FOX News

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Komine starts today

Former Nebraska sensation Shane Komine starts today for the Oakland A's. This will be his first major league start. He will face the Toronto Bluejays and Ray Halladay. Halladay is a former Cy Young award winner and has 13 wins. His last loss was 6/18. Komine has won six starts in a row at Sacramento with a .42 ERA during that time.

Alex Gordon is batting .310 and has 18 home runs with Wichita.

Steve Smith, of the NFL Carolina Panthers, has been rated the top receiver by a lot of Fantasy Football experts this year. He was carried off on a stretcher with a severe hamstring pull on the opening day of camp.

Brian Duensing got his first victory in AA for the New Britain Rock Cats. The former Husker gave up one run in five innings.

Eric Crouch did not play Saturday for the Toronto Argonauts.

Dan Bullocks signed with the Detroit Lions on Saturday. He has a reasonable chance to start this year.

Zac Taylor has given the Cornhuskers an advantage this year as being one of the few quarterbacks in the Big 12 that is experienced and a returning starter.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Barb falls in love


Friday night in Orleans Nebraska, it came down to Barb Hartzog and Mrs. Nebraska as to who would kiss the pig. Barb known as the "Princess" was voted the lucky woman that got to kiss the pig. It was later reported that she stacked the deck to get her chance of making out with the pig. The pig who Barb now calls "studmuffin" seemed to like the kiss also. In front of app 5,000 people attending, Barb tongued the pig and at one point was licking the pig's nose rapidly and out of control.

Later that night she was caught sleeping with the pig. Confronted by the the local newspaper, Barb just said I wanted to be with him until he was loaded on the truck. During the 4-H sale Barb stole the pig from the owner, a seven year old girl. She entered the sale ring and cried like a baby while the pig was sold and led away.

Please send your sympathy cards to Barb as she is going through an emotional trauma at this time.

USC is picked to win Pac 10


USC is picked to win the Pac 10 for the fourth consecutive year. With the loss of Leinart, Bush and White, the writers still feel the talent level is there again. Nebraska faces them at USC this fall and it will be an interesting game. Is USC still that good. How much has NU improved. This writer thinks it will be a fun defensive type game with the home field being the difference. If NU's depth is adequate watch out!!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

2006 NU football predicts! What are your thoughts on this?

The football season wil begin in 70 days. Yes, only 70 days. We are almost into July and then you know how quick the summer flies.

This writer is as confident as he has been since Frank Solich's last team. The schedule is tougher in 06 but so are the Huskers. They have a very solid defense with adequate depth at most all positions. The linebacker and defensive end corp is very solid. Corey McKeon and Adam Carriker lead the heart of these positions. Both are leaders of the team. Throw in Ruud, Octavien, and Bradley at linebacker and Barry Turner at defensive end and you have some of the Big 12's best. Steve Octavien, if he can stay healthy, may be as good as linebacker as we have had. Oh, and by the way, a star of the Bowl game, Lance Bradenburgh will provide even more depth.

At the cornerback positions, we have a potential high draft pick in Zach Bowman and the veteran Cortney Grixby.

Two positions of concern with depth is safety and the interior line. Suh and Dagunduro should provide a tough line with Cryer to either start or back them up. Zach Johnson and Craig Roarke will provide depth but need to come along a lot before the season begins. NU will need others to step to provide depth so that we can rotate and keep the players fresh. At safety we have Tierre Green and Andrew Shanle should be starters. Depth will be provided by Titus Brothers and rookie Anthony West. Safety and the interior linemen are two positions we don't need injuries.

On offense, it is essential that Zach Taylor stays healthy. This is a must for a very good season. He is as good as QB as there is in the Big 12. He will play in the NFL at some point. The backups have a long ways to go but continue to show improvement. They aren't ready for the Big 12 today.

One way to keep Taylor healthy is for the offensive line to step up a couple of notches. I believe they will do this in 06. Led by Kurt Mann and Matt Slausen, they will be improved. They are where we need them yet, but they have the potential to improved markedly. Chris Patrick, veteran Greg Austin, Mike Huff, Andy Christensen, and Lydon Murtha will all be challenging for starting jobs. The competition should be fierce which will make them all better.

The wide receiver unit is full of depth.We will easily be able to keep fresh receivers on the field at all times. Nate Swift and Terrance Nunn lead the pack. Maurice Purify will excel. Frantz Hardy will be back along with Chris Brooks. Todd Peterson had a great 2005 season and Isaiah Fluellen is back for one more year. There are no exceptional receivers such as Todd Blythe of ISU but will our depth you won't find a better group. We may have a different start at receiver each week.

