FOX News

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bird becomes NU's #1 pitcher!

Erik Bird pitched a complete game tonight to beat the Lobos from New Mexico. Bird controlled the Lobos who led the nation in batting average at a .371 and was one of the top teams in runs scored with 9.7. Bird held them to two runs as the Huskers won 4-2.

Cody Glenn has now buried himself into a hole by telling the press he got suspended because of selling tickets. He should have just said "No Comments" and come clean with the Redskins when he was asked in private. They may not want him now.

John Hurley (Texas A & M)of O'Neill is tied for 20th with Brandon Crick of Nebraska after three rounds of the Big 12 tournament. Oklahoma St. leads and Nebraska is still in 10th.

Matt is gone on America Idol.

The 2010 Mock NFL board has N. Suh going #2 in the draft. Probably not far off.

159 swine flu deaths in Mexico now.

When did the World Series of Poker become a sport and take up so much time on ESPN?

Celtics lead Bulls 3-2 and the Magic take a 3-2 lead over the Sixers.

Duke guard Greg Paulus will visit NU to play QB. Sounds like he is favoring Syracuse.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Big 12 Golf completes first round!

John Hurley from O'Neill is the number 4 golfer for Texas A & M. He was 10 over today and is tied for 17th at the Big 12 tournament. Texas A & M is in 3rd place--four strokes off the lead.

Nebraska is 10th out of the ten teams. Brandon Crick is nine over and tied for 14th.

Oklahoma St. and Colorado are tied for the lead. Derek Tolan from Colorado was one under and had the best score so far in the tournament.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Colorado's Spring Game has three former Husker recruits!

Colorado has three former Husker recruits playing in their spring game. All three left after Bill Callahan was fired.

Bryce Givens is presently the number one left tackle on the depth chart. He was one of Nebraska's top recruits last year.

Shaun Mohler is a senior Will linebacker. He is listed as number two on the depth chart.

The final former Husker, now Buffalo, is Doug Rippy. He is a redshirt freshman and is listed the number two Sam linebacker.

The Husker baseball team won 11-4 tonight and keep slim hopes alive to make Big 12 tournament.

Blair Invite Results

April 21, 2009


Individual Medalist

1. Andrew Frakes – Elkhorn (72)
2. Connor Lindahl – Elkhorn (73)
3. Jared Gustafson – Gretna (74)
4. Chase Brion – Gretna (75)
5. Andy Diediker – Wayne (76)
6. David DeBolt – Gretna (76)
7. Mitch Johnson – Omaha Skutt (76)
8. Cody Gorsett – Blair (76)
9. Ryan Healey – Omaha Skutt (77)
10. Collin Jeffries – Wayne (77)
11. Grant Riewer – Elkhorn (78)
12. Taylar Peitzmeier – Elkhorn (78)
13. Luke Blanc – Oakland-Craig (79)
14. Jordan Swenson – Oakland-Craig (80)
15. Johnny Spellerberg – Fremont Bergan (80)



Team Standings

1. Elkhorn – 301
2. Gretna – 313
3. Omaha Skutt – 318
4. Fremont Bergan – 330
5. Blair #1 – 335
6. Oakland-Craig – 336
7. Wayne – 346
8. Platteview – 351
9. Logan View – 352
10. Fort Calhoun – 356
11. Blair #2 – 370
12. Arlington – 380
13. Plattsmouth – 387



VARSITY
Jared Gustafson 37 – 37 = 74 (3rd Place)
Chase Brion 39 – 36 = 75 (4th Place)
David DeBolt 37 – 39 = 76 (6th Place)
Patrick Carney 42 – 46 = 88
Carter Hawkins 47 – 46 = 93

Thursday, April 23, 2009

West Coast Offense hasn't produced NFL draftees at receiver!

When the west coast offense was introduced at Nebraska, there was a vision by many that NU produce a number of receivers for the NFL. So far, the top receivers for NU during this era have been Maurice Purify, Nate Swift, Terrance Nunn, Todd Peterson, and Marlon Lucky (RB).

