painting the perfect picture on radio that put you right in the action. And as the "all the way home" call on Rodgers run suggests, Bremser displayed perfect passion for the home team at the appropriate moments. It's that famous call of Johnny the Jet's moment that allows Bremser's voice to live on, and he nailed it, like Vin Scully calling the last inning of a Sandy Koufax no-hitter.

Bremser was followed by Kent Pavelka, who also became a fan favorite because he ultimately was the biggest fan who just so happened to have a microphone. Pavelka was an unabashed homer, Harry Carey calling a college football game. Hell, Pavelka would also throw in the occasionally "Holy Cow." You never had to worry about which side of the fence Pavelka was on. He worked out because he was All-Nebraska and made no apologies for it. Pavelka would be the most depressed man walking the earth when the Corn lost, and overflowed with enthusiasm over an 8-yard gain. His most legendary call is Tommie Frazier's 75-yard touchdown run in the Nebraska/Florida Fiesta Bowl, more famous than Jim Nantz's call on television. Pavelka was in love with all things Husker football, so excited that during the 1995 Nebraska/Colorado game, he noticed on a series when both Jason and Christian Peter sat out a defensive series that "Nebraska was playing with their Peter's out." And Nebraska fans loved every second of it, never mind the fact that Pavelka still managed to give listeners all the necessary information regarding what was happening on the field.

So the big problem is that Post-Pavleka, there hasn't been an identifiable radio voice, at least not one who encouraged fans to turn the television volume down to listen to the radio. Paul Aaron and his billions bought the exclusive rights to carry the Husker Radio games (and not just football either). Aaron wanted to put his own stamp on things, and Pavelka was suddenly out. And it seemed like nobody else wanted Kent to leave the Husker airwaves. Warren Swain followed, and he even though he wasn't bad, he wasn't great either. Swain lost his chance at his own Bremser/Pavelka moment during the 1997 Nebraska/Missouri game. He at first called the pass "incomplete", only to excitedly rally after Adrian Fiala noticed Davison's dive. Instead, the call of Matt Davison's catch from that game became one of Brent Musburger's signature moments, which is ironic because until then (and sometimes afterwards) Musburger was viewed as "Anti-Nebraska" by some Husker faitful. But really, if anyone should have an axe to grind with Nebraska, it's Musburger, if only for getting busted for having an open can of Coors Light after calling a Husker game in Lincoln a few years ago. Swain's biggest sin in the eyes and ears of Husker Nation was that he wasn't Bremser or Pavelka. Sure he was serviceable enough in calling the game, but from a radio perspective, Husker fan wanted a clear homer in that booth.

Which leads to the absolute train wreck that was Jim Rose as voice of the Huskers. As far back as 1993, Rose was, as Christopher Moltisanti would say, the "hair" apparant. He was hosting "Sports Nightly" and certainly had a knowledge of Husker history to go along with a great sounding voice. This was a time when sports-talk radio had yet to really take off, and Rose had something going with that nightly show. It was a great listen on commutes down I-80, and I for one assumed one day Rose would be calling Husker games and be quite good at it. And then something happened. Reports suggest an oversized ego enveloped Rose. He wound up leaving KLIN in Lincoln to work for Entercom in Kansas City, where dreams of doing some play-by-play work with the Royals danced in his head. Shortly thereafter, Swain was out, and Rose rode back into Nebraska to ultimately be named the new voice of the Huskers (despite Pavelka still openly pushing to get the gig back).

Rose never could find his voice in that seat. It seemed like he wanted to be Mitch Holthus, Lyle Bremser and Keith Jackson all at once, all the while trying to invent new phrases to describe a down and distance which ultimately confused the listener. There was an article in the Omaha World Herald where he distanced himself from all things Pavelka. And on-air during the games at least, it was just a mess and difficult to try to even listen to. Listeners wound up hoping every game was on television, even pay-per-view, just so listening to Rose wasn't the only available option. Greg Sharpe is the new man at the mike, and he's obviously a great talent with an impressive resume, but the jury's still out as to how much Husker Nation will embrace him.

Of course the thing that works against anyone as the Husker radio voice is that now almost every game is televised. And just like Steven M. Sipple says in his article, if one of those announcers bad mouths Nebraska, they get the anti-Nebraska tag. But come on. Shouldn't respectable announcers have pointed out all of the WRONG things from, oh, say the 2007 season? The worst situation to be in when watching a game is having a crazed fan yelling at the announcers for how bad the team is playing -- and this happens ALL the time!

The only broadcaster I can think of who gives the impression that he goes out of his way to poke at the Huskers would be Mark May, and I'd say a lot of that comes from spending a lot of air time with Trev Alberts, who was CLEARLY a Husker Homer. But again, criticizing the Huskers and the state of the program especially last year was supposed to happen. You can't blame anyone doing the play-by-play or color for that, whether they're from here or not. What I can't understand is why some people expect network announcers -- with no ties to anything Nebraska -- to become Kent Pavelka during a Husker game.

It's not just a Nebraska situation (plenty of other team's fans hate Musburger, even though he's now becoming the voice of college football). But when you look at the landscape of sports broadcasters, I'd say the majority of them have gone out of their way to be downright kind to Husker Nation. Chris Fowler has repeatedly stated how much ESPN's College Gameday loves to come to Lincoln. He's gone on national radio and waxed nostalgically about having a steak at Misty's on Friday night, and hitting the O Street bars after they wrap up on Saturday. "They (Husker fans) get it," Fowler says. Keith Jackson introduced Tunnel Vision for at least two years. Jim Rome has an open fondness for Husker Fan. I'm still trying to find the video on youtube of how brilliant Bob Costas was in describing how it feels for Nebraska fans after Osborne won his first National Championship.

It's what Costas did at that moment that some Husker Faithful want from every announcer, all the time. I wish every announcer would call a game like Don Criqui did in the 1984 Orange Bowl. Criqui gets excited at all of the proper moments for both teams, and let's the game itself breathe. Ironically enough, Criqui is now the voice of Notre Dame football for Westwood One. And that's what Nebraska Football has been missing since Pavelka left the building: An identifiable voice. If for no other reason, it's needed to stifle those who firmly believe the Brent Musburger's of the world put on their headset just to piss off the natives. Brent did let everyone in on a little signal USC quarterback John David Booty used to pass to receivers during last year's USC/Nebraska game. Who the hell knew then the Blackshirts were better off with Musburger at the helm than Cosgrove?

Obscure Movie Of The Week: Kill Me Again (1989)

2008-05-05T19:02:00.019-05:00

Not just a great reason to post that picture of Val Kilmer, but also a good time to give the link to Maxim's great article on the 15-year anniversary of True Romance. It's three pages of fun to click through. Interesting to note the two biggest stars to emerge from that now cult classic are Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini. But that movie's never been obscure. Kill Me Again, and earlier Val Kilmer effort, is. And it's directed by John Dahl, who also gave us the previously mentioned classic The Last Seduction. Oh, and Michael Madsen's got a pivotal role.

This is Dahl's directorial debut, and it's in the same genre as "Seduction. And just like "Seduction", Kill Me Again only found a life after garnering critical acclaim. The original studio shelved the film, and only received limited release following the positive reviews. The movie's a major turning point in Kilmer's life. It's the second movie he made with now ex-wife Joanne Whalley, and, if you believe Kilmer's interviews, the movie where he loaned Michael Madsen money on the set and didn't get it back for years. But on to the actual film. Whalley plays Fay Forrester, a character cut from the same cloth as Bridget Gregory/Wendy Kroy from "Seduction". Fay and her man Vince (a never better Michael Madsen) have just swiped $800,000. In full Bridget Gregory mode, she gets in a fight with Vince over the money, and winds up tracking down Private Investigator Jack Andrews (Kilmer) for help. Fay wants Jack to help her fake her own death. In return, Jack gets $5K up front, and $5K when she's "dead".