Tight end is led by Matt Herian, Josh Mueller, and JB Phillips. Herian is still healing but should start to be a factor by the middle of the year. I like Mike McNiel, a 2006 recruit, to have some impact down the field. Missouri's Coffman and Rucker are tall and fast and caued NU a lot of problems last year. NU needs this kind of player and we should have good improvement at this position this year.

Running back is solid with Glenn and Marlon Lucky. They aren't all Big 12 right now but they are very good and could breakout this season. Leon Jackson is fast and will play in certain situations. I think Lucky and Jackson will catch quite a few passes in 06. Kenny Wilson the JUCO recruit is key. This writer feels he may be the most talented of the bunch if he can pick our system up fast enough. Look to him gaining carries per game by year end.

Jordon Congdon will excel again in 2006. The punter is yet to be determined. Should be interesting as to who can start. Dan Titchener is the favorite to win the job but Will Henery or the walkon from Texas could provide some interesting competition. Don't expect a Sam Koch or Kyle Larson to emerge right away.

The season looks like this:

09/02 Louisiana Tech

NU will win easily 57-7.
09/09 Nicholls State
Special teams play a big part of this game and some offensive records will be broken.
72-3
09/16 @ Southern Cal
Big game. USC will have a different QB. With our linebackers we will create some problems. USC is so talented. I look to two great teams fighting it out in a relatively low scoring game of 17-14. USC wins.
09/23 Troy
Poor Troy will face the Huskers who will be angry after the USC loss. With the emotion of the USC game gone, NU will win 44-9. Taylor may break some season passing records by now.
09/30 Kansas
This will be one of the revenge games the press talk about. The Kansas coaching staff is underrated. After last year's game which was the low point of the Callahan era, we will rebound in a tough one. 31-21.
10/07 @ Iowa State
The "shootout". This will be the best game to date. Iowa State has the Meyer/Blythe connection against our secondary. This will be the game where the defense will have to work very hard. A mulitple overtime game with Iowa State winning 58-54.
10/14 @ Kansas State
Josh Freeman watch out. Motivation does weird things. NU 38-17.
10/21 Texas
Texas will be too tough at home. Very talented but with a new QB. I think Oklahoma is overrated and Texas will win the Big 12. Texas 30-21.
10/28 @ Okla. State
Even though we are a little banged up after Texas look to NU winning 28-7.
11/04 Missouri
Another revenge game. Brad Smith is gone and the backup has been in a little trouble. NU 38-14.
11/11 @ Texas A&M
An away game against a solid team. NU 27-24.
11/24 Colorado
This will be a fun game. Colorado has a new coach learning a new system. NU 45-21.
12/02 Big 12 Champ.
Iowa State loses to two lesser teams and Texas beats NU in the Championship game 22-21.
Nebraska 's record is 9-4.
Nebraska plays Iowa in the Alamo Bowl and wins 38-13.
Season record 10-4

Sunday, July 23, 2006

People Magazine

Check out the new People Magazine link. It is entertaining!

Question of the Day

Have you seen "Failure to Launch" and is it a good movie?

Results of Pocono predictions

Hit 6 out of 12 teams this week. Season 13 out of 24.
Predictions for this week's Nascar race at Pocono.
1. Denny Hamlin (1)
2. Jimmie Johnson (6)
3. Greg Biffle (24)
4. Mark Martin (19)
5. Carl Edwards (39)
6. Kevin Harvick (5)
7. Jeff Burton (9)
8. Kyle Busch (12)
9. Kurt Busch (2)
10.Matt Kenseth (14)
11.Kasey Kayne (31)
12.Ryan Newman (18)

Friday, July 21, 2006

Tony Watson decides

Tony Watson plans to come back to the University of Nebraska next year and play baseball. This is huge for the baseball team.

Titus Adams has signed a contract with the New York Jets.

Nebraska has announced its schedule. It is subject to change.
2006-07 Nebraska Men's Basketball Schedule (As of July 21, 2006)
Home games include
Nov. 6 Nebraska-Kearney (exh.)
Nov. 18 Creighton
Jan. 6 Western Kentucky
Jan. 13 Oklahoma State *
Jan. 24 Texas *
Jan. 29 Kansas *
Feb. 13 Kansas State *

Away games include:
Dec. 9 vs. Oregon ^Portland, Ore. TBA
Dec. 20-23 at Rainbow Classic Honolulu
Dec. 20 vs. Wyoming @Honolulu, Hawaii 9 p.m.
Dec. 22 vs. San Francisco or Hawaii @Honolulu, Hawaii TBA
Dec. 23 TBA @Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec. 30 vs. Miami, Fla @Miami, Fla.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Your opinion

Who is the University of Nebraska's best football player of all time? Why did you pick this player?

