News of the Day-5/18/07

Jeff Van Gundy was fired as the Houston Rockets head coach. This come just a few days after a new general manager, Daryl Morey, was hired. Van Gundy coached the Rockets to a 52-30 record but once again lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Brett Favre showed up for minicamp after threating not to. Favre had a lot to say over the last week about how he was frustrated with the Green Bay Packers. He was upset that Green Bay didn't acquire wide reciever Randy Moss from Oakland. He seems to have calmed down and is ready for minicamps.

Another Cincinnati Bengals player was arrested. Linebacker A.J. Nicholson was arrested on a domestic violence charge. This isn't the first time Nicholson has been arrested. He was one of nine players arrested from the Bengals in a nine month span. However, he is the first Bengal to get arrested since Roger Goodell started cracking down on players.

Interleague play starts today with big games in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Should be great series, especially in Chicago and New York.

Gretna takes District Golf with Scott Boehler as coach!

Gretna Breeze

Matt Donahue could take three GOLDS in Omaha!

Picture Source:Rivals.com

Fremont High School has the fastest kid in the state this year and should be favored to win three gold medals at the Nebraska State Track meet this Friday/Saturday. Randal Carter will keep him from the fourth gold in the high jump. Carter has went 7'3". Donahue will be he favorite in the 100, 200, and 400 meter races.

Matt was one of the finest receivers and defensive backs in Nebraska high school football this year. Recruiters were impressed with his 6'2" 170 lb. frame and his speed. He will walk-on at NU this fall.

Here is what Matt had to say last fall in our questionaire.

Favorite Game Memory:

"My junior year against North Platte or beating Lincoln Southwest my sophmore year"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:
"John Fisher-Lincoln Northeast"

Best Team You have Played Against and the Year:

"Kearney"

Favorite Team (Pro and College):
"Tampa Bay, Huskers"

Favorite Player:

"Chad Johnson"

Colleges Interested in You:

"Colorado State, Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Iowa St., Illinois, South Dakota St., Northern Iowa"

College(s) You Are Interested In:
"Don't know yet"

PERSONAL

What Are Your Favorite Books:

"Comedy"

Who Is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn"

What Is Your Favorite Movie:
"Wedding Crashers"

What Is Your Favorite TV Show:
"Sports Center"

Which Person Would You Like To Be Like:
"Michael Jordon-He is an all-around good guy"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Playing catch with a football"

What Is Important For You To Be Successful:
"My grades"




Thanks Matt for sending this information! Good luck at the state track meet!!

Lance Thorell goes for the Gold!

Lance Thorell is one of the fastest hurdlers in the state of Nebraska. This week he will attempt to get the Gold medal in the 110 highs and the 300 intermediate hurdles. His main competition will be Niles Paul of Omaha North, the favorite. Paul was one of the top high school football players in the nation last fall and is headed to NU on a scholarship.

Lance will walk on at Nebraska for football. Lance has excelled at football, basketball, and track at Loomis High School. He may play wide receiver or defensive back. Either way, NU will get a hard working kid who will do everything he can to contribute to the NU program.

Lance is a cousin of Matt Hill, wo plays basketball for Texas. His grandpa, Don Thorell, has quite a group of grandkids who have done well as athletes. Megan Hill plays Kansas volleyball. Drew Billeter plays basketball at Hastings College. Luke Thorell was part of the Loomis basketball championship team along with Lance and Drew and Drew's brother, Lance. There are still a couple of grandkids coming up.

Dan Reese of the BIGRED REPORT says of Lance "He a Legacy! WE will call him "Otter" because he otter be a goodun".

Last fall before the football season, we asked Lance some questions about himself. This was his reply.

Favorite Game Memory:

"Beating Bertrand 48-16"

Best Athlete You Have Played Against:

"Steve Dent of Mullen and Wade Vontz of Cambridge"

Favorite Team:

"Huskers"

Favorite Player:

"Michael Vick"

College Interested in You:

"Iowa, Doane, South Dakota, UNK, Concordia, Morningside, Dana"

College You Are Interested In:

"Iowa, Doane, UNK, South Dakota"

PERSONAL

What is Your Favorite Books:

"Sports magazines"

Who is Your Favorite Movie Actor:

"Brad Pitt"

What is Your Favorite Movie:

"Dumb and Dumber"

What is Your Favorite TV Show:

"That 70's Show"

Which Actor Would You Like To Be Like:

"Brad Pitt"

What Are Your Hobbies:

"Hunting and Playing Sports"

What is Important For You To Be Successful:

"Making money"

Thank you Lance for giving us this information.

