FOX News

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Nebraska basketball is close to being good!

Nebraska is a center and maybe a power forward away from being a top 25 team. That means by next year, NU will be fighting to get into the Top 25 and the following year, they will be there. There is little difference between the top of the Big 12, after Oklahoma, and the ninth best team. It is usually a player or two and some luck.

NU should beat Texas Tech, away, and Colorado, away. This will bring their record back to 4-4 in the Big 12. They will need to go 5-3 after that which won't be easy to end up 9-7 which could get them into the tournament if they would win a couple of games in the Big 12 tournament.

This writer is going with Arizona to win the Super Bowl. Why not? Great defense and a good offense! Arizona 30 Pittsburgh 24.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I've Been Tagged!

Todd from collegefootballtopten.com has tagged me. This means I need to give seven facts about myself.
  • collegefootballtopten


  • So we will give it a try.

    1.I LOVE TO HUNT AND FISH
    I have a passion for hunting and fishing. I love to hunt deer most of all. I got my first deer with a bow this year. I have shot deer with a rifle since I was 16. I also hunt turkey, pheasant, ducks, and geese. My dad started us hunting when we were very young and it is exciting, like the Nebraska football season. When my dad passed away a couple of years ago, many of the stories we still tell and memories I still have were tied to fishing and hunting. I have fished mostly along the Republican River, below where we were raised, for catfish. I do enjoy all fishing for all kinds of fish. My hunting and fishing buddies are my brothers. How much better can it get.

    2. I WAS RAISED NEAR ORLEANS, NEBRASKA
    I grew up near this small town in south-central Nebraska as I said by the Republican River. Our life was pretty simple when I was younger and we didn't have the rush-rush life we have today. Most everybody went out for all sports. Orleans was only 610 people when I went to high school. Now it is around 435. I am so glad that I was raised in this environment. We worked very hard and just enjoyed a slower quieter life.

    3. I LOVE FAMILY
    I have a great wife. Her name is Janet. She gives me space to enjoy things I like to do like hunting and fishing. She is there when I need her. I have three great girls who are grown up now. Two of my daughters, Sarah and Jessica, got married last year. They both have jobs and have great husbands. Sarah and Rob live in Lincoln. Jessica and Scott live in Omaha. Kim is in her last semester at UNL. I am very blessed. I also have two step-sons, Derek and Drew. Derek is a successful farmer. Drew is in his final year of school at Hastings College and is coaching basketball at Lawrence-Nelson. Derek and Ashley have a daughter. Drew and Whitney have a son. My mom is precious and is as nice a mother as you could ask for. I have three brothers and a sister and we are a very close family. I am very blessed.

    4. HUSKER SPORTS
    The biggest sport in Nebraska is Husker football. If you have never been to a football game in Lincoln, you should go. It is like no other in college football. In the fall, it becomes a big part of our life. Two of my daughters have worked in the football office, Sarah and Kim. Sarah worked for five years in the office and was recruiting office assistant before she changed jobs. Kim still is working there and assist Bo Pelini's secretary and is in charge of organizing the summer camps. Jessica is also a huge fan. I have season tickets and hardly ever miss a game. I also have season tickets for Nebraska basketball and enjoy going to those games also. I try to go to a few baseball games every year. It's a lot of fun.

    5. I WORK IN A BANK
    I was raised on a farm and I never ever wanted to work inside. I wanted to be an FBI agent and until my sophomore year in college, I had a criminal justice major in mind. But then somebody told me how much paperwork there was with being an FBI agent and this turned me off. Don't ask me how I got into banking and have been in this occupation for the past 33 years. I'm just not sure.

    6. I LOVE TO READ
    Reading is very enjoyable to me. I like to mix fiction with non-fiction. For instance, I read the Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell this month. The last book I read was Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. This was given to me by Jessica and Scott. It is one of the best books I have ever read. It actually is somewhat similar to Glenn Beck's life, but not quite. It is a story that makes you appreciate what you have versus being unhappy about what you don't have. God is more important than material things (and how we act when we don't have them). It really makes you think. I have also been reading a book, The Nebraska Vault-History of the Cornhuskers by Mike Babcock. It has a wealth of information and has replicas of old tickets etc. It is written by the top historian of Nebraska football. Kim gave me this book. My next books are non-fiction. They are "Cross Country" and "Plum Spooky".