Jack's got his own problems. In fact, he just lost his right pinkie finger because he owes big money to big time loan sharks, so he not only sees this as a nice pay check, but he becomes mighty attracted to Fay. So you know where this thing's going. Yes, the $800,000 belongs to the same goons Jack has on his payroll. So Jack concocts a scheme to declare Fay dead, only to have Vince find her still alive. So now you've got a crazed Michael Madsen after Fay, the money, and now poor Jack. Imagine the Madsen character from Reservoir Dogs and you know what you're getting from him here. In fact, I'm sure movie geek Quentin Tarantino saw this movie and knew he had to cast Madsen in Dogs.

Kill Me Again is not nearly as clever as "Seduction", but Dahl does get that star making performance from Madsen. He's over-the-top, sadistic, and everything you'd come to expect from him playing a low-life. And Whalley, who's good but not Linda Fiorentino good, keeps you riveted enough to pay special attention. She does have a doe-eyed sweetness to her that adds to her performance. Kilmer's performance is unique for him. You can see Kilmer actually TRY not to exude any sort of charisma at times, but he can't help himself.

Unlike "Seduction", our girl doesn't get away with the whole thing. It's a nice debut from Dahl, who cuts his teeth here before frying bigger fish with his next two movies, Red Rock West and The Last Seduction. But this movie's extremely re-watchable an a suitable beginning for a director who specializes in the attention to detail required to make a decent film noir. Yes, Kilmer was a whole lot thinner then, and frankly I'd like to see he and Madsen appear in more movies together. Yes, they were both in The Doors, but if Madsen finally paid Kilmer that money back, it's certainly time for them to reconnect on film. Because as great as both can be in movies, it sounds like they're both equally as nuts off camera. Director (if you can call him that) Joel Schumacher called Kilmer a "psychologically disturbed human being." In fact, Schumacher calls Val "the most psychologically troubled human being (he's) ever worked with." Kilmer, who at least one point in time lived in New Mexico, admitted to owning a gun because he lived in the "homicide capital of the Southwest and 80 percent of the people in my county are drunk."

I say put Kilmer and Madsen and Ray Liotta in a movie with Linda Fiorentino. Have the equally nuts David O. Russell direct. You won't even need to bother with a script for that thing.

Husker Urban Legends: The Speculation Continues...

2008-04-27T16:09:00.006-05:00

We started with a few of the more infamous Husker Urban Legends last week, and were reminded of quite a few more we may have missed. Again, you can never really dig up official confirmation on many of these, hence they fall under the Urban Legend category. But damn if they aren't fun for everyone to revisit. A few more to discuss after the jump:

"Tommie Frazier openly taunted Warren Sapp on the field during the 1995 Orange Bowl": Everyone assumes that this really happened. In fact, Frazier's quote to Sapp after he returned back into the game in the 3rd quarter has been printed so much it's now listed as one of the all-time great college football quotes. The quote (or a variation thereof) goes something along the lines of this...
Sapp: "Hey Tommie, where you been?"
Frazier: "It aint where I've been fat boy, it's where I'm going."

Neither Frazier nor Sapp has gone on record to admit this exchange really took place, unlike say Joe Montana's "Hey look, it's John Candy" moment in the 2nd 49ers/Bengals Super Bowl. What we do know for sure: For at least one week before the game, Warren Sapp could not stop talking. Tom Osborne named Frazier as his starting quarterback for the 1995 Orange Bowl, despite missing most of the season with blood clots in his right knee, instead of the late Brook Berringer, who led the Huskers to the National Championship game against the Hurricanes with Tommie watching on the sidelines. Along with the announcement, TO did promise that both quarterbacks would play, and it became one of Osborne's greatest coaching decisions of his career. He'd have the more athletically gifted Frazier to start the game, and the more game-sharp (at the time) Berringer to fill in mainly in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and allow Frazier's quickness to help take over in the 4th quarter, provided the game remained close. We also know Frazier started the game poorly (obviously not sharp after waiting in the wings for so long), making a bad 3rd down decision on his first series and throwing a pick with Sapp in his face on his 2nd series. Also, Husker Defensive End admitted that, regarding Miami in that first half, "You wouldn't have believed all their trash talking." So I'm sure Sapp egged Frazier on when he finally returned to the game. In fact, knowing the mouth on Sapp and how he'd continue to yap during his professional career, he HAD to mouth off to Tommie at that moment. Sapp's brash talk was viewed upon as childish while he was at the U, but he became somewhat of a media darling for his quotes as a pro. For all we know, the exchange very well could have been a lot more intense and R-Rated than the legend has it. No matter what they said to each other, I don't doubt this legend for a second.
"Frank Solich found out he was fired as head coach by finding a note Steve Pederson slid under his office door." For as big as a slippery prick Pederson was during his wild tenure as Nebraska Athletic Director, nothing would surprise me. But you have to think, not even Stevie P would do what the character played by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea did in Back To The Future Part II, and print a note that said, "YOU'RE FIRED!!!" as a way to let Solich know it was time to pack up his shit and get the fuck out. Among what is confirmed: Scott Frost of all people is on record as saying that Pederson would repeatedly have letters slipped under Solich's door; Solich's daughter is also on record as saying Stevie P did the same thing repeatedly. Frankie avoided the media after the firing, but Solich's daughter Cindy Dalton, however was talking, and said Pederson "really hadn't made up his mind until five minutes before Dad walked through the door" and that Solich "couldn't believe that Pederson had the nerve to say that to his face." My theory is that Pederson, not one for face-to-face confrontation, had somebody put one of these notes under Solich's door, asking his soon-to-be-ex football coach to see him. After seeing how Pederson botched the entire firing to the point of having no backup plan in sight for Solich's replacement, other than to find his own guy and put his own stamp on the football program, I wouldn't have been surprised if Pederson had fired Solich via text message if that was in vogue in November, 2003.
"Chad May forgot to wear a cup during the first half of a game against Nebraska": I've heard many versions of this story (from former Kansas State and Nebraska players), but they're all different. In fact, some have said it wasn't Chad May guilty of this, it was former K-State QB Matt Miller. And when you look back at the first halves of both the 1994 and 1995 games -- when this legend allegedly took place -- it's could have been either May or Miller. It starts with the 1993 game in Lincoln, when May embarrassed the Blackshirts by throwing for a then conference record 489 yards passing in Nebraska's 45-28 victory. So the 1994 defense was looking for revenge against the cocky May in their battle in Manhattan, Kansas. The Corn was ranked #2, the Wildcats #16, and at the time May was receiving serious Heisman consideration, throwing 188 straight passes without a pick. The game is mostly remembered as "The Matt Turman Game", as the Turman-ator had to fill in for an ailing Brook Berringer. The weather was sloppy, so Turman kept handing the ball to Lawrence Phillips as the Corn played smash-mouth football in beating the Wildcats 17-6. May was sacked 6 times, thrown to the ground a lot more, fumbled twice, and snapped that no-interception streak by throwing a pick to NU's Troy Dumas. In the 1995 game, NU was #2, KU #8, and Nebraska went into halftime leading 35-6. That Husker team is widely considered the greatest college football team of all-time, and Miller was beat around worse than May was the year before. Former Husker Jared Tomich said after the game that Miller, "was taking a long time to get up." K-State had -19 yards rushing, and their quarterbacks were sacked 9 times by the Blackshirts. So two ranked K-State teams, two different quarterbacks, both getting whacked early and often. Which one is (allegedly) guilty of the no-cup crime, May or Miller? The legend has it that word spread through the Husker Defense that (May/Miller) foolishly went sans protection, and the brutal Blackshirts went out of their way to exploit that error in judgement. The smart money is on Chad May, as he was extremely vocal and arrogant going into the 1994 game. He was STILL cocky after getting destroyed by the Corn. "They're beatable," May said after the '94 game. "I don't think they're a great team." The pre-game hype literally angered the Blackshirts, and cup or no cup, May was Public Enemy Number 1. Yes, May was brash enough to try to pull something like this at the time. Either way, playing quarterback for K-State against those defenses wasn't an ideal gig.
"Emmitt Smith was thisclose to playing for Nebraska": The biggest "legend" regarding this is that Emmitt visited Nebraska wearing an all-red suit during his recruiting visit. The 1986 Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year, Emmitt was recruited by pretty much everybody, with Auburn, Florida and Nebraska as the front runners. On signing day, Emmitt walked into a crowded gym wearing a red shirt and hat, giving the packed school assembly the impression that he was heading to Nebraska. But then Gator Coach Galen Hall promised Emmitt he would start the first game of the 1987 season, and Smith signed with Florida. After an electrifying collegiate career with Florida, Emmitt left after his Junior year as Hall was forced out for violating NCAA rules. The Gators were placed on probation for the 1990 season, and Emmitt was ready to re-write the NFL record books. Yes, Emmitt did seriously consider coming to Nebraska, and things worked out quite well for him. Smith certainly wasn't going to start over Keith Jones in 1987, and would have likely red-shirted. But from 1988-1991, Emmitt could have been a major star for the Huskers, who didn't have a 1,000 yard rusher in 1990.