Check out the blue ads!!!!

Trivia question of the week is:

Who has the most all time hits in MLB's All Star Game?

Nascar Pocono Predictions

Predictions for this week's Nascar race at Pocono.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Greg Biffle
4. Mark Martin
5. Carl Edwards
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Jeff Burton
8. Kyle Busch
9. Kurt Busch
10.Matt Kenseth
11.Kasey Kayne
12.Ryan Newman

Those left out of the top 12 this week are Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jamie McMurray. Predicted to finish last this week is Robby Gordon.

The darkhorse pick of the week is Brian Vickers.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Nebraska Football recruits

In reviewing "Rivals" recruiting DVD, it is obvious that Nebraska recruited some top notch players in 2006. See the "Rivals" link in my LINKS area for more information. This writer will attempt to predict the top five recruits that will have the most imediate impact for the Cornhuskers this fall.
1. Kenny Wilson
A Juco player out of Kansas and a Liberal, Kansas native this guy is a physical speciman. He looks strong, fast and quick. As soon as he learns the plays and the Nebraska system he will be playing. He looks like a linebacker but is really fast. I think he will begin playing major time by mid-season. If he knew the system well, he would be a starter. I am high on Glenn, Lucky, Brandon Jackson and Leon Jackson. These guys are great and it will be a challenge to get them on the field as much as possible. I would guess that Lucky and Leon Jackson will line up as receivers during the year. Kenny Wilson looks like he belongs in the NFL now.

2. Menelik Holt
Coming from St Augustine High School in San Diego, this kid could be in the rotation soon. He is very fast and can catch the ball from all routes. He will be used on the goal line with Todd Peterson and "Mo" will catch some TD's this year. He can jump and aoutwork the defender. Look for him to be a factor in Nebraska's success this fall.

3. Maurice Purify
Another Juco player out of San Fransisco, California, Maurice Purify will make the rotation as a receiver in 2006. He scored 26 TD'slast year. He is tall and can catch a lot of passes over shorter defensive backs. He also is fast. He is another player NU will use at the goal line because of his height. Look to Purify to play in the NFL in a couple of years.

4. Mike McNiel
This tight end from Missouri will be a true freshman this fall. He is tall and fast. He looks like Matt Herian when he first started at NU. He will add a dimension to the tight end position and will be more than a blocker. He can catch the call and run with it. He will play this fall and the staff will find a way to stretch out the defenses by using him. He may be comparable to Coffman and Rucker of the University of Missouri who Nebraska tried to recruit two years ago. He may at time line up as a receiver due to his ability.

5. Anthony West
West will safety for NU this fall and will challenge Ricky Thenarse and Titus Brothers as one of the backups. The San Diego product may be the fastest kid on the football team. He could return punts also as he has a lot of quickness also. Because of his speed and the lack of depth at safety, I see Anthony West playing a lot this fall.

Results from New Hampshire

Fout top drivers had "bad" days today. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman all had their problems. This writer picked Jr., Busch and Newman in the top dozen. Tony Stewart was not picked to finish in the top 12.
1. Matt Kenseth 14
2. Jimmie Johnson 9
3. Jeff Burton 7
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 43
5. Kurt Busch 38
6. Greg Biffle 3
7. Kyle Busch 1
8. Ryan Newman 39
9. Denny Hamlin 6
10.Kevin Harvick 5
11.Mark Martin 4
12.Jeff Gordon 15

This writer picked Mayfield, Jarret, and Mears to have rough days. They finished 29,31 and 21st respectively.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Richmond is the best track to watch a race so far.

Out of all the race tracks you have been to, which one has the best track or atmosphere? Which track haven't you been to that you would like to?

This writer is fortunate to have been to Indy four times, Martinsville, Richmond, Kansas City and Phoenix.

Richmond is a great place to watch a race. Lots of excitement and it is easy to watch the action on the 3/4 mile track. Martinsville has a half mile track and is a lot of fun too. Indy has the best atmosphere and everybody needs to go there to see the best of them all. It is hard to watch the race though due to the 2 1/2 mile track.

I would like to go to Bristol. Just sounds great to ne there.

How does the Nascar winnings get split between owners, drivers and the rest of the team

Question:
When the prize money is shown for the driver after a race, does the driver get all that money or does the owners get a part of it?