Top 5 Stories of the Week

It has been a busy week in sports, here are the top 5 stories so far.

#5: Dirk Nowitzki wins NBA MVP award. Dirk had a great regular season, scoring 24.6 points a game and shooting 50.2% from the floor and 41.6% from behind the arc. These numbers are definately MVP numbers, but after struggling in the first round of the playoffs, many wish they could change their vote. Dirk had a rough first round against the Golden State Warriors. He only averaged 19.7 a game behind 38.3% shooting and 21.1% from the three point line. Golden State out played and out coached Dallas.


#4: Jazz close series with Golden State. Jazz had no problems beating the Warriors in round two. After the Warriors came off an impressive series against Dallas, they started playing like the 8th seed they really are. While the Warriors had the advantage in matchups against Dallas, they struggled to matchup against Boozer, Fisher, Kirilenko and the Jazz.

#3: Bulls dominate Pistons in game 5. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night to force a game 6. The Bulls after being down 3-0 have stormed back winning game 4 in Chicago and then pounding the Pistons in Detroit in game 5 108-92. The Bulls shot 72.2% in the first half. I don't think the Bulls will win this series but they are causing the Pistons to use precious energy. They will need it for there next round opponent, Cleveland. Cleveland hasn't won its series yet, but I believe they will.


#2: Spurs will cruise through to the next round. With help from David Stern, the Spurs won't have any problems beating the Suns because Stern has suspended All-star Amare Stoudemire for 1 game, along with teammate Boris Diaw (1 game) and Spurs Robert Horry(2 games). They suspension came after Horry committed a flagrant foul on Steve Nash in game 5. Horry then elbowed Suns player Raja Bell, to get the 2 game suspension. What I don't like about the play is that Stoudemire was suspended for violating the rule about leaving the bench during a fight. He never actually left the bench! The rule says that you can't leave your spot on the bench durning a fight. While Stoudemire left his spot on the bench, he only took about three steps away from his seat and never left the bench area. He didn't even get within 10 feet of the fight. This suspension really hurts the Suns because not only do you lose Stoudemire who averages 23.5 points a game and 10.3 rebounds, they also lose Diaw who is Stoudemire's back up. All the Spurs lose is Horry who only averages 4.8 points a game.


#1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is docked 100 points. Enough with the NBA, it's time for NASCAR. Dale Jr. was docked 100 driver points and the team was docked 100 owner points for not passing pre-race inspection. Jr.'s crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. was also suspended 7 weeks (one week is the All-Star race) and fined $100,000. The #8 Budweiser Chevrolet had the wing on the back of the car mounted improperly. After a little research, Eury said he "discovered that the unapproved brackets were previously used during a wind-tunnel test and had not been replaced before the car came to the track. Eury said with the wing lowered to 18-degrees, the car's downforce was 20 counts less than had it been mounted to specifications." (www.msn.foxsports.com) Dale Earnhardt Inc. Vice President, Richie Gilmore said that they don't have a problem with the ruling, but they do have a problem with the severity of the penalty. They appealed the ruling on Monday.

Projected Class D State Track boys winner!

This Friday the Nebraska State Track meet begins this Friday. The scoring has changed as they will award eight places this year. The scoring will be 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1-. Using district times, this would be the team order of finish for the Class D boys.

1. Wauneta-Palisade 44
2. Elwood 39
3. Loomis 34.5
4. Dodge 31.5
5. Winside 28.5
6. Pawnee City 26.8
7. Falls City SH 26.75
8. Burwell 26.5
9. Newcastle 25.75
10. Wallace 25

Harlan County Lake

The elevation of the Harlan County Lake is up over nine feet since 1/2/07. It has raised from 1926.44 to the present elevation of 1935.66.

Better Know a MLB Team: Part 2

Today we are going to talk about the team who is currently in second place in the AL east. Probably the most well known team in MLB history, the New York Yankees.

Let's start off with a little history, they have a lot of it. In 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the team from Baltimore for $18,000 and moved the team to Manhattan. They were called the "highlanders" because they played in one of the highest spots in Manhattan on Hilltop Field. They lost their first game 3-1 to Washington. They went on to win the next game, their first, against Washington 7-2. Harry Howell recorded the win. In 1912, they began wearing their famous pinstrips. Their name was changed to the Yankees in 1913. In 1925, Lou Gehrig began his 2,130 consecutive games played by pinch-hitting for Pee Wee Wanniger. On July 4th, 1939, Lou Gehrig became the first player to have his jersey retired (#4). On March 17th, 1997, David Wells became the first Yankee to throw a perfect game. On October 26th, 1999, the Yankees defeated the New York Mets in the "Subway Series" to win their 26th World Series. (Information from www.mlb.com)

