When Blue Meets Red

I haven’t this jaded, bitter and pissed off in a long time. That’s quite a statement coming from a guy who’s favorite teams include the winningest college basketball program NEVER to get to the final four; a college football team who went to ONE bowl from the early 1980’s up until about 1997; a Pro Football team whose persistence at mediocrity has made them one of like 4 teams in the NFL who hasn’t won a playoff game since before the Clinton Administration.

And yet like clockwork, this little beauty comes about for the lowest and most pathetic of all my favorite teams.

In early April, I mentioned how nice it was that baseball in Kansas City was relevant again. It was great to have a GM who actually knew what the hell he was doing, while having a manager who…well let’s face it…hasn’t really done anything, but at least he’s not Buddy Bell.

But despite all that, as I was trying to say earlier, I’m well versed at being kicked and downtrodden. Many, if not all of my favorite teams have sucked for a long long long time, and I’m certainly used to the anger and frustration that they bring me. I’m not ashamed of it. I’m not denying any of it. It is what it is and I try to make the most of it.

So enter the 2008 baeball season.

Now, I’m not stupid enough to think the Royals are going to contend for anything other than MAYBE a .500 record. Sure, it doesn’t sound like much, but for a franchise that has been so completely abysmal for so long…you’ll take what you can get. But still, as of last Monday, the mighty powder blues were sitting one game under .500 and 2.5 games out of first freaking place….in late May no less.

So enter last night’s fiasco, which solidified a 10-game losing streak and the blowing of a 5 run lead (1..2..3..4..5) run lead with TWO outs in the 9th inning. Now, I know most of you as Husker fans don’t have the first goddamn clue about baseball, other than the fact that Hail Varsity is played between the 7th and 8th quarter at Haymarket Park.... but blowing a lead that big is not good a good sign. Not good at all.

One of my favorite bloggers is Rany Jazayerli, who runs an outstanding blog on the Royals. The normally candy coated and sugar abundant Rany absolutely nailed the current Royals situation by explaining that this sort of streak hurts more than most, because now there are no excuses. There are no more GM’s to fire…no coach’s to get rid of…no owners to tell to shut the hell up and stay on the sidelines with your wallet open like so.

But here's the kicker. Like Royals fans everywhere….guys like Rany are used to this sort of thing, so in essence we simply chalk things like this up to bad luck, bad karma, bad Indian food or whatever else we can justify ourselves rooting for a simply horrible team. The Royals have sucked gigantic donkey balls since many of us were in high school, and we have learned to accept that over time.

But this got me thinking about another group of fans who aren’t quite as used to this sort of thing.

So let me shift gears quickly and ask you Husker football freaks this: What exactly are you going to do when you have nobody left to fire? Who are you going to blame when even the Messiah that is Tom Osborne can’t bring you victories by nailing a few extra Danny Noonan pictures to the wall of the football office? What in the holy hell below are you going to do with yourself when you realize there is no coming back for you?

I’m not about to compare directly the Royals and Nebraska football, because college football laws dictate that you Gomers will always fill that stadium and beat the Nevada's of the world…because quite frankly, you have nothing better to do. But it does bring up a good point that is; when are you going to realize that you are in fact at rock bottom, and who are you going to blame next for it?

You’ve already blamed Bill Callahan, Steve Pederson, Kevin Cosgrove, Blaine Gabbert, Harrison Beck, CBS News, J.C. Keller, Corey McKeon and the Lincoln Police Department. Who the hell is left? We know the anger will never be directed at Lord Tom, so where does it go from there? To me, that is a question that even I can’t answer. But, just like Royals fans…you will more than likely have no other choice but to find out over and over just how hopeless hope can sometimes be. I'm not kidding, I have no idea what you are going to do. (Which is rare, considering I've absolutely nailed your every move for about the last 2 years.)

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College baseball regional’s this weekend:
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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OK, that wasn’t fair. I do care a little bit…but only because you care. This has been the least hyped Nebraska baseball regional in years; which isn’t that surprising considering the Hickster 9 has been playing like dogshit lately. Losing 5 of your last 6 doesn’t exactly bode well for romping your way to Rosenblatt, and that’s not even including a trip to LSU looming in the distance, if in fact you actually win the damn thing.

Needless to say though, I will continue to not really care, except when it means watching you stumble and fall yet again to the delight of your enemies everywhere. I say Oral Roberts over NU in the final....that is unless San Francisco or Manhattan suddenly enter the field at the last minute.

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FYI – I’m Headed off into the woods fishing again for a week or so, so try not and get anybody arrested while I'm gone…it’s been a few weeks and I’d hate to miss it. Oh, and I should be re-charged and ready to jump back into the previews by then. Some of you banking on a Pelini-fueled resurgence might want to shy away from that. (Sorry, didn't mean to spoil it for ya)