Obscure Movie of the Week: The Indian Runner

2008-04-25T21:40:00.004-05:00

Trav lets us in on perhaps the first movie filmed in and around Blair -- directed by Sean Penn no less -- right after the jump...

As a Junior in High School it was big, no Huge news that Hollywood and Blair Nebraska Would finally unite. After a huge roll by Sean Penn as a young, cocky, racist cop in Colors he would now take to the directors chair in 1991's The Indian Runner. Filming was being done in the Washington County area on a film Base upon Bruce Springsteins "Highway Patrolman, but ultimatly a gratuitous scan of a rusty, metal train bridge riddled with grafiti was all that was not left on the cutting room floor. This movie had long left my memory untill it was recently brought to my attention that Aragorn was in this movie(Viggo Mortenson). Amazingly, also was Dennis Hopper, Paticia Arquette, Charles Bronson and Benicio Del Torro. It was widely known that Penn did not make the trip to Blair for filming, but maybe, just maybe Viggo had a cup of cofee at Billy Blair's Maple Cafe, and who knows, Maybe Benicio bought envelopes at the Blair Book Store.

Notes From A Spring Practice

2008-04-20T22:35:00.007-05:00

"What are we taling about here? We talking about PRAC-tice..." -- Alan Iverson, 2002

Hard to figure out who was more excited about things, the Jayhawk fans for a parade celebrating their miraculous NCAA Basketball Championship, or Husker fan amped up to watch "practice". Some highlights after the jump:

The price of a gallon of gas was over 10-cents more in Lincoln than it was in Omaha and other surrounding areas on Saturday. Just sayin'.
Downtown Lincoln looked like a regular game day, and for the most part, the crowd was split into two groups:
1. People looking for a great reason to party up after a long winter and losing out on the fun they were expecting last fall (these folks started filling Downtown drinking establishments just after 9am)
2. Families who wouldn't otherwise have the chance to go to a regular season game
Husker Vision was pretty much the same as it was last fall, with the added footage of Pelini coaching in the 2003 Alamo Bowl, which got the biggest response from the crowd.
The radio announcers were making way too big of a deal about the coaches being out on the field during some of the action. But mostly they were looking for anything to talk about. In fact, the network left the football action early to go to the Husker Baseball game. You know, because that was an actual GAME that meant something.
Mike Ekeler has already been nicknamed "Captain Red Bull". He'll be a media darling as long as he's with Nebraska.
Kevin Cosgrove was liquored up at Harry's Wonder Bar, complaining about getting suckered into betting the "overs" for the Spring Game.
Everyone is trying to get a read on what the team's going to be like based on what happened on April 19th, which is just silly. There was a lot of stock into how great Joe Dailey looked in the 2004 Spring Practice.
The reality is Saturday was a massive party for the House of Husker, which hadn't had any fun since the beginning of the USC game last September. In fact, many businesses pointed to that game as being the last time anyone could remember a level of excitement around the program. Yes, Saturday was a way to napalm the ups and downs of the past four years. Just use photo shop and crop out everything from the end of Pelini's Alamo Bowl through Billy C's last stand in Boulder.

Husker Urban Legends

2008-04-17T23:53:00.004-05:00

We haven't said much about Husker Spring Football Practice this year because everyone has been all over it, and written the same story. We get it. According to all stories, everything is back on track, Pelni and company are fixing the wrongs of the Billy C era, and Saturday's "practice" is now officially sold out (82,000 plus will pack Memorial Stadium, and people are treating the spring "game" like an actual game day). Nobody's really going to know anything until September, but it's safe to say the team will actually put forth something called effort during games. So with nothing to add to what every media outlet has already reported, it's a fun time to revisit Husker Football Urban Legends, because that's just fun for everybody, and it gives Husker fan something to do from May - July. Here are some favorites, and I know we're missing a bunch, but let's start here:

