Soon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some random thoughts on the start of Nebraska’s Football practices:
- I may earn the scorn of the professional media types, but who really cares that Bo Pelini closed the first practices to reporters and did not make anybody available for interviews? I get that the fine folks at the Lincoln Journal-Star, Omaha World-Herald, and other media outlets have stories to write, air time to fill, and online content needs all in a never-ending quest to feed the hunger for information in a football mad state. I could see their outrage if Bo was known for deep, introspective answers (“Taylor looked great, those private session with Calhoun have really paid off. The other QBs really need to up their game or they’ll be on the Brion Carnes Plan”). But seriously, what are we missing out on? Generic clichés and non-insightful quotes from Pelini and players? Big whoop. And on the off-chance that a player gives an honest answer or a non-filtered opinion? The sound bite goes viral and is dissected, mocked, and trotted out all season long after a bad performance. Don’t believe me? On Monday, I listened to a 15 minute radio segment analyzing Jamal Turner’s opinion that Nebraska could average 50 points a game (their conclusion: Turner is unrealistic). A year ago, we all had a good laugh over Martinez’s proclamation that he wanted to complete 70% of his throws.
- I’m a little late on this one, but there is no such thing as “too old for Fan Day”. I don’t care if you’re 37, have no kids, and want to go to Fan Day in your Burkhead jersey. Just because I don’t have a big desire to wait 45 minutes for Kenny Bell’s autograph, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it – especially if the autograph isn’t destined for your Husker shrine instead of eBay. I love the fan support this team gets, and I see no need to suppress it. That said, I do believe kids under 13 should get priority for autographs over those without kids.
- To nobody’s surprise, Nebraska won another online vote. Twitter reacted with the typical avalanche of snark (“It’s just a shame that the Big Ten championship game isn’t decided by an online fan vote.”). I love how Nebraska fans dominate these online votes. Sure, some folks may take a big vote total as another sign of how little there is to do here in flyover country (I’m looking at you, Herbstreit), but I see it differently. Nebraska fans have an incredible level of pride for their team. And we take pride in that pride. Don’t apologize for it; embrace it. To those of you who voted once, daily, or hundreds of times, I say “Thank you.”
- Hey Tim Beck – They really broke your jaw in four places to cure your sleep apnea? Did you at least try out a CPAP machine before they took a hammer to your face? Or is your sleep apena diagnosis a convenient cover story for somebody taking a swing at you? Surgery seems a little severe for me.
Feit Can Write 