Maurice Purify made the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad last year for part of the season. Terrance Nunn did not make an NFL team. Nate Swift has a chance to be drafted as does Marlon Lucky (not a receiver). Todd Peterson may have to go the free agent route.

None of the above look like they will be stars in the NFL. We hope they do well.

It can be said that so far NU is not a factory for receivers to the NFL. We'll see what the future holds.

Monday, April 20, 2009

NFL Draft this Weekend

This writer thinks that Zach Potter will be the first Husker drafted sometime early in the 3rd round. Look to Lydon Murtha to go late in the 3rd round and Matt Slauson to go late in the fourth round.

It will be interesting to see if Joe Ganz or Nate Swift get drafted. Also Cody Glenn has a chance. My guess is they and other Huskers will sign free agent contracts as early as Sunday or Monday.

What do you think?

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Lance Thorell receives the Brooke Berringer Citizen Award!

Lance Thorell was one of twelve members of the NU football team that received the this reward. The reward goes to those that exhibit great community service.
2009 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (years on team)

* Anthony Blue, CB, Cedar Hill, Texas, 2009
* Dan Glassman, DE, Omaha, Neb., 2009
* Alex Henery, PK, Omaha, Neb., 2009
* Marcel Jones, OT, Phoenix, Ariz., 2009
* Adi Kunalic, PK, Fort Worth, Texas, 2009
* Blake Lawrence, LB, Shawnee Mission, Kan., 2008, 2009
* Marcus Mendoza, WR, Houston, Texas, 2009
* Todd Peterson, WR, Grand Island, Neb., 2007, 2008, 2009
* Lance Thorell, DB, Loomis, Neb., 2009
* Dan Titchener, P, Cheyenne, Wyo., 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
* Jake Wesch, PK/H, North Bend, Neb., 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
* Tyler Wortman, LB, Grand Island, Neb., 2008, 2009

The Red White game was fun to watch. Ndammukong Suh showed he may be the most dominant player in the country. The Red offense looked very potent on paper. With Suh on the White defense, they couldn't get untracked. Play after play he dismantled the offensive linemen and disrupted the offense. He had a sack and seemed to be involved in some way with every play he was in. When Suh was in the game, the Red offense had around eight yards total offense. After his day was pretty much done in the mid-second quarter the Red offense went on and had 380 total yards. Without Suh, the NU defense is good. With Suh, well, it may be.........

Zac Lee has a very accurate arm and he is fast. Now he will need to take over the offense and become a leader, if he isn't already. Latravis Washington is pretty good also but not in the league of Lee at this time.

NU has a whole herd of really good tigh ends. They can block and catch the ball. I wonder how we can play all them. We might see Ben Cotton or Mike McNiel spread out some this fall.

It is hard to judge or single out players on the offensive line. The defensive line is better overall. No running backs showed anything amazing. Collins Okafor's 33 touchdown was nice.

Two receivers that stuck out were Chris Brooks and Antonio Bell. They made some really nice catches. Both could be starters. Wes Cammack beat the secondary for a nice touchdown also. He beat a couple of veteran defensive backs, Asante and West.

Defensively, the tight ends dominated the linebackers in the passing game. Will Compton looked real good on run defense. The first and second team defensive line players are superb. Barry Turner had a quiet day and is not quite back yet.

P.J. Smith seemed to look really good for a freshman. Will Compton had some nice tackles. Anthony Blue looks like he may be close to 100%. Baker Steinkuhler seems to be improving.

Joe Ganz poked some fun at Coach Pelini during the luncheon on Saturday. He joked that in 2003 when Pelini was part of the coaching staff that they did not try to recruit him. Ganz introduced Pelini at the luncheon. (Ganz was recruited and signed by Bill Callahan).