"Irving Fryar was on the take during the 1984 Orange Bowl." This one always seems to get lost because it was perhaps the greatest college football game ever (It's definitely Top 5, this can't be disputed) and it contained the signature moment in college football history (Osborne's decision to go for two points and the win even though a tie game would have assured him his first National Championship). I have always believed that Irving was paid to throw the game. Watch this compilation video of the game, starting at the 4:10 mark. Don Criqui, who was sensational calling the action, makes a point of saying "Fryar, who's been dormant..." after Irving finally came through with a great catch on the final drive. But the key evidence is at the 4:40 mark in the video. 2nd and 8, Turner Gill throws a perfect pass to a wide open Fryar in the end zone. The ball is right there. On the replay, it literally looks like he purposely DROPS the thing. And this was the guy who was an All-American and the #1 overall pick in the 1984 draft. Fryar did have 5 catches for 61 yards in the game, but I cannot get past that drop. It gets lost because later in the drive, on 4th and 8, Turner Gill pulls off that unbelievable option to Jeff Smith for the touchdown, and the failed 2-point conversion defines the entire game. And oh by the way, Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier got hurt earlier in the game. So in that respect, it doesn't matter whether or not Irving Fryar was involved in some fix. Or does it? Let's just pretend he really was. Is that a critical reason the game was closer than anyone expected? And would Nebraska have scored some more points if Irving was all dialed in, and maybe not even need a 2-point conversion to win? So many things wash over this story. Dean Steinkuhler's fumble-roosky was in that game. Rozier's injury. Gill's incredible game. Fryar has completely gone to Jesus and part of his speaking appearances include him talking about how much trouble he got in, especially after he was drafted by New England. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that he took money to, uhm, not play up to standards. That drop just stands out, and it stinks to the heavens.
"Eric Crouch quit the team in 1999, only to have Frank Solich drive up to his house in Omaha and promise him the starting quarterback job." Wait a second, Crouch would actually quit something? Since he won the Heisman, how many things has Crouch literally just taken his ball and gone home? Well, a lot. And since leaving Nebraska, Crouch has been branded as a baby. But back to the legend. At the time, the Huskers had Crouch and one Bobby Newcombe in the fold as quarterbacks. Both players were sensational when they ran with the football. In fact, debates went on about who would be a better wingback or return specialist. Newcombe had the QB job during Solich's first year as head coach in 1998, a no brainer of a decision when you consider how well Bobby played as a freshman the year before (granted, not as a quarterback). But he got hurt late in the first game of the year. Enter Crouch, who became highlight material, and Newcombe had surgery following the season. Solich named Newcombe the starting QB right before the 1999 season...and then all of a sudden, announced he would "alternate" the two quarterbacks. It was at this time the rumor started. There is confirmation that yes, Crouch did drive back to Omaha when Solich announced Newcombe was going to be his QB. And yes, Solich really did drive to Omaha "in search of Crouch" to tell him that he would be playing a lot. The rest is history. Crouch really is a big baby. In fact, when Newcombe officially moved to receiver, Eric would deliberately not throw the ball to him. But Eric has a Heisman, despite throwing more interceptions than touchdown the year he won the damn thing.
"Bill Callahan hated Tom Osborne." True. I mean, there is this little video. Oh, and Billy C did call TO a "crusty old fuck". I'm sure the two men text message each other all the time.
"Lawrence Phillips didn't play in the first half of the 1994 Orange Bowl because he told TO to fuck off." Well, we've also heard he told him to "go fuck himself" too. What's confirmed: LP ran 13 times for 64 yards and a touchdown. Twelve of those 13 carries were in the 4th quarter, the other was in the third quarter. However, the Huskers DID have a very good running back named Calvin Jones for that game, but he had 9 carries for only 28 yards (and there is that legendary halftime interview that O.J. Simpson of all people did with Osborne, where TO joking told the Juice that "they sure could have used him in the first half" -- how this clip isn't on youtube is beyond me). The Huskers really did need them some LP in the second half after Jones got hurt. But again -- did crazy LP really go F-Bomb on Osborne before the game? Nobody will go on record with this sort of thing, but off the record, reliable sources SWEAR it happened. Of course, Osborne would later stand up for LP after he threw a woman down a flight of stairs. Those crazy college kids. I guess with LP, anything's possible.
"Bob Devaney would celebrate a home victory by going down to the Sidetrack Tavern and drunkenly sing with the band." Everyone has fun Bob Devaney stories. It's no secret the Bobfather liked to go out and chill with the adult beverages, big deal. Of course, that can't happen in this day and age. An old member of the old "Sidetrack" band confirms that yes indeed, when Devaney was Athletic Director (re: After he was head coach, so this sort of thing was not frowned upon), Devaney would stumble down tot he Sidetrack, disheveled but happy, a couple of ladies under each arm, and belt out a rendition of whatever dirty song they were ready to play. "He was certainly three sheets to the wind," our man says. "He'd stumble up to the stage, we'd worry that he'd embarrass himself and tarnish his legacy. But when he took to the microphone, he nailed every note and flat out owned the audience, every time." This is the sort of thing you have to think Pelini would love to do after winning a National Championship.

Obscure Movie of The Week: The Last Seduction (1994)

2008-04-11T13:03:00.029-05:00

No, it's not THAT obscure, but on my Top 5 list of all-time favorite movies, this one has a permanent spot. And before diving into a movie that features one of the most unforgettable performances by a female, there's some necessary background as to how this thing almost became very obscure. The Last Seduction couldn't find a distributor when it made the film festival circuit back in 1994, and instead wound up playing on HBO (late at night no less, and remember, this was when HBO wasn't a big player, this was still five years before The Sopranos or Sex and The City) a few times before unprecedented critical acclaim -- especially for star Linda Fiorentino's marvel of a performance -- gave the movie a small run in theaters. And if you haven't seen it yet, by all means, stop reading and rent the DVD, Netflix it or whatever you need to do, because really you're better off not knowing anything about the film before you see it.

I was one of the few to actually get a chance to see it in a theater (at the Mary Riepma Ross Theatre in Lincoln no less, it wasn't playing anywhere else), and at the time, I couldn't quite figure out who Linda Fiorentino was. She looked familiar enough, but it seemed like she came from out of nowhere. It wasn't until the movie was out on video and DVD and cable again that I realized it: She was the love interest from Vision Quest! She's a long way from Matthew Modine here. Fiorentino plays Bridget Gregory, who we soon learn is wickedly smart to the point that she takes pride in getting the best of all the silly men in her life, starting with her husband Clay (played by Bill Pullman, in one of his better oles). Clay seems to think he can do his best to keep up with Bridget, and even though they're cut from the same cloth, she's always a step ahead. She convinces Clay, who's a doctor, to illegally sell some prescription drugs for a big score. But you don't piss someone like Bridget off, which Clay does by slapping her when she makes fun of him for almost blowing the deal. That's all our girl needs to sneak off with the money and head the sleepy little small town of Beston, NY to hide for a while.

But it's in Beston where we see Bridget start to work out a plan to get away with everything. She's approached at a bar by a local yokel named Mike (Peter Berg), who seems to just be looking for a way out of Hicksville. He hits on Bridget by bragging about being "hung like a horse" only to have Bridget immediately demand to see if he's telling the truth, right at the table. She takes a look and feels the goods for herself, as she's just realized she's found the guy dumb enough to fall for her evil ways:

Mike Swale: I'm trying to figure out whether you're a total fucking bitch or not.
Bridget Gregory: I am a total fucking bitch.

Sure she is, but she's also miles ahead of everyone else. The great thing about the movie and Fiorentino's role in particular is just seeing how easy it is for her to manipulate those around her. Because Bridget Gregory is always out thinking the room, even when she screws up (not badly) by changing her name to Wendy Kroy (a play on New York spelled backwards, even though her husband knows she has a "thing" for manipulation by doing just that sort of thing with words). So Mike knows Bridget only as Wendy, and eventually Clay figures out she's in some small town using Wendy Kroy as her alias. But no worries for our gal, because her master plan is in motion, and she can audible and throw smoke like nobody else when she needs to.

You never feel sorry for Mike (Peter Berg must have grown up in a town that size because he nails the performance of a clueless small town boy who dreams of hitting the big city) due to the fact that he's having this incredible sex with Bridget/Wendy (up against a fence no less, and yes Bridget/Wendy can fake some seriously incredible orgasms), but he really is as dumb as a bag of hammers. And Bridget has him all figured out, knowing exactly how he'll react to anything. In fact, she's downright bored with him. There's a scene where Mike goes back to their bar (alone, because Bridget's in Miami, or so Mike thinks) to have a drink. One of his friends comes up to let him know that his "girlfriend" came on to him the other night and gave him head. So of course Mike goes nuts and hits the guy. But the beauty of that whole scene is that either Bridget convinced the guy to say that to Mike to rile him up...or she really DID give the guy a blow job? I believe the latter because it's right in-line with her character, and in a way it's a backup for somebody like Bridget in case Mike can't follow through on her final detail.

Mike: "What if I want to be more than your designated fuck?"

Bridget/Wendy: "Then I'll find a replacement."

After the fight in the bar, Mike drunkenly calls Bridget's answering machine, pouring his heart out. Unbeknonwnst to him, Bridget is just lying next to the machine, rolling her eyes at everything he says. But again, she knows there's more to come. Since Mike thinks "Wendy" is in Miami, our girl wisely figures his drunk ass will come over to her house to erase the drunken message. Of COURSE she's right, so she plays even more: She doodles some love notes about how "Wendy" is madly in love with Mike, and sets them right next to the answering machine. So when Mike, just like it was scripted in her mind, comes over to erase the message, he immediately sees the love note and takes it with him, giving him peace of mind that he's finally winning her over. But the best part of that scene is that as we see Mike notice the love note, the camera pans down to let us see Bridget hiding underneath the bed. It wasn't enough for Mike to fall for the bait, Bridget had to see it with her own eyes because she gets such a thrill from it. Another nice touch is that Bridget isn't only hiding under the bed to wait for Mike, she's been doing a fucking crossword puzzle waiting for him.