    6. I LOVE TO EAT
    It is not a coincidence that one of my favorite shows is Bizarre Foods on the Travel channel. Most of my life has been centered around food. I just love food of all kinds. I loved the Omaha Steaks package I got from Sarah and Rob. I love so many foods that cooking for me is easy. Sometimes I wish I was pickier but I am not. Of course being overweight has caused me some health problems so my eating habits are starting to change gradually. But I do love to eat!

    7. I LIKE TO WATCH TV AND GO TO THE MOVIES
    I try to DVR two or three shows every day so that I fly through the commercials and not take so much time watching TV. Boston Legal was great because I always wondered how much fun the writers had dreaming up the storylines. The Office is so funny I really look forward to watching it. I like Dateline NBC, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, and FoxNews.
    On the movie scene, I just watched Gran Torino. Funny as can be. My all-time favorite is Christmas Vacation. I like all kinds of movies. Lastly I watch a lot of sports. I am a sports fantasy junky. I love Nascar and have watched races at five different tracks. Fantasy football is a lot of fun. I also due fantasy golf and baseball and others.

    So now I am supposed to tag seven other people who will give seven facts about themselves. I don't think I know seven bloggers. I will tag Jessica for her web site. I challenge Brad and Kim to give their seven facts on the Nebraska Sports Journal. I challenge Michael to list his seven facts on his website.
  • The Wheelers

  • Hunting and Fishing Journal



  • Monday, January 26, 2009

    The Toddler comments on NU's recruits from Texas!


    So far here is what I found.

    Robinson is a running back for Euless Trinity High School. Euless was ranked number 1 in the nation by someone last year before losing in the playoffs. They have had a great program since I have been in Fort Worth (1996). I haven't found how many yards he had last year, but I am sure he will be a solid back. His 4.5 speed is decent, but maybe the Nebraska coaches can get it down a little bit. He knows how to win.

    I don't know much about the other players. I think that Burkhead is just a good athlete who might be versatile. The other two are big tall linemen who need time in the weight room before we now how good they can be. These are only the players from North Texas. There is a middle linebacker from Ailene who looks pretty good, a corner back from San Antonio, an undersized DT from somewhere called Galena Park, and you have the quarterback.

    Cody Green is the quarterback from Dayton, TX. He is 6-4, 220 and runs a 4.7 (needs to pick up some speed). He is a dual threat QB and is the # 7 ranked QB by Scout.com. He looks like he might be a keeper. He also has a 3.6 GPA (according to him, see scout.com). The Big Red Report did a story (interview?) about him earlier this month. We'll see.

    Todd

    --
    Todd E. Jones
    Get ready for Saturdays this fall!
    www.collegefootballtopten.com

    www.dfwfootball.net
    All DFW. All Football

    Saturday, January 24, 2009

    Things Just Stink!


    Nebraska played hard and good enough to win today, but they just couldn't hit the shots! Sometimes they just don't fall. That's the shots, of course. The players were all over the court scrambling for loose balls and making things happen. It just stinks that the shots wouldn't fall. NU lost the game today but won the fans with their effort. They'll win games with this type of effort, but to lose today just stinks.

    I thought booing President Bush as he left the White House this week was just total classless. At a time when the country needs unity, booing our outgoing President stinks.

    Why are all these coaches getting fired. The colleges and pro teams hired them because they were great coaches and all the sudden they don't know how to coach? All the sudden they get stupid? Maybe the Athletic Directors and more importantly the General Managers of the pro teams need to look at themselves. It stinks.

    Suspending John Daly for six months to play on the PGA tour stinks. He has been doing what he has been doing for several years and now we penalize the fans with a suspension? It stinks. He isn't hurting a team and if kids see what happens to a great player when he does the wrong things, then he may set an example for others.

    When this wave of political power runs on a platform of keeping the environment clean, why did this group have some of their members arrive in Washington this week on 600 different jets. An all-time record for an inauguration. Do they think their jets won't cause pollution? It just stinks! Literally! The past two years the earth has recorded its two coldest years since records have been kept. Global warming? It stinks---the propaganda that is!