In my research, the driver's get it. However I didn't find anything to answer the question for sure. There is a complicated formula as how drivers get paid and lower placed drivers can get paid more depending on the sponsor.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Tough question!

Should Nextel Cup drivers be able to compete in the Busch Races?

Yes they should be allowed to compete in the Busch series. What is happening right now is that more Nextel Cup drivers are competing in the Busch series and it appears that if they got out, there wouldn't even be enough drivers for a complete field. I think long range that having too many Cup drivers in the Busch series is bad for Nascar. In the past the Busch series was a training ground for those that wanted to be in the Nextel Cup series. This year there are fewer drivers in Busch that the big teams are looking at to bring up. They are looking to drivers elsewhere such as Montoya from Formula One and Patrick from the open wheel division.

Why are so many Cup racers competing in Busch this year? Probably money but to be honest I am not sure. This writer loves watching the Cup racers in the Busch series but the series has to be a place to learn and hope for one of the big boys to pick them up. Whatever the reason is that the Cup racers are wanting to race in Busch needs to be looked at and changed.

Question is though "Shouldn't Danica Patrick run a full Busch Series if she goes to the Cup next year just for the experience?" The answer is yes and I hope to watch her more in Busch than the Cup series. Time will probably change the mix on its own.

Reply to Danica Patrick question

Will Danica Patrick come to NASCAR and will she be able to compete with the big boys if she does?

Danica Patrick is very talented and is a very sellable commodity. She would create excitement and a topic of converstion that would create additional interest in Nascar. I think she would put a deal together with a Jack Rousch, Hendricks or any of the top teams she would make a move because that is where the big money is at. The fan base for Nascar is tremendous and still growing. Montoya is another example of a great driver moving to Nascar.

Would she compete for the championship right away. No. It would be quite an adjustment.I can't imagine that she could outrace Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon and they are presently struggling to stay in or get in the top 25. She may have better equipment but I don't think in the first three years that she would be much better than 25th. She realistically would be in the 22-30 range in standings with great equipment.

But if she goes I will be watching how she does along with millions of other fans and that is good for the Nascar business.

Answer to Michael Boehler question

1 What changes would you make to the existing points race as it is now?

This would take more thought and statistics than I have available. There is no doubt that the winner of a race should get bonus points of 20 to 25 points. This would create more exciting racing as some drivers tend to hold back to get their points vs going for the win. Many times those that led the most laps end up with as many points as the driver that won. It is possible for a driver to win the points race with no wins during the season. That isn't right. It would be better for the fans and fairer to the drivers if the winner of a race gets credit for being the best.

I also think there may be some merit in allowing any driver within 25 points of the top ten to have a chance at the championship also. I think these kind of things if not too complicated will allow more fans to feel like there is still a chance for their favorite driver if they are close. It would be win-win for the drivers and the fans.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Top dozen at New Hampshire

Nascar takes us to New Hampshire this week. Here are this writer's top twelve predicted finishers:
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Jeff Burton
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Kurt Busch
6. Greg Biffle
7. Kyle Busch
8. Ryan Newman
9. Denny Hamlin
10.Kevin Harvick
11.Mark Martin
12.Jeff Gordon

This writer doesn't feel good about the finishes of Jeremy Mayfield, Dale Jarrett or Casey Mears.

Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Question from Michael Boehler:
What happened to Bobby Hamilton Jr, and why isn't he racing this year. Also, how tall is he and has he been in a bad mood lately?


Bobby Hamilton Jr. is racing in the Craftsman Truck Series and has three top ten finishes in 2006. He is 13th in points. His father Bobby Hamilton won the Truck Series in 2004.

Bobby Jr. is 5'5" and weighs 170 lbs. One of the reasons of making a face when you asked for his autograph could be the constant demand of spectators asking for autographs, a tough 2005 Cup season, and the fact his father is fighting cancer.

Nascar's All Star race

Question From Brad Hartzog:
Do you think that the all-star race should be at the end of the season instead of the middle?


No. The All Star Race is usually the third week of May and it provides a high stakes race which is a nice break. There are no Nextel points. The excitement is greater in May vs what they would be in November. I think after the season the teams are ready for a break. In May, you put all the winners from the year before, plus past winners of the all star race, plus point champions from the past ten years and add an open race for one more driver to enter and you have some real excitement. The winner takes a million dollars. The fans have to like it better also because like the drivers they are ready for a short break after the points champion is named. Good question. Any comments?

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Fire a Question

Ask this writer a sports question and he will comment as to his views. The subject this week is Nascar. Fire away.