A woman this smart is just bored with life. She was bored with her marriage, and bored to tears in Beston where they never see anyone who isn't white. But she wants that money she's already taken from her husband, and she gets her thrills and has fun by literally fucking with anyone who's in her way, including the hired help Clay brings to Beston to attempt to bust Bridget. After she has Mike all locked in, she realizes there's a breaking point with him that willl permanently lock him in as her little puppet for her wicked games. She knows there's something, but can't get it out of him (really because it's the exact thing nobody would ever admit to ANYONE, let alone someone you think you're in love with). Bridget needs this final piece of information, and she gets it by also making Mike think she went off to Miami to kill a cheating husband and get a cut of the life insurance money from the guy's wife. So when she goes off to figure out Mike's dirty little secret (of course, doing so the only way she can through her web of lies and cons), it's only a matter of time before the small town boy is all signed up.

It's not giving away the ending to say that Bridget's master plan is to convince Mike to kill Clay, who to him is just a lying and conniving husband -- but in his mind, NOT Bridget's husband. The final stroke in Fiorentino's brilliant performance is what she pulls off when Mike "chickens" out in offing Clay. It's Clay who finally convinces Mike he's been had. But even with that little plan not going away, Bridget has a back-up plan, and you realize it's not her thinking on the fly here, it's her Plan B just in case Mike couldn't do the dirty work. Again, it would surprise nobody if this twisted woman actually DID think of it on the spot though. Director John Dahl (who also made another movie that's held up incredibly well, Rounders) is so great with the little things right through the ending. Any other movie, a character like Bridget would have to die, but Dahl lets her get away with everything, only to figure out who to fuck with next. (In fact, there's a movie that calls itself a sequel to this called The Last Seduction II, and it has nothing to do with this movie, even though there's a character called Bridget Gregory and she's a schemer, but she's nowhere near the Bridget in this movie, so avoid the so-called "sequel" at all costs).

The movie is now 14 years old, and even though I own the DVD, whenever it's on one of the upper tier cable channels, I find myself watching the entire thing again. If Fiorentino would have been eligible for an Oscar for this film, she would have ran away with the thing. Instead, the academy literally had NO deserving candidate in the Best Actress category and had to give the thing to Jessica Lange for a bad movie called Blue Sky. So who cares about awards, Fiorentino and this gem of a movie live on. Just the simple fact that an actress can be so convincing in being that deceptive and obviously having that sort of thing in her is frightening enough. I can't believe that even after this movie (again, not obscure) that she didn't skyrocket to stardom. The real shock to me when it comes to Linda Fiorentino is that she hasn't been in ANYTHING since 2002, and according to her imdb.com, has nothing even in the works. There are rumors that she's difficult to work with, but that's mostly because that fat bastard Kevin Smith said that on his DVD commentary for Dogma. The truth probably lies in her quotes on her imdb page about how she only works when she needs the money. Hell, she's probably got a little bit more of Bridget in her than we'd like to think. Peter Berg is really now a director, doing things like Friday Night Lights. Pullman still works regularly doing mainly vanilla roles, never reaching the swarminess he got to work with in The Last Seduction. But this movie will forever live on because it was Linda Fiorentino's shot at the title, and she's a knockout here, even if she never does another movie. Which looks like a real possibility.

Damn You All To Hell Linkage

2008-04-06T21:38:00.006-05:00

A good link to the best of Chuck Heston's film career in youtube clips. And yes, George Clooney confirms the joke he told about Heston once (one that appears on his wikipedia page), but at least he got a nice letter from Heston's wife when he tried to apologize for telling it.
Enjoyed this piece about how one guy is trying to make the Weird Herald edgier. I must confess, I haven't read Bob Nelson's work, but you gotta love a guy who says, "shit happens" in the daily rag regarding an elderly man beaten and stowed in his car trunk.

A good LA Times piece on Joe Torre and how he's becoming the man in blue.

Speakin of LA, if anyone is going to be there on April 22nd, we'll gladly pay you the 20 bucks to go to this appearance.

Yes, Husker Cody Glenn is serious about switching from running back to linebacker (where he'll be coached by Ekeler), and evidently, it could work???

For the first time since Larry Sanders and Dream On, I'm actually considering doing without HBO. Sundays with Paul Giamatti as John Adams just aren't the same as they were with Tony and the family. It turns out a shakeup at the top is an effort to try to fix things.

Let Me Just Enjoy This, Even If It All Ends In A Week

2008-04-03T21:09:00.004-05:00

MacG had the right mentality regarding Planet Zack. It wasn't just that he was so distraught about Brad and Jennifer splitting the sheets, it was the Brad Pitt movies that he likes so much. So really, who knew which Greinke we'd see on the hill today. We got more of what Brian Bannister gave us yesterday. Planet Zack goes 7 innings and allows 1 run against what experts were calling the best lineup since the 1927 Yankees. The text messages ran the rampant of "It's a marathon, not a sprint" to "It's still to early" to "Lose my number dickweed." No matter, the Royals just swept the Tigers on the road, to start the season. And unlike 2003 when there were a lot of home games and lady luck smiled often on that early Royals start, this team is actually playing well.

And now, we've got the mainstream media starting to pay attention. Well, FOX anyway. It'll take 20 in a row before ESPN even notices this shit. Today's big news is that Zack, who you always have to examine very carefully with his very first start, seems to have finally gotten past Brad and Jennifer. It's beyond early for any sort of crazy predictions regarding a team that has 159 more games to play. But realistically, can't we all set some goals of Greinke and Bannister winning 15 games each, Meche getting 12 W's, and we'll take it from there? Right now, I'll take that.

A lot of people are already a big too excited about Alex Gordon because he's hit 2 homers this early. He also struck out three times yesterday. But he's already batting third in the lineup. Which means he's expected to carry this team already. The boys in blue get three at the Metrodome over the weekend, before opening at home against the Yankees, in the only trip the Bronx Bombers will make to KC. Bannister and Greinke should be ready for games one and two of that series. I'll officially starting fevering in more cowbell after those two games. As long as Pitt doesn't cry while watching "A River Runs Through It."

Obscure Movie Of The Week: Let's Get Harry (1986)

2008-04-02T23:21:00.007-05:00

What if I told you there is a lost little gem from the '80's starring Robert Duvall and Gary Busey, and to amp things up also features a then up-and-coming Mark Harmon (former UCLA starting quarterback) and Glenn Frey (yes, from the Eagles, or as Frey calls them, "Eagles") to tag along because, well, there's lots of cocaine involved and the plot involves heading to Columbia to deal with some drug lords? Oh, and the guy who played Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles in the film too? Oh...you'd like to see Biff Tannen from Back to the Future??? We gots him here too! Oh, and one more thing, the director is the guy who did Cool Hand Luke. Is that something you might be interested in?

Oh yeah, and there's a dwarf. And it aint Billy Barty.

It's actually a good time. Mainly because Busey and Frey are really into character (there are some over at IMDB who openly question how Busey missed out on a Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination for his role, which is being, oh just a bit kind, and Frey playing a coke head isn't much of a stretch). Duvall is Duvall, even if he's just handing out stamps to everyone he sees because he's just mailing his role in. And shouldn't we be interested in anything the guy who did Cool Hand Luke? The movie's called Let's Get Harry, and unfortunately it's tagged with the kiss of death in terms of Hollywood lore. It became what is commonly known as "An Alan Smithee Movie." Meaning, the original director, in this case Stuart Rosenberg (who also directed The Pope of Greenwich Village), became so disenchanted with the final version of the film that he demanded his name be removed from any association with it, therefore the film is credited as being "Directed by Alan Smithee." And there is no Alan Smithee. It's just some name they tag the movie with when the real director demands no credit for his or her work. So everyone wanted to sweep this thing quietly under the rug.