    The fact that Marty Schottenheimer isn't coaching stinks!

    How long will the high salaries be paid to professional athletes? It is way too high and with the economy downturn, team owners will start to take losses that will hurt all sports!! It stinks!

    The fact that Boston Legal is no longer making new shows stinks!

    The NU football team should have been rated in the Top 25 this year! It stinks!

    In high school basketball, what about the team that won 100-0? That stinks!

    Southern Valley had won five games this year and then played Hasting St. Cecelia! They were beaten 81-7!! Southern Valley's top score had two points! That stinks! Not the kids or the teams. It just doesn't seem possible. How can a team that has won five games be behind 46-0 at half? When I played we at least had somebody hit a shot by the second quarter.

    Went hunting with a guide this winter called "Tracker" Bill Gerdes. All I have to say is he STINKS!

    EEEW! What stinks? I gotta go!!!

    Friday, January 23, 2009

    NU will upset Oklahoma St.


    This writer is 1-3 in picking NU basketball games this year but they are 2-0 at home so I go with the upset Saturday in Lincoln vs. Oklahoma St. NU is 2nd in the country in turnover percentage and 6th in steal percentage. This is a Doc Sadler team and you wouldn't expect them not to be good in these categories.

    NU played well Wednesday night vs. Oklahoma. The game just got out of hand at the end, otherwise NU was very competitive.

    The 2009 college football predictions are starting to come out. Everybody has Florida #1. Virginia Tech is rated in the Top 10 in all predictions and NU travels their way in 2009. Here is how the Big 12 is projected to finish in 2009:

    MR. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Constitution-Journal)
    #2 Texas
    #5 Oklahoma
    #7 Oklahoma St.
    #20 Texas Tech
    Nebraska is not rated in the Top 25

    BRUCE FELDMAN (ESPN)
    #2 Texas
    #3 Oklahoma
    #10 Oklahoma
    He only does the Top 10

    MATT HAYES(SPORTING NEWS)
    #2 Texas
    #3 Oklahoma
    #12 Oklahoma St.
    #21 Kansas
    #23 Nebraska
    Huskers must find a QB, but a surge of confidence from a nine win season---and playing smarter on defense---will carry over into 2009.

    RIVALS.COM
    #2 Texas
    #4 Oklahoma
    #10 Oklahoma St.
    #19 Kansas

    DENNIS DODD (CBS SPORTSLINE)
    #2 Oklahoma
    #3 Texas
    #9 Oklahoma St.
    #14 Kansas
    #16 Nebraska
    Slowly, surely the Huskers are getting swagger back. The difference in the Big 12 North is the Kansas game being in Lawrence KS.

    MATT SCHLABACH (ESPN)
    #2 Texas
    #4 Oklahoma
    #10 Oklahoma St.
    #22 Nebraska
    The Cornhuskers made great strides under first year coach Bo Pelini. So much so that they might be ready to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 North title in 2009. To take the next step, though, Nebraska will have to replace most of its skills players. Quarterback Joe Ganz, I-Back Marlon Lucky and receivers Nate Swift adn Todd Peterson are all departing. Seven starters are back on defense.
    #23 Kansas
    #25 Texas Tech

    Monday, January 19, 2009

    Sport Shorts

    Paul Velander is having a great year on offense. He is rated 2nd in the nation in turnover percentage, 6th in field goal percentage, and 14th in the overall offensive rating for all players.

    Nebraska plays at Oklahoma tomorrow night. If NU can stay within 10 points, it is a good night. NU doesn't have an answer for the top player in college basketball, Blake Griffin. He is averaging 22 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. The question is: "Will Brian Diaz play and how good is he?"

    Oklahoma coach Jeff Caper had a 39-27 record coming into this season at Oklahoma. He has built them back to a national power. The game will be played at the Lloyd Noble Center which has a capacity of 12,000.

    As an attendee of Football 202 last year, it was easy to see that one of the major positives of the football program was James Dobson. He is NU's head strength coach. He has a great passion for his job and the players! He is taking conditioning to a new level and with another year, the Huskers will be in better shape next year.