There were almost 100 recruits at the game on Saturday. One recruit was bigger than all the rest. His name is Mike Moudy of Castle Rock, Colorado. He is an offensive lineman who is 6'7" and 315 lbs. He committed to Nebraska this weekend. He is BIG!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Red-White game will have some surprises

The game should be interesting tomorrow; at least interesting as scrimmages go. It is a venue in which some players that haven't made the headlines can show they are special too! This article is about who this writer thinks will shine with effort tomorrow.

Really NU is not only short of quarterbacks but they don't have a lot of running backs for tomorrows game. When you look at experience at I-back, there will be Quentin Castille and Marcus Mendoza only. Oh wait Mendoza is a receiver now.

This writer thinks that Lester Ward will have a really good day. He will be #14 on the White team. But the star of the day could be Collins Okafor. Nothing much has been said about him since he signed in 2008. Tomorrow will be his day to show his stuff and we think he will. Watch for Okafor to have the crowd talking after the game. #29 of the Red team has a great effort tomorrow.

As mentioned earlier, Marcus Mendoza will be a receiver this year. He is #32 of the Red team. Watch for him to have a good day. He may be used to showcase his talent and he is probably the second fastest player on the team behind Prince Amukamara. How? We will have to wait and see. Remember the old wingback reverse. He is perfect for it.

Jacob Hickman (#67 Red) and Andy Christensen #62 Red) will be the two top offensive linemen. No huge surprise on Hickman but Christensen has been away from the game for a year so that will be encouraging.

Josh William (#17 White) is a redshirt freshmen, is a defensive end behind Barry Turner. He is bigger and very fast. He will stick out in the game.

Linebacker Sean Fisher (#42 Red) is tall and not really built like your normal linebacker but he is a fast and great athlete. He will be fun to watch. Matthew May (#36 Red) may be NU's best linebacker right now. A tremendous athlete from Imperial, he is a hitter. Enjoy the show he puts on. Will Compton (#51 White) does look like a slightly smaller version of Dick Butkus. He is a redshirt freshman, who can hit.

Lance Thorell, from Loomis. will be a sophomore this fall is an underrated athlete. He is fast and he can hit. He will have a turnover tomorrow and he will show why he had a lot of playing time in 2008. Watch #23 on the Red team.

Prince Amukamara (#21 of the Red) is much improved and will show why he is a key player for 2009. He is just plain fast and a good hitter. Then there is redshirt freshman P. J. Smith, who could be a starter at safety in 2009. Really, it is possible. He is #13 for the Red team.

One more player this writer really likes for 2009 is Will Henry #8 of the White team. He is 6'6" and is much improved. The question is if Latravis Washington can get him the ball. He will a few times.

Zac Lee is the best quarterback for NU by quite a ways this year. Cody Green will be #2 going into the season next fall. The question is if he will burn his redshirt or not. If NU needs him, he can play. There is just so much to learn. He can run and he has a great arm.

Robert Mavre, the quarterback from Miami last year, could join NU. That is ok, but his stats weren't that good. He started about half the games for Miami (Fla) in 2008 and if he does join the Huskers, he will have to sit out 2009.

The Red team wins tomorrow 27-13.

Harlan County Lake elevation

The elevation of the Harlan County Lake is 1946.42. Last year it was at 1943.70. In 2007, the elevation was 1932.43. The lake is up 14 feet in two years. How is the fishing for everybody? I have fished for 11-12 hours on the Republican River so far this year and I haven't had a bite.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Standup writer contributes to blog!

One of the best standup comic writers I know did this little bit today to share with some friends. Thought I would share Bradlee Hartzog's funny take on a couple of things.

So I'm watching baseball last night and realized that the coaches wear the same uniforms as the players but it doesn't seem weird to anyone. They have on the pants, shirt, hat and even the cleats. What? Are the coaches hoping they will get into the game? Maybe if enough players get hurt, they will let us play! This doesn't happen in other sports. You don't see a football coach with pads and a helmet on. Maybe they should? Wear a helmet with the one crossbar like kickers and punters used to. Coaches get hit more than kickers and punters anyway. I would love to see a 60 year old basketball coach in shorts, a jersey tank top and maybe a head band.

