Husker fan does it again

As a former National Champion in college, let me be the first to say..I respect athletes and their ability to compete at a high level. Whether it's trap shooting, football or curling...to compete at the highest level and be successful is nothing to sneeze at. Doesn't matter if it's at the pro, NCAA or high school level..if you're good at a sport..you should get credit for it.

However, what I don't understand...is how something can toil in obscurity for so long...and then one Saturday afternoon, become the end-all, be-all event of the century. Why is vollyball suddenly cool to go watch? Did they just invent vollyball? Is Carmen Electra playing? And why are 15,000+ people watching it? Again, this is taking nothing away from the girls who play it..or the sport itself. I was friends in high school with a girl who eventually became a U.S. Olympic vollyballer. Trust me..they're great athletes...but come on people...you don't have anything better to do?

But the absolute worst part of all this..and the reason I'm writing this article is Husker fan's perspective of this. OWH Columnist Tom Shatel not only called for the NCAA to permenantly place the Vollyball Final 4 in Omaha..but also to create a "Winter World Series", which would..of course...make people see just how great we all are. (Because that's all Husker fan wants...for YOU to see how great HE is)

This is stupid on so many levels, I can't even count. First of all, how many people would show up at the Qwest on a cold December day if Santa Cruz was playing Georgia Tech? Second of all..how interested would people be if the Huskers were 3-27? What's going to happen when the Qwest is 15 years old, and it' s no longer cool to go down to the game..have some Orange Ruffy in the restaurant..and then walk to your seat to watch St. Johns and Washington State battle it out?

What Tom Shatel, and quite a few other Husker fans suffer from is the same ailment I've been talking about for years. You people want to be liked SOOOO bad, it kills you. This is because of several reasons. First of all is decades of spoiled success with a steroid-fueled football program. Secondly, the College World Series gives people a false sense of security, because it appears the series is all about amateur competition...not the almighty dollar..which everybody BUT Nebraska fans know, runs the world. (That's another post for next June).

The fact of the matter is simple. Husker fans are as loyal as any group of people on earth, with the exception of maybe the Palestinians. Second, you are all so far removed from reality, it's ridiculous. NOBODY outside of Omaha cares about vollyball or anything Husker. Look at the attendance numbers. In College Station this weekend, the volleyball regional drew 700 people. SEVEN HUNDRED. Even in State College PA..where they have a damn good team, only 3000+ showed up. Doesn't that seem a bit odd to you people? Doesn't that tell you that you might have a slight problem? I'll tell you what it tells me....it tells me that you people need more to do.

Congrats to the Lady Huskers for a fine season. I seriously mean that. They are tremendous athletes. But to the 15,000 people who show up at the Qwest Center, and then demand that the world recognize how great you are. You're not that great. You're just bored.

Stay tuned next week, when SportsCenter is live from Omaha to cover the epic clash between two college basketball teams: One a mid-major who plays nobody..and the other a Big 12 doormat who hasn't won an NCAA tourney game in their history.

(Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska Athletic Department. Yes, I know how that stuff works)