Which is odd, when you consider at the time, Duvall was (like he still is) at screen legend status, Harmon was big from St. Elsewhere, Frey had distanced himself from the Eagles by doing stints on Miami Vice, and Sixteen Candles and Back to the Future had just come out. And good old Gary Busey, although not quite yet certifiable crazy, was at least an established star.

So what went wrong? For starters, everyone distanced themselves from the film after Rosenberg washed his hands of it. Frey actually got thrown in jail in Mexico on a day of shooting, and can we really see Jake Ryan and Biff as anything other than those two characters? So the film never found distribution in theaters and since it was 1986, went straight to "television." Never even got a "straight to video" shout-out. Back then it was just something the HBO's or Showtime's could choose to put on at 3 AM.

As with most of our obscure picks, it's not out on DVD (yet there's a very small group demanding this happen and include the director's cut). So it's VHS or nothing for now. But the real legacy of this film is how it was the end for everyone involved with it film-wise, save Duvall. Busey would have fun but small roles in Point Break and The Firm, and then just completely lose his mind (and now he's something of a running joke playing himself on Entourage). Harmon never really got another shot at a decent movie. Cameron Crowe threw old friend Frey a bone by putting him in a rather miscast role as the General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals in Jerry Maguire. Biff was always Biff (probably begging for more Back To The Future movies, and asking if he could be paid in Cash), and Jake was forever going to be Jake. As for Stuart Rosenberg, he'd direct one more film (1991's My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys), and he died just over a year ago. But if you can find this movie on some lower tier digital cable channel some night, dial it in. It's escapist fun if nothing else.

Finally, It Could Be Fun To Follow The Royals

2008-04-02T22:22:00.006-05:00

But before we answer to that headline, it should be noted that it's true: EVERY Sports Illustrated issue is now available on-line. This actually turns out to be something a lot more entertaining than I ever thought it could be. You can thumb through any issue you want. Find and read old articles (including the infamous George Plimpton April Fool's Day joke about a pitching phenom named Sidd Finch). I mean, shouldn't Rolling Stone have done this years ago? That picture above, from SI's vault, is one of my cherished childhood memories. Almost midnight, Yankee Stadium, ALCS, and the Royals finally beat the Yankees to go to their first World Series. Dan Quisenberry striking out Willie Randolph, looking. It was the Quiz man's only strikeout in 3 2/3 innings of relief that night.

On to your 2008 Kansas City Royals. Nobody can ever get excited about starting a season 2-0 when a 10-game losing streak can loom anytime. But damn it's nice, gotta feel better than, oh-and-two perhaps. The real reason for excitement this early: Brian Bannister shut down the vaunted Tigers lineup for 7 shutout innings this afternoon. Bannister, it should be noted, had a great rookie year last season, and was one of GM Dayton Moore's master moves, picking the Mets pocket by trading Ambiorix Burgos to get Floyd Bannister's kid in hopes that he might be something of a starting pitcher. He's on his way to being an ace, which means Gil Meche can slide to a 2 or 3 starter, where he really should be anyway.

But why the Royals could be a good time. They finally seem to have some character about them. Crazy Zack Greinke, provided he's finally gotten past the fact that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up (if you haven't heard Planet Zack, by all means, click on the link, he describes how he literally cried when he learned of the break-up and it seemed to put him in a serious state of long term depression) starts tomorrow afternoon against Detroit. Who knows which Greinke will show up. I'm just glad he seems to finally get to the park on time.

Joey Gathright is getting some face time with David Dejusus' injury, which is just another good reason to bring back the old Gathright over a car video:
We all panicked when Moore threw stupid money at Jose Guillen, who had just been busted for juicing. When Guillen was with Tampa Bay, he famously feuded with then Manager Hal McRae. So Guillen comes to Kansas City...and requests to where McRae's uniform number...and he's WEARING it. Guillen's still looking for his first hit, but that fucker's got a cannon of an arm in right field. The Royals sort of need a moody character who you think could just explode at any given moment. Sort of like McRae with a group of reporters. In other words: The Sweeney Era is officially dead and gone.

And now the Royals in there own way have let us find out what Trev Alberts has been up to lately. I still have no idea what Trev is actually doing for work, but he probably is the last guy who should call out an obscure blog (although damn if he called this one out, we wouldn't be at all pissed, we'd be thrilled). I hate to break it to Trev, but a lot of us have struggled in recent years with whether or not it's OK for our children to grow up Royals fans. I'm going all in with my kids this year, no matter if Zack breaks out the crocodile tears over Brad and Jennifer tomorrow on the mound in Comerica. Yes, it's going to be a bad year for the actual Kaufman Stadium, as it's still going through a remodeling phase that was pushed back because of the bad winter. The Royals Staff has been forced to office in the Plaza instead of the Stadium for the season. But for the better part of over 14 years, the Royals have literally been dead before the first pitch of the season. Finally, there's at least a glimmer of hope. I'm not expecting a playoff push, but I'm expecting to be able to follow the team all season long without embarrassment. And hoping Bannister can shove it to Boston and New York on the road like he did to Detroit.

Journal Star Has A New Sheriff; No Comment From Bsmoked (Yet)

2008-03-28T10:12:00.006-05:00

This is actually some good news: Kansas City Star Editor Michael Nelson is leaving KC to become the new editor of Bsmoked's Lincoln Journal Star.

Yeah, we've gotten the memo long ago. Newspapers are dying, and they've all (except some like oh, the World Herald) married the web with the idea that ultimately THAT will be where everyone goes to get everything. But Nelson did an incredible job with the KC Star and I go to their website daily. He's had two of the best (if not THE best) sports columnists in Joe Posnanski and Jason Whitlock on his staff, which is impressive enough when you consider they've been there forever and are in a small sports market that hasn't exactly seen any sort of, oh, WINNING. So I'm expecting good things from Nelson, who's a Nebraska boy. And we all know what happened the last time a Nebraska native came back to run something important...

Just wondering what our old friend Bsmoked thinks of all this...

Your Husker Spring Practice Update

2008-03-28T09:12:00.003-05:00

We know, there are literally 30 some reporters who've been covering the Husker Spring Practices, and the really big news is that they're actually ALLOWED to watch what's going on, which hasn't happen in the past four years. The Lincoln Journal Star is doing a great blog on everything going on, and frankly they're so in depth with everything we can't break any new ground with shit. Oh, another good thing is that they're actually PRACTICING. With pads. And helmets. Turns out that sort of thing didn't really happen over the last four years either!

As we predicted when the coaching staff was named, Mike Ekeler is already becoming a media star and will continue to be (we WILL have a good piece on Ekeler after the spring game as we're actually going to get some things from him then about the way things are and the way things ought to be). And of course, players are openly airing their own dirty laundry and throwing the old staff under the bus, most famously Cody Glenn. I mean, we all saw THAT coming.

You know the drill, everything is different now. That happens with a new sheriff in town. But it really isn't news that some players are pissed and saying coaches promised them playing time and certain touches on certain plays during certain games. That's just nitpicking. Let it go. People lie every day. It's great that Pelini's a straight shooter and won't even play that card. The cancer's been cut, and Bo and company have their new plans and systems up and running.