Now, down to buisness and the present. This season the Yankees will be good, they always are. They will finish second in the AL east behind Boston. They will not win the wild card either. Yes, I said it, the Yankees will not make the playoffs. The Yankees are currently 16-17 but are 7-3 over their last 10 games. They are very good against the AL central and west but have struggled against the AL east, currently 3-11. They are 10-9 at home and 6-8 on the road. They play better during the day and struggle at night. They don't seem to play any better on grass or turf, they have won just about as many as they have lost on both surfaces. In 1 run games they are only 2-6 and 1-1 in extra innings. While the Yankees have a great offense, they struggle from the rubber. They need to find a good starting rotation and their middle relievers need to step it up. They have a great closer in Mariano Rivera, but has had a tough time so far. I believe he will turn it around and close a lot of games for the Yankees. Things will begin to pick up again for the Yankees in a couple months when they get back 5 pitchers who are currently on the DL. By that point, however, I believe it will be too late.

Brad Hartzog has been added to the staff!

The Nebraska Sports Journal has added Brad Hartzog to the staff. We will be looking forward Brad's entries on this site. We are approaching 5000 different visitors in a little over a year when we started.

Please leave your comments as to what special areas you would like us to cover. Coming up next week we have the Nebraska State Track Meet which is one the best high meets in the United States. Also Brad will continue his tem-by-team coverage of major league baseball.

Tampa Bay coach likes Zac Taylor

Read the following article about Tampa Bay and Zac Taylor

St. Petersburg Times

What happen to husker sports over the weekend?

There were two big issues in Lincoln over the last week. First Maurice Purify got arrested for a distrubance outside a bar and Ryan Werhle was dismissed from the baseball team for reasons not yet released. Please read there two articles that I got off www.kqky.com . They are at the following address: http://www.kqky.com/index.php?page_id=q1dela90&description=Sports&PHPSESSID=8673d67e7499208c72c52df040afaa08

Former players will have an impact this fall.

Leon Jackson who played on special teams as a freshman and who switched from offense to defense and back to offense during the spring and his sophmore year is now at Hawaii.

Leon may be a huge factor this year and is a player who is most likely to produce right away on offense from Hawaii's 2007 recruiting class.

Coach Tom O'Brien at N.C. State has not named a starting quarterback for this fall. O'Brien said he owed it to his players to come to the program with an open mind, so he started the spring with no depth chart.

That hasn't changed after spring practice.

"Everybody again will be fighting for a job (in the fall)," O'Brien said.

Returning starter Daniel Evans, transfer Harrison Beck and redshirt freshman Justin Burkes are the candidates at quarterback, where O'Brien said nobody has separated from the pack.

Joe Dailey could make a better receiver than a quarterback. The former Nebraska and UNC signal caller had an impressive spring after considering giving up football entirely. New coach Butch Davis wishes he could have had 15 more days of spring practice. "Even then I'm not sure that I would have been comfortable but there is so much that we have to do here," he said.
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

And now to the NFL. Go to the website below and see what one Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan had to say about Matt Herian. Please copy and paste. It is worth your time!!!!!
http://bbs.buccaneers.com/showthread.php?t=140613

2007 MLB season breakdown by Brad Hartzog

With the 2007 MLB season underway, we have seen some surprises and some disappointments. I will breakdown each team one by one in my 30 part series “Better Know a Major League Baseball Team.” Today’s team is the team with the best record in the AL to this point, the Boston Red Sox.

To better know a team, you have to first understand where they are coming from. The Bo Sox play in the oldest stadium, Fenway Park, which was built in 1912. In 1920, the Sox sold Babe Ruth to rival team, the New York Yankees. In 1953, the Sox scored 17 runs in one inning against the Detroit Tigers. Then, as we all know, in 2004 the Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.

The 2007 season looks to be a great one for the Sox. They have started out the season with an impressive 20-10 start. They are 9-4 at home and 11-6 on the road and are already 5.5 games ahead of second place New York Yankees. Their offense is lead by Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Ortiz is leading the team in almost every offensive category. They also have great players in J.D. Drew, Coco Crisp, Wily Mo Pena, Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo. Their pitching rotation is also great. Their starting rotation includes Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Julian Tavarez, Tim Wakefield (who has the craziest pitch because the ball doesn’t rotate) and much talked about, Diasuke Matsuzaka. They also have a great pitcher in Matt Clement who is on the DL right now. They have decent pitcher in the bullpen and maybe the best closer in the MLB right now, Jonathan Papelbon.

