Trying to Move on - Random Saturday Rants & Notes

Trying to make sense out of life, the world does indeed press on.

Perhaps you’re like me, in that part of you wishes to go back to normal, worrying about things like offensive schemes, award finalists and what color pants your team will wear in the bowl game. (Well…not you guys, but you know what I mean). The other half simply finds it difficult to take things as seriously as I once did.

This town is already starting to bounce back. Westroads had people lined up outside the door to shop this morning. The National media trucks have packed up and gone home. And in something I thought was unthinkable, Von Maur is planning on re-opening the store as soon as possible. Good for them. I didn’t think it would be done, but nice to see them give a deranged psychopath one big “up yours” and tell others down the road that we will not let you run our lives.

I hope this holiday season is…as rough as it’s been... as happy as it can be. With that in mind, let’s slowly slide back into the swing of things.

* So yesterday , I get a text message that Quin Pelini is on the Jim Rome show. Now I admit, I listen to Rome from time to time, but I’m not exactly a regular listener. Shockingly, I decided to skip listening to his canned coach speak, about how Nebraska is a great job, great tradition, Tom Osborne is great to work for blah blah blah.

But then on the way home, I hear that QP is no longer doing any interviews, and that the Rome interview was the only one he was doing until spring.

Umm..since when did Pelini become Prince? Only one interview? I’m surprised it wasn’t Diane Sawyer or the BBC. I realize you technically have another job going on at the same time…but I’m not sure how smart that is, shunning the local media right off the bat. As we’ve seen in the past, these guys will turn on you and chuck your carcass to the sharks at the drop of a dime. They did it to Sam Keller. They did it to Callahan and Pederson. They’ll certainly do it to this guy.

Yeah it was great that most of your staff is former Huskers or coaches…but that is starting to look to me like that may have come down from Tom Osborne. Why else would you see QP say “all the right things” at the press conference, and then pretty much shun the local media for a couple of months, and let Ron Brown go on and on about how good they were in the mid 90’s. Doesn’t make sense to me, but I guess I don’t get a vote.

* Speaking of not getting a vote…I’m sure I speak for many when I see the Heisman as a complete joke. At what point do they start giving it out at the ESPY’s? Look, I realize Tim Tebow has 51 touchdowns…OK, that’s fine. But how many of those were inside the 5 yard line? (The answer is 13). Should this guy win the award because Urban Meyer didn’t recruit a halfback? Darren McFadden is a great player, but decided to take ¼ of the games off this season. Colt Brennan? Against the 117th rated schedule in America? Are you serious? My 2 year old could throw for 200 yards against San Jose State. Many may not agree with me, but Chase Daniel is an excellent QB..probably the best ever to play at Missouri…but with that many weapons around him, what do his numbers mean really?

So as I’m sure you’ll agree, if you look at it..there really isn’t a clear cut winner. (not that winning is THAT big of a deal…I mean hell, Eric Crouch has one). However, if you want to talk about guys who got screwed, how about Kevin Smith?

The UCF junior has nearly 2,500 yards rushing. TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED YARDS. He has rushed for 29 touchdowns. Against the two BCS schools he faced, NC State and Texas, he rushed for 376 yards and scored 4 TD’s. Dude is pretty good and oh yeah..he plays for UCF.

The whole thing has turned into a complete circus. Really all you can hope for is that your player had a good enough year to get invited. Then you get a nice 15 minute recruiting film on ESPN prime time TV.

Other than that…lots of hype about nothing…kinda like Lost. (I never did get that damn show).

* Finally, a great big middle finger to those Creighton fans with zero compassion for humanity who whined, squealed and cried to anybody who would listen that the local news preempted their precious game on Wednesday night. (A whole 5 hours after the largest mass killing in city history).

First, I don’t buy Creighton fan, because I know as little as 5 years ago, none of them gave one rats ass about Creighton. I often recall the SMS vs. Creighton game I went to at the Civic in 1998. I counted FOUR students. Not four hundred. Not forty. FOUR. (1..2..3..4). How big of a fan can you be if you’ve only cared for five years or less?

Second, did March Madness come early to a Wednesday in Mid-December? It was XAVIER…on a WEDNESDAY. I understand that when your schedule includes such heavyweights as Illinois State, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Savannah State..it’s easy to mistake Xavier for North Carolina. And don’t they still make radios? I could have sworn I saw one at radio shack the other day. I may have been seeing things though.

And finally, what do you think the people who founded that university would say, if they saw their school’s supported, complaining that excess coverage was being given the murder of 8 people?

What’s that you say? Nothing new was being said after 7pm? Uhhh..what if they waltzed into that kid’s house and found his family shot? What if there was a bomb in his car? What if there was a whole other part of this story that was yet to be uncovered. When the media is still having trouble describing a suspect the first few hours..what makes you think the entire thing would be open and shut in a few more hours?

I’ve never EVER seen anything more shameful and disgustingly selfish in my life. But then again when you care more about being seen in your new blue sweatshirt than you do the results of the game..what do you expect? Am I calling all Creighton fans heartless monsters? No, but next time, how bout a little bit of fucking perspective? Is that too much to ask?

Sorry to those of you out of town, but that little rant by a select group of “sports fans” in this town really pissed me off.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.