As a society we are getting lazier. You can tell this by looking at the history of soap. First there was a bar of soap, then apparently people decided it was too much work to lift a bar of soap. "Can't we just push down on a spout thing and have it in liquid form?" Then all I have to do is work up the lather. Then we got even lazier. Now they have soap that is already lathered for you. All you have to do is wash it off. No work required. Is that a job for people? "Lather up this soap and then put it into containers so other people can use it to wash their hands too." Now there is hand sanitizer. We don't have to turn on the sink or dry off our hands. Before long you will just have to touch your hands to something and they will be clean. Probably by magic.

In the food world, everything has been turned into baby size. Everyone loves baby sized food. We have baby carrots, baby corn, baby pickles. Veil is from a calf (bovine baby), but I make one comment about eating someone's children and everyone freaks out. I just don't understand you people.

Brad

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Cavs will win the NBA title!

Cleveland clinched the best record in the NBA tonight. They have only lost one time all season at home. Do the math. Labron clicked in 37 points.

The Gretna golf team takes second and continues to improve. Scott Boehler is the coach.

Ashland Invite Results

April 13, 2009
Individual Medalist

1. Cody Gorsett – Blair (74)
2. Konnor Oltman – Norris (75)
3. Tim Jensen – Syracuse (75)
4. Luke Conrad – DC West (77)
5. Chase Brion – Gretna (77)
6. Jared Gustafson – Gretna (78)
7. Taylor Murren – Wahoo (79)
8. Collin Vacek – Blair (80)
9. Nate Evans – Mt. Michael (80)
10. Tommy Christenson – Mt. Michael (80)
11. Max Rudder – Norris (82)
12. Eric Preissler – Bennington (83)
13. Sam Conrad – DC West (83)
14. Taylor Hobbie – Bennington (84)
15. AJ Brant – Blair (84)
16. David DeBolt – Gretna (85)
17. Garrett Kent – Platteview (85)
18. Jacob Landers – Elkhorn (85)
19. Dylan Dravland – DC West (85)
20. Thomas Faulcner – Elkhorn (85)


Team Standings

1. Blair – 324
2. Gretna – 332
3. DC West – 333
4. Mt. Michael – 335
5. Syracuse – 343
6. Elkhorn – 347
7. Norris – 349
8. Wahoo – 351
9. Bennington – 353
10. Platteview – 357
11. Waverly – 371
12. Arlington – 374
13. Roncalli – 374
14. Weeping Water – 397
15. Ashland – 421




Gretna Golfers
Chase Brion 37 – 40 = 77 (5th Place)
Jared Gustafson 40 – 38 = 78 (6th Place)
David DeBolt 42 – 43 = 85 (16th Place)
Jason Wendelin 45 – 47 = 92
John Peters 52 – 55 = 107

Friday, April 10, 2009

A little bit of baseball!

The Kansas City Royals have a pitcher by the name of Kyle Farnsworth. This writer believes he could attribute to ten losses for KC this year. I remember his days with the Cubs and Yankees.

Steve Sipple, of the Lincoln Journal-Star, reported today that there is some ex-Huskers interested in the UNO athletic directors job. Former all-American linebacker and television commentator Trev Alberts, former linebacker/catcher and radio commentator Adrian Fiala, and former all-American outfielder and UNL assistant athletic director Paul Meyers are mentioned as potential candidates. All would be interesting hires. For Paul Meyers it may be step one before Tom Osborne retires in Lincoln. If he is already in line to take the job at UNL, he won't take the job at UNO.

Nebraska baseball is now 16-18-1. Pitching is really not good right now and the hitting is not consistent. NU is young and this writer is a fan of Mike Anderson. They will need to to hit a hot streak soon.

The Omaha Royals have Luke Hochevar, Brian Banister, Chris Lubanski, and Mitch Maier playing for them. If you get a chance go watch them before Kansas City calls them up!