I can’t see the Sox not winning their division. Even thought the Yankees are always good, their bullpen will kill them, even with the addition of Roger Clemens. I predict that the Sox will win their division by 10 games or more. They will finish the regular season with an impressive 110 wins. They will win the AL championship game against the Minnesota Twins and go on to lose to the New York Mets in the World Series..

2007 NU Schedule is nations's toughest!

The 2007 season will be as challenging as the "Big Red" has faced in many years. Every non-conference game will be a challenge and it will be difficult for NU to win them all. Here is the non-conference schedule and what NU can expect in 2007.

Nevada

This 8-5 Western Athletic Conference team in 2006 was beaten by Miami 21-20 in the MPC Computers Bowl. They return 14 starters from last year's team. They will have a new starter at QB this year. Sophmore Nick Graziano looks to be the leader for the team's "Pistol Offense". The strength of the Wolfpack is the defensive front seven.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest was the surprise of 2006 in college football. They were 11-3 and lost to Louisville 24-13 in the Orange Bowl. Wake Forest has 15 starters back. In 2007, Wake Forest will have more overall talent, depth, and experience. If starting running back Micah Andrews can heal from a torn ACL, this team can beat NU at Wake Forest this fall.

USC

USC beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and went 11-2 in 2006.

USC was one of the best teams in the nation last year and has 18 returning starters back. They only lost one defensive starter. Even though they lost Jarrett and Smith at WR they will reload and have similar replacements. Jarrett and Smith were two of the top receivers in the country last year.

With John David Booty returning at QB and the best linebackers in the country, NU would need to upset USC in Lincoln.

Ball State

This is the easiest of the non-conference schedule games. The Cardinals went 5-7 last year. They return 13 starters. Ball State almost beat Michigan last year but lost with freshman QB Nate Davis 34-26. A much matured Davis should make Ball State competitive this year. The defense is still a weakness and won't be able to stop NU.

Look for a 2-2 to 3-1 record for NU as they start the 2007 conference schedule.

Free Agents!

Zac Taylor and Matt Herian are both headed to Tampa Bay to play football. Shortly after the draft was finished, they signed as free agents. Jon Gruden called Zac Taylor. Taylor should be a good fit as Gruden and Callahan coached together with the Oakland Raiders. Tampa Bay has Chris Simms and Jeff Garcia. Taylor may end up on the practice squad but this writer thinks he can be the 3rd team quarterback. Herian also hopes to make the team and we wish him well.

Harlan County Reservoir

As of last Tuesday, April 16th, the Harlan County Lake has raised six feet. Elevation was 1926.44 on 1/2/07 and Tuesday it was 1932.43. This is a very positive sign and this is the highest the lake has been for a good five years.

ROYALS ARE STRUGGLING AND LOSE CLOSE GAMES!

The Kansas City Royals are struggling at the bat. Here are some batting averages as of today.
Alex Gordon...........................133
Ryan Shealy...........................098
Mark Teahen.........................200
Emil Brown............................184
Mark Sweeney......................162
Jason LaRue..........................154

These are all starters. When they start to hit, they will pull off a series of wins. Pitching has been adequate.

In other news, soon to be drafted, Zac Taylor got engaged to Sarah Sherman on Sunday. Sarah is the daughter of Mike Sherman, the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He now is an Assistant for the Houston Texans. Sarah has been getting her masters at UNL. Well, you already know who Zac is so.......Congrats to them!!!!!

Red-White Game a blast!

The Red-White festivities were a lot of fun on Saturday. The luncheon ahead of the game featured Coaches Bill Callahan, Doc Sadler, and John Cook. The video presentations were great and the food was furnished by Skeeter Barnes. Introducing Coach Callahan was Brandon Rigoni, the special teams leader from the past few years. We will miss his spunk. Charles Richardson Jr., this writers favorite player of this year's team, introduced Doc Sadler. The Coach talked about how, right before his father died seven years ago, that his father's wish was to come to a NU football game. Coach Sadler and his father made the trip from Texas and he then realized what a special place NU was. He is committed to making NU Big 12 champs. You believe that he can do it! Jordon Larson introduced Coach Cook, who coached the National Volleyball champs of 2006. Traci Stalls introduced Athletic Director Steve Pedersen who said "We dream of championships" and we "Don't Wait" to accomplish them. Injured football players Kenny Wilson and Zach Bowman were given standing ovations.