    Look for a lot of new starters in 2009 on the football field. The defensive secondary could feature a lot of different faces.

    Bill Self may have committed a recruiting violation. All he did was say hello to a recruit and told him "nice game". The rules have gotten way out of hand.

    Augie Garrido, baseball coach from Texas, may lose his job because of his DUI. In this era, there is little tolerance for this type of arrest.

    In 1971, NU had nine players on the All Big Eight team. Assistant coaches Monte Kiffin, Jim Walden, Carl Selmer, and Warren Powers all went on to be head coaches at the college level.

    Who's the better QB, Mark Sanchez from USC or Matthew Stafford from Georgia? The top pick may be Stafford and his reward? may be to get drafted first by Detroit.

    Football recruiting team ratings show LSU first, Ohio State second, and Texas third. USC is fourth with Nebraska 24th. Put whatever value you want on the rankings but we all know it doesn't mean much.

    Cody Glenn may be our first draft pick as scouts are pretty high on him.

    This writer doesn't think Chase Daniel will get drafted!!

    CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BAR IN THE LEFT COLUMN. THERE IS SOME NEAT STUFF ON THERE!!!!!!!!!!

    Sunday, January 18, 2009

    Matt Hill plays 27 minutes against Texas Tech!

    Matt Hill played extensive minutes Saturday vs. Texas Tech! He played 27 minutes and had six points, five rebounds, and one blocked shot. Texas won 71-49 at Texas Tech. Matt is a former Lincoln Southeast graduate.

    A few night ago Matt attended the San Antonio Spurs game with Alexis Wangmere, also a Texas player. Wangmere was Cameroon, which is in South Africa. His legal guardians are Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Buford. R.C. Buford is the General Manager of the San Antonio Spurs. At halftime, they went up Spurs box where (Desperate Housewives)Eva Longoria was eating. Matt got to meet her and said that she was pretty little. Eva Longoria is 5 feet tall and weighs under 100 lbs. Matt is 6'9". Longoria is married to San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker.

    Nebraska could use Matt Hill this year. But they had an impressive win vs. Kansas St. Saturday with a 73-51 win. NU was hitting from all cylinders. Their effort was great and the defense overwhelmed K-State. This writer is now 0-3 in predicting NU games. K-State goes to 0-3 in the Big 12.

    Approximately 12,000 fans watched Rex Eckwall, Kent Pavelka, Erick Strickland, and Danny Nee get honored for being the newest members to NU's Basketball Hall of Fame. They all got a nice welcome. Danny Nee was cheered and it was good to see the coach with the most wins in Nebraska history.

    Yesterday, Kim (daughter) and myself went to the movie "Gran Torino". It is a must see!! It may be Clint Eastwood's last movie and it is different than most movies you will ever see!

    Thursday, January 15, 2009

    Wildcards in the Super Bowl!

    Look to Philadelphia and Baltimore to be in the Super Bowl. Both are wild cards. Baltimore has the best defense in football and will upset Pitsburgh in a low scoring game. Arizona will end their run with a loss to Philadelphia.

    Should be two great games in the NFL this week! Don't miss them!

    NU basketball took a hit last night losing to Iowa State at Iowa State. K-State probably won't go 0-3 and will be the Huskers this weekend 56-53. I hope I am wrong. This is a huge game for the Huskers because if they lose this one, they may be challenged to win three or four more games in the Big 12. Go Huskers!

    Clcik on the FunOffice Pool icon in the left top column and register to play the America Idol game. We are all competitors even if it is just American Idol. The league name is Nebraska Sports Journal and the password is loser.

    Sunday, January 11, 2009

    Nebraska has BIG win vs Missouri!!

    Nebraska beat Missouri 56-51 on Saturday!! This is a win many fans thought wouldn't come. Missouri was one of the highest scoring teams in the nation with 86 points per game and what do you know NU holds them to 51!! WOW!

    This writer thought NU would go 7-9 in the Big 12, but with this win he ups the record to 8-8. NU plays Iowa State in Ames this week. NU has to sweep Iowa St. and Colorado this year so this is a big game. This writer predicts a 58-57 win vs. Iowa State.