By the way, Matt Kenseth wrecked his rental on the way to the Indy track today. He was hit by a student driving in driver's ed. Then he went to the track and wrecked his car while testing at he brickyard. Matt Kenseth is having an eventful week.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

2000th page load

Today this site had its 2000th page load. There have been 815 different visitors from diiferent sites and 542 returning visitors. Thanks for visiting and always check out the Blue Ads listed above. THANK YOU!

The Cinderella Man

Wasn't Paul Giamatti great in "The Cinderella Man". Great show with great acting. Did you know his father was the commissioner of Major League Baseball when Pete Rose was banned from baseball. Paul Giamatti will have a new movie out called "Lady in the Water."

This writer didn't get into the World Cup but many did. Hopefully the next time I can get educated better as to this event. It is followed globally.

T.J. Holloway is going to the Denver Broncos. He is a 3rd year pro from Nebraska and ended with 173 tackles as a linebacker.

Alex Gordon is batting .301, has 11 homeruns, 40 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. The GM for KC says he will use Omaha now as the stop before Kansas City so it is apparent that will be Mr. Gordon's next stop. That will creat some excitement in Omaha.

This writer din't see Eric Crouch in any of the statistics for Toronto in the Canadian Football League.

Did Jeff Gordon intentionally put out Matt Kenseth in the Chicago race today? This accident affected some key racers namely Kenseth and Stewart. Please leave your comments!!

Nascar results at Chicago

It was a crazy finish today with a lot of changes to a couple of top racers at the end.Kenseth was running 1st and Stewart 3rd. The actual finish is listed after the name.
Predicted finish today is:
1. Jimmie johnson (6th)
2. Matt Kenseth (24)
3. Tony Stewart (32)
4. Greg Biffle (11)
5. Kevin Harvick (4)
6. Jamie McMurray (39)
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5)
8. Jeff Burton (2)
9. Mark Martin (18)
10. Kyle Busch (3)
11. Brian Vickers (13)
12. Jeff Gordon (1)

Yeley ran well finishing 10th but Kahne did struggle with a 23rd place finish.

Chicago Race/Nascar

Todays race should be a good one although these type tracks can sometime provide an uneventful race as to lead changes. The starting position for todays race isn't as important as it has been the past few weeks. The past winners have come from all over the board.

This writer sees Jimmie Johnson as the big favorite. He has been racing well and does well on the Chicago track. Matt Kenseth will be a factor and as always Tony Stewart will have a good car. Tony Stewart likes this track. Greg Biffle seems to be heating up and this could be his chance to knock one off. Watch for Jamie McMurray to have a very good finish today.

Kevin Harvick does well at this track. He has been a little inconsistent in his races lately, but today he will do well. One of the top five hottest racers right now is Jeff Burton and he looks to do well. Look to Mark Martin, Kyle Busch and the surprising Brian Vickers to be up towards the top today.

Predicted finish today is:
1. Jimmie johnson
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Tony Stewart
4. Greg Biffle
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. Jeff Burton
9. Mark Martin
10. Kyle Busch
11. Brian Vickers
12. Jeff Gordon

I don't see Kasey Kayne and J.J. Yeley having goods days today.

Race starts around 3. Enjoy.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Follow-Your-Dream Questionaire

In the next month I will be sending out the following questionaire to some of the top high school players in Nebraska. My wishes are to post the results of the questionaire on this website. I would appreciate any addition questions you would like asked or any comments that I could improve this questionaire. I would like to thank Tyler Keyser and Kim Boehler for assisting me with this questionaire. Thank you! John Boehler

follow-your-dream

This is a questionnaire that I’m sending out to high school students involved in athletics to be used on my website http://www.jboehler54.blogspot.com. Please fill it out and return it to:

John Boehler
PO Box 346
Holdrege, NE 68949




Name___________________________________ Position(s)__________________________________

High School_____________________________ Coach______________________________________

Height_______ Weight _______ Bench _______ Squat _______ 40_______ Vert. Jump _______


Fill in the area most applicable to your position:
(Note: Be sure to indicate whether your totals are by season or career)

Yards:
Rushing ____________________ Receiving ____________________ Passing ____________________

Tackles ____________________ Interceptions ____________________


Favorite Game Memory:





Best Athlete You Have Played Against:


Favorite Team (Pro and College):


Favorite Player:


Colleges Interested in You:


College(s) You Are Interested In:


Personal

What Is Your Favorite Books:


Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:


What Is Your Favorite Movie:


What Is Your Favorite TV Show:


Which Actor Would You Like To Be Like:


What Are Your Hobbies:



What Is Important For You To Be Successful:




E-Mail Address: