There's Something in my Wheaties

I haven't been this pissed off in a long time. Maybe it's the fact of being back at work after a great weekend? Maybe it's the shitty, 4-week long horror show known as the modern day holiday season. Nonetheless, I've been saving up some tension for quite a few days, so I'll just get started.

* Nice to see Blair Kirkhoff of the Kansas City Star strapping on the knee-pads once again as the number one groupie of the Husker bandwagon. This morning, Mrs. Callahan named his all Big 12 team and players of the year. Biggest surprise to me? Zac Taylor for Big 12 offensive player of the year.

Let's get a couple of things fucking straight here. First of all, I only respect two Husker players for their talents. Brandon Jackson and Zac Taylor. I would take either one of these guys on my team, if anything because they're both tough, and play hard. There isn't much more you can ask. Especially when both of them are relatively gracious, and don't go out of their way to act like assholes. I also realize this is just one writer and that Adrian Pederson is hurt. I get all that.

But naming Zac Taylor as 1st team QB AND Player of the Year is about the most butt-ass stupid thing I've seen since the electoral college. Dude didn't lead the conference in ONE offensive category. (McCoy beat him in pass rating). Dude plays in an offense that thrives on nothing but swing passes and lobs to Purify. Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, Chase Daniel all had statistically better seasons than Taylor did. Hell, you could almost argue that Joel Filaini, Stephen McGee and Sean Bell had as good of a season as Taylor did. (And I didn't even mention how many of those TD's were lobs to Purify or missed tackles that went for six.)

Zac Taylor is a fine QB. He doesn't make mistakes and he's tough as nails. But if you think he's the BEST offensive player in this conference, then you're a complete idiot. McCoy, Daniel, Harrell and (most of all) John Cornish all had better years than Taylor, who did nothing more than look slightly above mediocre against some of the crappiest divisional competition around. If he is actually named 1st team QB and offensive player of the year, the conference should disband immediately.

* Speaking of Idiotic Husker things...have you people fallen so far that you have to actually have a CEREMONY to give yourself the Big 12 North mythical trophy? Are you fistfucking me? A TROPHY presentation? I thought you people were all about National Titles? I thought you didn't want to gravitate to mediocrity? Starting the game with a pretend presentation of a trophy that doesn't exist, is the stupid fucking thing I've ever heard of. It's like raising an NIT banner or stopping a game to recognize the National Champion women's crew team. How fucking starved for attention and acceptance are you people?

What's next? Is the Husker baseball team going to have a giant gala in March for finishing 4th in their regional? Aren't you people embarrassed by shit like that? Of course you're not. All you care about is showing the world just how great you are...even if it means going out of your way to pat yourself on the back with a t-shirt after a win over Colorado (who got beat 70-3 the next week), or a fake trophy presentation for winning a division that include a horrible CU team...a horrible ISU team...an OT win over Kansas...a win over K-State when they were starting a Freshman QB for the first time and a Missouri team that has tripped over themselves every single year since the dawn of time.

Congratulations. I hope the rings come back even more spectacular than you imagined.

* Oklahoma is going to absolutely sodomize you people on Saturday. What I love is Husker fan making the same assumption other teams did this season. "They don't have AP. They won't be able to move the ball." Uhhhh...they still have Paul Thompson, a great defense, a great coach and way way way more experience in big games than King Bill and his merry band of D1 reject coaches. With the exception of a 1 point...last second win over a 1/2 decent A&M team, WHAT IN THE HELL makes you think you can beat OU? Because 70,000 tractors will be parked at Arrowhead?

I realize I'm wrong a lot..but there is no fucking way you win this game. OU will make it 8 straight...Omaha World Herald columnist Tom Shatel will jerk off all over himself talking about how great it was in 1971 and how OU should play Nebraska every single week. You'll make a t-shirt. Talk to each other about how great you are. Show Johnny Roger's clip-aided punt-return 100 times, and clap for your team as they trot off the field after a 17 point ass pounding.

Stone cold lock.

* Quick UNO hockey note for those of you who care. (And those numbers are dwindling rapidly)I Saw yesterday that UNO Athletic Director David Herbster resigned, culminating the tri-fecta of university officials leaving the school after this summer's scandal. I've said it before...I'll say it again. I do not know David Herbster. I've never met David Herbster. I'm sure he's a swell guy with a family...so it sucks he's out of a job.

But in case you didn't notice, the University of Nebraska at Omaha has failed in every single way shape and form since hockey was added in 1996. What started off as one of the most fantastic ideas in the sports history of Omaha, has now dwindled into a smoldering ruins because of the actions of many. Sellout streaks are gone. Attendance is level but still low. A team that has NCAA talent has underachieved for the umpteenth year in a row.

Those of you familiar with UNO hockey know that it is extremely taboo to frown upon your own program. (Husker fan is in the same boat.) Questioning a coach, second-guessing anyone involved or anything remotely close to thinking "half empty" is frowned upon by those that follow the program.

But rest assured my fellow fans...this team...this program is on absolute life support. It's bad enough they have the advertising budget of a small high school musical, now the team itself is falling flat on their face...short of expectations.

I for one...who have been a loyal season ticket holder for years upon years have seen enough. I'm going to piss off dozens upon dozens of hard-core fans when I say this...but Mike Kemp has to go. I don't care if he's the nicest guy on earth. I don't care if he's been handcuffed by incompetent administrators for years. The fact of the matter is...it's been 10 years, talent has been slightly upgraded...but inconsistent play still prevails.

I have now passed a milestone in the fact that I don't think this team or this program will ever get better until we have completely gone in a different direction. It's obvious coach Kemp is closely tied to the team and the school...but it's also obvious (to me) that he is not the man for the job. I'm very sad I've actually reached this day...but I've really had no choice. It has come time for a new athletic director to fire Mike Kemp and bring in new blood. I appreciate everything he has done for UNO hockey...but as the program sits smoldering on the side of the road...there is nowhere to go but up.

Whoever takes over at UNO....Fire Mike Kemp. The longer UNO waits..the harder it's going to be. Time to move on.