The game featured the Sam Keller-Joe Ganz battle for QB. Both played like they can make NU winners this fall. It was pretty even but Sam Keller maybe edged his way to the No. 1 caller. Joe Ganz is a leader however and we will have the bestbackup in years with either player. I hope both get lots of playing time this fall.

Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn both looked very good. Marlon Lucky suffered some type of knee injury. If Cody Glenn is healthy, this writer likes him because of his tackle breaking ability. Lucky is best at speed, quickness, and making the tackler miss the hit.

The offensive line looked pretty solid. Matt Clauson, Carl Nicks, and Brett Byford looked impressive. DJ Jones received lots of playing time and did well when Lydon Murtha went down with a sprained ankle. Todd Peterson, Nate Swift, and Maurice Purify had great days. Keller likes to throw to Peterson and Purify. Ganz appears to favor Peterson and Swift.

The defense looks solid. N. Suh is dominant. The linebackers all played well. It was good to see Philip Dillard back in action. Our defensive secondary looke good against the second team. Can they be dominant against USC etc.

Nebraska heads into the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation this fall. It will be fun!! This writer is glad we are playing tougher opponents.

Injuries have become a factor. We will have to see how that plays out.

Top Ten TV Shows (Non-Sports)

This writer's Top TV shows:
1. THE SOPRANOS
This show is in its final season which started Sunday, April 8th. Grea Show!
2. THE RICHES FX CHANNEL
New show. Unpredictable! Sometimes funny and entertaining.
3. KING OF QUEENS
Also in its last season. Very funny and one I can relate to.
4. BOSTON LEGAL
The writers of this show have to have fun dreaming up this show!
5. ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
This writer's all-time best show especially the black and white shows with Barney.
6. THE OFFICE
So very funny and Dwight and Michael are unbelieveable. Pam and Jim are fun to watch.
7. DEAL OR NO DEAL
Simple show but it is hard to switch the channel.
8. HOUSE
Interesting and funny medical show with a very different kind of doctor.
9. ANDY BARKER PI
Funny new show.
10. 60 MINUTES, DATELINE, 48 HOURS MYSTERY, AND PRIMETIME
Enjoy them all.

SCRUBS AND ENTOURAGE (HBO) are two shows close to entering the Top 10.

AMERICAN IDOL could be on this list but until Simon and crew pick who is taken off the show vs people calling in, some of the best singers don't make the cut. Upsets me to watch it!

THE SHIELD AND THE CSI SHOWS are close to the Top 10 but they just aren't good enough to set up a time to watch on a regular basis.

Tiger loses first major after taking lead!

Tiger Woods lost his first major in golf after he has led in the final round. Three times he has lost the lead but the two previous matches he came back and won!! Yesterday Zach Johnson won the Masters. He stayed to his plan of playing short on the par 5's and he made it work. Zach Johnson played in the Ryder Cup last year and is a fine golfer but yesterday he made history. Tiger was beaten like Bobby whipping Tony Sopriano Sunday night. It wouldn't happen again in ten more matches. But yesterday was Zach Johnson's day.

The NU pitching staff has two great pitchers in Watson and Dorn but needs to find a third. Shirek may be the answer as he pitched ok on Sunday but nobody has stepped up to the level of Watson and Dorn.

Steve Octavian is playing some rush end. Wouldn't it be nice to somehow get Barry Turner and Octavian both playing the D-Line at times this fall. Suh looks great in the interior. The linebackers look excellent. Now if we could get the CB's and safeties to jell.

Brad Hartzog, the Cubs expert, suggests that to put the Cubs at the next level they should try to trade Soriano for Carlos Beltran. What would this add to the Cubs? Sorian is known as one of the best in baseball. Is Beltran any better? It looks to this writer that they need relief pitching.

Alex Gordon is struggling. Is he pressing. Should he be sent to Omaha to get things going and will this hurt his mental aspect to the game. What would Gordon do for the attendance of the Omaha Royals? What is your opinion? Let us know.

102-Year-Old Oldest to Make Hole-in-One

Elsie McLean, at the ripe young age of 102 years old, just became the oldest known person to make a hole-in-one on a regulation golf course.

McLean aced the par-3, 100-yard fourth hole at Bidwell Park in Chico, Calif., using a driver. "For an old lady, I still hit the ball pretty good," she said. Alas, because of the pitch of the green, McLean wasn't able to actually watch her ball drop into the cup:

"Where's my ball?" McLean asked.

Her friends, Elizabeth Rake and Kathy Crowder, found it in the cup.

"I said, 'Oh, my Lord. It can't be true. It can't be true.' I was so excited. And the girls were absolutely overcome," McLean said.

McLean will appear on the April 24 episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to celebrate the feat.