Monday, April 06, 2009

Jared Crick is ready to step up!

Jared Crick has worked hard and will be a force this fall. He is big and strong. He doesn't look anything like the day he started as a freshman. Watch for him to fill Ty Steinkuhler's place very well.

People have forgotten how dismal North Carolina had gotten until Roy Williams showed up. They are the best team in the nation and Roy Williams has been the one to get them there. He is the top coach in college basketball.

Nebraska is 64th in the Pomeroy ratings in basketball. Watch for them to move to the low 40's next year. They should have a real shot at the NCAA tournament. Last year they ended around 90th.

The Royals will win 90-95 games this year. They should win the Central Division. The keys for them is Gordon and Butler and solid pitching.

WOW, the announcement of Alonzo Edwards and Cookie Miller leaving the team was a surprise as far as Cookie Miller goes. He said he is leaving for family reasons. I am not surprised that Alonzo Edwards is leaving because something wasn't right with him and the team. But Cookie Miller was probably our second most valuable player this year and his loss will hurt. It is apparent that NU wants a taller point guard but Cookie was still a spark to the team. I saw both of them last Friday together leaving Memorial stadium. I didn;t know at the time that this was happening.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

NU practice has some surprises!

I watched the Friday NU practice during the Coaches Clinic on Friday. There were some surprises for this writer. A surprise is seeing something that makes you take note. It is something that is unexpected. Seeing Roy Helu perform is not a surprise because I expected it. Here are my top six surprises:

1. Ndamukong Suh. Yeah, right! A surprise?? I already said he may be the top defensive player in the nation this fall. This writer was totally impressed by the leadership position he has taken. He is the leader for the defense. He gets on players when he knows they can do better and he pats others on the back. When he is off the field he wants to know what the defensive call is so he can watch his fellow players. He has taken a special liking to linebacker Alonzo Whaley. (Zoe they call him). When Ricky Henry and Terrance Moore got in some fisticuffs, Suh charged out and grabbed Moore. Suh is the leader of the team!!!

2. Will Henry. At 6'5" he has now turned into a physical player and he can take a hit. Zac Lee likes to throw to him. He is easy to see and he can catch the ball. It looks like this kid could get a lot of playing this fall. Watch for Will Henry.

3. Will Compton. For a red-shirt freshmen, he is built like a true linebacker. When he learns the system, he will be a force. He looks powerful and fast. He makes some of the other linebackers look like true freshmen. Phil Dillard wasn't at practice on Friday that this writer can see but he was there on Saturday.

4. Jacob Hickman. He seemed to be our best offensive lineman going one-on-one with the defensive linemen. He was one of the few who seemed to consistently handle his man. He will be good and potentially an All Big 12 player.

5. Cameron Meredith and Josh Williams. Both are red-shirt freshmen who are our backups to Barry Turner and Pierre Allen. If either of them have to go into a game, they can play. They have developed well. They are fast and strong. Williams is especially quick and might play a role like Demorrio Williams did in 2003. Both these players could handle the offensive line except for maybe Hickman.

6. Prince Amukamara. He is the fastest kid on the team. At least that's my guess. He seemed to be better than all the other cornerbacks. He looks like he can make turnovers and break up a lot of passes. Extremely talented.

Zac Lee is way ahead of the other QB's but Cody Green will be great when he learns the system. Green has a heck of an arm. Zac Lee is very fast. Crouch-like fast almost. Andy Christensen is good enough to start. He was impressive. Mike Smith and Derek Meyer did well also. Smith is consistent as the left tackle. On defense, Larry Asante was impressive. Lance Thorell continues to develop and makes plays. He likes to hit. Marcus Mendoza, who is playing receiver, could be a role player on this team. He could be the second fastest player on the team and you notice him with his quickness and speed. Remember the old wingback reverse. He's the man!

Kyle Busch will win the race in Texas on Sunday!

Nebraska baseball was swept for the first time in 12 years.