    Ade Dagunduro had 20 points for the Huskers to the lead the scoring. He has been shooting a high percentage of shots lately and has become the go-to guy.

    Who is Ade Dagunduro? He is a senior and was on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team last year. He is the seventh player for Nebraska during the Big 12 era to be named as a Big 12 Rookie of the week. He was the second leading returner in scoring and rebounding from a year ago. He averaged 8.9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds.

    Dagunduro joined the Huskers after a standout season at Antelope Valley (California) Community College, where he led the Marauders to a 31-7 record in 2006-07. He averaged 18.2 ppg and 8.8 rebounds that season. Before entering junior college, he played one season at Inglewood High School in California. He led his team to the Division II state title game and earned second team all-state.

    Ade's brother, Ola,was a two year leader winner for the NU football team in 2005-06. Before coming to NU, he was recruited by Missouri, Miami, USC, UNLV, Penn State, Marshall, and Pepperdine.

    Reading the Nebraska Football Vault written by Mike Babcock, it was interesting to read that Bob Devaney was not Tippy Dye's first choice as head football coach in 1962. Tippy Dye, our AD, wanted to hire Hank Foldberg from Wichita State. Foldberg did not take the job and decided to go to Texas A & M to be their football coach and AD. Makes you wonder what might have been different if Hank Foldberg would have been named our coach instead of BOB DEVANEY.

    It is mentioned that if Duffy Daugherty hadn't of help hire Devaney as an assistant coach at Michigan State, Devaney probably would have got out of coaching. Devaney had coached high school football for 14 years prior to this hiring.

    Devaney was hired that first year for $17,000. He had a contract with Wyoming. The book says that Wyoming's facilities were probably better than NU's at that time. But there was talent at Nebraska. The previous coach, Bill Jennings, was Bud Wilkinson's recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma before he came to NU. He was good at it. More about the NU story on another day.

    Matt Hill, the former Lincoln Southeast product, is starting to get more playing time at Texas. He is still getting stronger and back to playing shape after missing last season to an injury. He played four minutes vs. Iowa State on Saturday and had two rebounds. Read more......
  • Texassports.com
  • Tuesday, January 06, 2009

    Mac Brown for President!


    Texas pulled out an ugly win last night against Ohio State, who lost to USC 35-3 and Penn State 13-6. Texas scored a touchdown with 16 seconds left and earlier got a first down by an inch or two on fourth down. Mack Brown said that he wasn't sure before, but now he was sure that Texas should be #1. Holy crap, you were lucky to win against a team that shouldn't even be in the top ten. Mack, what should USC do, join the NFL?

    I'll bet the cops have a story or two when they picked up Charles Barkley for DUI. I wonder if Charles bet the cops he'd pass the test.

    In the book, OUTLIERS, Malcolm Gladwell, has come to the conclusion that baseball, hockey, and soccer players born in January through April have a much better chance to excel. The reason being is that when they get in these programs as a youngster, the cutoff date is January 1st, so those born earlier in the year are so much more mature. They outshine the kids that are born later in the year. Eventually the younger kids get discouraged and lose interest. This means that almost half the talent is eliminated before they even get started. Look at any successful baseball team and you will see most birth dates are early in the year. If only I would have known this years ago, I could have saved a lot of time because I was born in June!!

    JOKE OF THE DAY
    A guy walks into a restaurant, orders a drink, and asks the waiter if he'd like to hear a good Notre Dame joke.

    "Listen buddy," he growled. "See those 2 big guys on your left? They were both linemen on the Notre Dame football team. And that huge fellow on your right was a world-class wrestler at Notre Dame. That guy in the corner was Notre Dame's all-time champion weight lifter. And I lettered in 3 sports at Notre Dame. Now, are you absolutely positive you want to go ahead and tell your joke here?"

    "Nah, guess not," the man replied. "I wouldn't want to have to explain it 5 times."

    Friday, January 02, 2009

    Scenes from the Gator Bowl!






















    Pictures were taken by our very own Kim Boehler from Jacksonville, Florida at the Gator Bowl! The first picture is Mike Smith, Kim Boehler, and Mike McNeill. The last picture is Larry The Cable Guy. Enjoy!