Back, and Full of Hate

Wow, that was a fast three days. Hope your holiday weekend was good. Hope you enjoyed your time off from the hog farm, playing Flog the Dolphin with Rosie while watching reruns of the 71 Oklahoma game. However you freaks spent your time off, I hope it was enjoyable and you're ready to jump back into the world of hate and anger.

I'm not sure about you, but long-weekends away from work often make me MORE bitter and angry. Not that I don't appreciate the time off, but because it makes me all the more bitter having to go back to work after sitting on my ass for 72 solid hours, drinking Red Stripe and grilling every sort of animal God put on this earth for their delectable tastiness.

But regardless of my bad attitude and your lack of anything constructive to say, I'll try and put together a few thoughts to mark the return of summer.

* People all over are asking me if I'm all excited about Missouri being the host of an NCAA baseball regional. I will do my best to support my home state, but I'm not going to lie to you either. I'm not really all that interested. Yes, baseball is the greatest game on earth...and yes, they made the college game WAY better when they got rid of those titanium alloy missiles that those old LSU teams to to use at the plate. But College Baseball is still a niche sport, despite what many of you think. Oh sure, it beats the watered down, ESPN-ruined crappy product that Major League Baseball has turned into...especially during a slow time of the year. But it still is what it is.

Let this be a lesson to some of you bandwagon Husker baseball fans who like to talk about a sport you know nothing about while wearing your Eric Crouch jersey to Haymarket. Just because your team is good at something (which ironically they aren't this year)...doesn't mean it's any more important than any other sport. And yes, this ESPECIALLY goes for Volleyball too. Same for me with Missouri and college baseball. It's a nice little side spectacle and I'll always pull for my team to win...but I'm not about to lie to you and tell you what a great fan I am because I root for more than my football team. (Note, NU fans haven't rooted for Husker basketball since 1994.) In the meantime, use this time off to build up false hope and myopia toward your vastly overrated football team. You're going to need it.

* Watched a lot of TV sitting on my ass this weekend. I double-dog dare any one of you to give me an example of a finer piece of television than Band of Brothers. It should required viewing to every man, woman and child in this country. (That is my Memorial Day commentary for this year)

* Mo Purify watch goes into it's second month. Still no comment from Warden Pederson or Sgt of Arms Callahan. Waiting with baited breath and will keep you up to date if any developments were to take place.

* Why is the Miss Universe pageant NOT in HD? Seriously. NETV had a special on birds of Easter Island on the other day, which was in HD. Yet not Miss Universe? What a waste of good technology.

* Speaking of TV over the weekend...many of you know my thoughts on NASCAR. (To this day, I still get snotty e-mails from friends asking me why I "don't get it"). I'm not going to lie to you and say I've fallen in love with the sport. However, ever since I was a kid, I've always loved the Indy 500. I'm not sure if it was the pure spectacle of it all, or if it simply meant Summer was here. However, watching Rik Mears and AJ Foyt duel it out on that track was always a highlight of my summer in between NBC MLB games of the week on Saturday afternoons. (Note to some of you - Pre ESPN, baseball was only on Saturday afternoons and Monday nights.)

Racing still shouldn't be considered a sport, nor is NASCAR "A way of life" as many of my NASCAR friends like to tell me. However, the 500 is an excellent example of how to market a "sport" to people who couldn't give a rat's fat ass about "racing" or going fast, or going left or whatever.

I couldn't tell you who won, nor can I admit to watching the whole thing, but something about Indy trumps anything else you racing freaks can come up with...and I've been to Monaco. (And don't give me any crap about Bristol or Martinsville or whatever other little southern hamlet that is supposed to win me over.) I've now addressed racing twice in 6 months. I hope you people are happy.

* Omaha World Herald reported last week that ESPN will have an 8pm Big 12 game on October 6th. With Texas vs. Oklahoma relegated to the light-less Cotton Bowl, there is a very good chance NU-Missouri will be held at 8pm. I'm not a sociology expert by any means...but one of you Hicks need to tell me why on earth you would consider this an advantage for NU. (As many of my co-workers have said.) I know I personally fear for my own safety tailgating for 12 solid hours..but I struggle to think why Husker fan would want to face 67,000 drunk and bitter Mizzou fans at that time of night. More to come on that as well I'm sure. (If you beat Nevada).

* Finally, I saw a little blurb about how Steve Pederson was pushing the Big 12 AD's and top brass to consider 5 years eligibility for NCAA football. I haven't had a chance to research everything Steve-O said about the subject, but I'm guessing if he brought it up, it's probably to benefit either his school or his outstretched hand when it comes to donations.

I realize it's difficult to run an "NFL-type" program when those damn rules keep you from holding onto guys for 5 years, but what in the hell is going through your head to actually try and get the rule past? Could it be that you can't bring in in-state talent anymore with your walk-on system and have to rely on junior colleges to fill your roster? Is it because the only way you can get a decent QB to take over for you is by stealing...I mean taking some Pac-10's scraps after watching him guide the greatest scout team in NCAA history?

I'm not about to waste too much time on what Steve is up to. But rest assured, it's probably pretty stupid and self-indulgent.

3 Months to go.