What I'm just amazed at is all of the crazy stories that have transpired over the past three months about how the old staff did shit. Stuff you won't find in the mainstream media, but we'll throw some confirmed favorites here:

Husker Reporter Sean Callahan, who was a Billy C favorite probably because they shared the same last name and Sean really dug in and bought into the whole recruiting angle, recently saw the ex-Husker coach at an NFL Combine. He went up to Billy C just to say hello, and Old Man Callahan gave him the Heisman pose. Didn't throw a "hey" or "Hello" back, just ignored him. Yeah, I'd say Bill C's bitter about his time spent in Nebraska.
Didn't know this one: During the Stevie P/Billy C regime, all of the famous portraits of the Husker All-Americans that were displayed in the hallway at Memorial Stadium were taken down. After Pelini and crew came in, they found all of those pictures just stored away in a closet. They're back up now. Wouldn't that be like doing away with the retired numbers at Yankee Stadium?
When Callahan first came to Lincoln, he at least gave the a courtesy effort to reach out to some supporters. He posed for pictures with the owner of Jerico's in Omaha, gave Omaha's infamous Green Onion lounge an autographed photo. And then the 1994 season hit, and that shit just stopped happening. Billy C had his house way out in the boonies, and was rarely seen in public. When he was, and some BOOSTERS expressed their concern about the direction of the program, Callahan would simply walk away. One said, "We were just wanting to hear him say that things were going to get better, but he just sort of looked at us puzzled and left."

We'll have more fun ones when we hear them, but it is nice to know that players are at least really, well, practicing.

2008 MLB Preview (Or Why We're All Happy To Have Hank Steinbrenner Around)

2008-03-25T20:56:00.004-05:00

There really hasn't been much of a Bronx Zoo around the Yankees over the past decade, mostly because they won every year, Joe Torre somehow kept a calmness around the club, and George Steinbrenner never got riled about anything like he did in the Billy Martin Era. For a while, the Yankees were, dare I say it, classy.

But now things are about to escalate, because as we all know now, there is another Steinbrenner, and Hank just can't stop talking. And this is good for everybody. Hank has already thrown Torre under the bus, called out ESPN for creating "Red Sox Nation" (I actually agree with that), dissed every team that doesn't play in New York or LA, and oh by the way scared A-Rod in a game of chicken that made Alex negotiate a new deal with the Yanks without the all powerful Scott Boras present. Hank also loves cigarettes and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Oh, and he's got a new Manager in Joe Girardi who's obviously got more of Billy Martin in him than he does Joe Torre. Girardi was the guy who pissed off the Florida owners so much that he was fired the same year he was named NL Manager of the Year. All of this alone promises for an interesting summer.

But there's much more to this season than the potential fireworks and the last year at old Yankee Stadium...

The Cubs have the potential to be very, very good, and Lou Piniella knows it. Kerry Wood as the closer could make all the difference in the world. Just think how much fun it would have been to watch Harry Carey try to figure out Fukudome. The Cubs should run away with the NL Central, but then what will Sweet Lou do in October?
Am I the only one who thinks Albert Pujols and that bad elbow is going to be a problem? The Cardinals look like a mess. Plus they've banned booze from the clubhouse. At Busch Stadium? Screw that.
Damn, the Brewers only finished two games behind the Cubs in the NL Central last year? And they think one of the answers is signing Erig Gagne? Plus Prince Fielder is claiming to be a vegetarian. I'm not buying any of it.
Raise your hand if you have any clue why Dusty Baker chose to come back and manage the Reds. That said, Baker's taken every club he's managed to the playoffs, and should have won titles with the 2002 Giants and the 2003 Cubs. Which means Cincinnati should at least finish ahead of the Cardinals.
The Astros and Pirates. Just visiting this planet. Miguel Tejada will be a huge distraction for Houston. Pittsburgh at least signed Freddy Sanchez to an extension. They could probably get Kent Tukulve to close games for them too.
The Mets think all is right in the world since they pulled off the trade for Johan Santana. Something is still missing though, and you can't think they can rebound from that huge choke at the end of last year. (By the way, I love how A-Rod's finally come out and admitted that back in 2000, he wanted to sign a long-term deal with the Mets. Another thing that keeps Yankee fan from falling for him.)
Which reminds me of the Phillies, who lucked into the playoffs thanks to the Mets collapse. The Phils had a lot of guys who had career years last year, and they also have a lot of guys who strike out. A LOT. And not enough pitching.
It looks like John Smoltz and the Braves have one more good run in them, and Tim Hudson is finally going to have that great year he's supposed to have. I'm taking them in the NL East, and then bow out right away in the NLDS.
The Nationals and Marlins aren't even trying. After all the fire sales the Marlins have had, wasn't the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrell Willis gift to the Tigers the ultimate Going Out of Business sign? And now the Tigers just signed Cabrera to an eight-year deal? The Nationals opening day starter is Odalis Perez.
Torre trying to work what he did for the Yankees with the Dodgers. His biggest problem is going to be dealing with the potential juggernaut that is the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a great Manager in Bob Melvin and if the Unit can even come half-way back, they've got a pitching staff that could breeze through October. The DBacks are my early pick to win it all. But we'll at least give LA the Wild Card because that's another carton of cigarettes for Hank Steinbrenner.
"Tainted Love", "Come On Eileen", "99 Luftballoons", "Seasons In The Sun". Pick whatever one-hit wonder you want. That's what the Rockies were last year. They shouldn't have even made the playoffs, but rode the wave of that great 163rd extra inning game...
...Against the Padres, who stay in the thick of things every year. They're just so fucking boring.
Oh wait, so are the Giants. Barry's shadow isn't going away.
If you think the fireworks in the Bronx will be fun, remember how crazy Ozzie Guillen can turn with the White Sox? As is always the case with Ozzie, the Chi Sox are either really flying high or down in the dregs. He'll be fired by July as Hawk Harrelson's "Good Guys" struggle. Hell, Ozzie's even telling the press he SHOULD be fired if the Sox don't win.
Wait a second, the Royals all of a sudden have a pulse? New Manager Trey Hillman is going to be a big story this year. Not that Kansas City is going to make a push for October, but they're going to finally be a tougher out than people expect. At least with Dayton Moore in charge, there's a solid plan with the Royals.
The Twins will obviously miss Johan, but they're still decent. They won't miss Torii Hunter at all, and oh by the way Minnesota just signed Joe Nathan, who might be the best closer in the bigs, to an extension.
Does everyone remember how close Cleveland was to getting to the Series last year? They'll win what will be the best division in baseball. Even if one should never put their faith in an ace who has the body of Cecil Fielder.
Jim Leyland will have to manage like the Dickens in Detroit, because he'll have the best of times filling out that lineup card everyday, but smoke more cigarettes than Hank Steinbrenner trying to fill a solid pitching staff.
The Red Sox are the safe pick in the East, but they have their own pitching woes and need to make sure Paplebon continues to be Mariano Rivera instead of Mitch Williams (because off the field, Paplebon sure sounds more like the Wild Thing than he does Mo). Manny Ramirez is finally in the last year of that big contract, and you have to figure that's enough to inspire him to go and win the MVP. And then leave Boston next year for something like the Independent League.
People keep waiting for Toronto to finally turn the corner and get past either the Yanks or Sox. I keep waiting for my video tape of A Fish Called Wanda from Bsmoked to arrive in the mail.
This Yankee run HAS to end sometime soon, doesn't it? The handling of Joba will be crucial, and we'll hear all about all things with "Yankee Nation" all year long. I'd love nothing more than to see them stumble badly, but they'll hang around like they always do. Fuckers.
Tampa Bay will create a buzz the first time they play the Yankees because of Girardi making such a fuss about that spring training game. And then we'll never hear about the "Rays" again.
As Joe Cabot would say in Reservoir Dogs, the Orioles are as dead as Dillinger.
Felix Hernandez puts together a Cy Young season, and the rest of their great pitching is enough to lead Seattle to the AL West title.
All of the experts are saying the Angels are a shoo-in to win the West. Like the Mets, there seems to be something missing here. They should have never traded Orlando Cabrera.
Uh oh, the A's have former Royal headaches Emil Brown and Mike Sweeney. Not a good sign, and nobody can figure out what that Rascally Rabbit Billy Beane is up to. Which just proves Beane knows more than the rest of us. Even if they're rebuilding -- which they clearly are -- you can't rule Beane out.
Milton Bradley will at least create some headlines for the Rangers. But nothing they do can move the Cowboys from the front page.

