Game 1, Nebraska 47, Western Michigan 24

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?

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

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.

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The Mad Men "Sopranos" Complex

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.

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The Pine Tar Game Redux

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.

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Pelini Can't Lose

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!
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Something To Do In Lincoln Before Football Starts

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. CLICK TO READ ENTIRE POST!

100 years and, done counting!

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. CLICK TO READ ENTIRE POST!

Obscure Movie of the Week "High School USA"

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. CLICK TO READ ENTIRE POST!