"A Guy With A Long Face Walks In With A Horse..."

2008-03-21T19:57:00.004-05:00

I don't know what freaks me out the most: I beg Travis Roastbeef to snap a quick Flynn picture only to have him fail miserably; or that somebody actually kept a ton of pictures they traded with classmates...and still has one of our famous intimidating phone caller. And took time from their life to scan it on a computer and post it on-line.

In the interest of full disclosure, SOMEBODY collected these pictures to the point that they're in mint condition some 20 years later...and now there's a website where all of us can write fake bios for everybody. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to write bios for people. Mackenzie helped me write one in the only way that could be done. In fact, I'm taking Mac's text message about said subject and posting it as his "what he's been up to for 20 years" item. And frankly, that's what the Internet is for. I'll put the link up later, but by all means, nothing is sacred, nothing is too raunchy or wrong. The fact that anyone can do a bio on whoever they want is just too good to pass up.

Save Ferris, Not Rosenblatt

2008-03-18T08:53:00.008-05:00

There's nothing redeeming about Rosenblatt Stadium. It's been a dying dog that should have been put out of it's misery 10 years ago. The only reason it's lived as long as it has is because for years, the City of Omaha helped turn something called the College World Series into what Tony Soprano would call "an ATM Machine." On a national level, the CWS isn't that big a deal. Sure, it's always a great vacation spot for those from LSU and Cal State Fullerton because those people have become part of the annual carnival and bring millions of dollars to Omaha every June (whether their teams make it or not). Yes, the city of Omaha gets a 2-week shout out from ESPN and some writers wax nostalgically about how great the event is. All true, but it ain't like the nation is overwhelmingly captivated by the 8 teams who punch their ticket to the Big O each year. The CWS is what you'd call a big local event, but it doesn't appear to have any sort of legs that would make it a national phenomenon like College Football or March Madness are (I've reasoned for years that aluminum bats prevent it from being bigger in that regard, the pings for my money almost put the college game down to an Arena Football-esque level).

But this isn't about the College World Series trying to stretch it's cume. This is about what the Series means to Omaha's economy, and the big 700 pound hideous elephant in the room called Rosenblatt Stadium. Rosenblatt only tries to put on it's Sunday best for the two weeks the CWS comes to town, and even then it's more like Gary Busey putting on a tuxedo. Fortunately for the Blatt, all games are sold out, because that place feels absolutely empty with a crowd of 10,000. As someone who spent more than an entire season at the stadium, there's no other way to put it. Rosenblatt is a dump. There are no quaint little charms that you find in old parks like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and yes even Yankee Stadium. Even after millions of dollars spent on upgrades, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey finally realized there's no way to dress that pig. And that eventually, the NCAA was going to figure this out as well, and start to at least pay attention from the cries that came from Oklahoma City and even Indianapolis. Sure, the CWS and Omaha have been a great marriage, but the NCAA has the upper hand in this relationship, and if Michael Douglas has a chance to shack up with Catherine Zeta-Jones...

So the NCAA knows it has Omaha by the balls. The money spent in Omaha during those two weeks alone is staggering. But it's the event itself the people come for, not because it's at some hollowed stadium that gives you chills upon seeing it. The loud voices (from, it should be noted, a very small group, about the same number of people who would attend an average Omaha Royals game) who are fighting to "Save Rosenblatt" are missing the point. A new stadium in downtown would bring in even more revenue to Omaha. The NCAA would sign a long-term agreement with the city, something that would suggest that the CWS and Omaha are staying together. No more jockeying for position every few years.

Take a walk around Rosenblatt sometime. Take away the zoo, which just dwarfs everything, and it ain't exactly Wrigleyville you got there. There's a small, old-time Zesto's fast food joint that is right out of 1959. You have to walk a while to find an old-time saloon called Starsky's, which is nice if you're looking to get drunk by only spending 10 bucks. It's just a shitty old neighborhood. A new ballpark in Downtown Omaha would bring in new restaurants, bars, retail stores, probably another hotel, and would offer that much more for the CWS. The Omaha Royals and Creighton Bluejays would see increased interest and attendance for their games. There would actually be a baseball stadium where you'd go out of your way to see. And yes, there would be plenty of parking, which means tailgating will be even bigger than it's been (one of the CWS many charms for my money).

The small Omaha contingent that thinks it can play a game of chicken with the NCAA doesn't have a fucking clue. They obviously haven't seen how the seating behind home plate stays wet and unsafe for days after rain hits it. They haven't noticed how difficult it is for anyone inside to get concessions or souvenirs. The merchandise store -- yes, there's only one -- is the size of a fitting room. There's no room to add space for these folks to do business.

The really great news is that Fahey and his band are dialed in. No matter how many more small groups yell at town meetings, the new ballpark is happening. Give credit to Fahey on sticking to his vision, one he actually started thinking about over three years ago. Fahey knows that NOT building the new stadium would mean losing the CWS, and then Omaha becomes about as attractive as Des Moines. So Rosenblatt's done in 2 years, and Omaha will have some new toys to add to a skyline that Alexander Payne made fun of in About Schmidt. It's all happening. And it's about fucking time.

Set Lists Only The Few Can Figure Out

2008-03-15T18:01:00.006-05:00

Above is the actual copy of the actual set list from Springsteen's show in Omaha last night. I guess if you're a band that's being doing this stuff for almost your entire adult life, you can get by with shorthand on what song is coming up next (BToR is "Born To Run", Dan is "Dancing in the Dark", and a few other ones would require some serious guesswork from even the die-hard fans of the boss).

And don't worry: Silvio is alive and well, as Steven Van Zandt has gone from being Tony Soprano's right hand man to this original second banana (or as Christopher would say, bandanna, role). Evidently Connor Oberst came out during an encore to sing backup and play tambourine on "Thunder Road" (or as the set-list calls it, Th. Rd). And yes, all indications are Van Zandt is done with Silvio's rug:

Blair News of The Week

2008-03-14T20:41:00.003-05:00

The Blair pigs just can't stop, as they took the extra day of the year to try and mix up some sort of news. Yes, we scored for things that screamed, "FLYNN!", but it looks like he's just waiting in the weeds for now, waiting for his time to come around...

But he's gonna have to stay away from South Street, as there are plans to rebuild what Flynn would refer to as "Main Street", which means there's gonna be some intimidation by phone call coming from the Flynn Farm soon.

Things Are Escalating

2008-03-11T21:10:00.004-05:00

While we're all wondering how the mainstream media misses all sorts of important information we need, turns out they've been sleeping at the wheel when it comes to all things Mary Ann related (to the media's credit, the old lady DID get busted in late October, when there was a lot of shit going on, not like now when it's an election year and the Governor of New York gets in a little bit of trouble).

At any rate, the real news is that there's another You Tube-esque site debuting tomorrow, and it's supposed to be the site that will show us all the fun stuff we've been missing over at youtube, but I'll be a bit leery, especially if the Eddie Murphy years of SNL aren't included (but Lebowski clips are promised, again, we'll see).

Don't you think, just for grins, Eliot Spitzer should try to stick around for a little while? I mean, we ALL made some nice money on Clinton's watch while he was fooling around...hasn't New York been doing fine under this guy?