Husker Hot Takes – Fiala and Phillips Edition

I’ve got a handful of post-Spring Scrimmage thoughts I’d like to share, but I want to focus on the two biggest Husker stories of the week:

Former Husker linebacker and broadcaster Adrian Fiala passes away at age 67.

Adrian Fiala was a standout linebacker on the Bob Devaney teams of the late 1960s.  Although he graduated just before Nebraska won back-to-back national championships, he is widely credited for helping to elevate the team’s play from 6-4 mediocrity to a 9-2 team on the cusp of greatness.  Fiala was a two-sport standout, serving as a catcher on the Nebraska Baseball team.

But for most Nebraska fans, Fiala’s biggest impact was as a broadcaster.  He was a fixture in the Husker broadcast booth between the end of the Pavelka/Sadlemeyer era and the current Sharpe/Davison team.  He was a fixture on NET’s Big Red Wrap-up show.  He was blessed with a deep, booming voice, a humble folksy charm, and a level of preparation that inspired his colleagues.  When you think of the greatest Husker moments between 1996 and 2010 – Stuntz to Crouch, Alex Henery’s 57 yard field goal, and countless others – you could count on Adrian Fiala sharing your excitement and enthusiasm in the radio booth.  Was he a homer for Dear Old Nebraska U?  You bet your backside he was, and I never heard him apologize for supporting his home state alma mater with everything he had.

Personally, I enjoyed his work on countless NET Nebraska Baseball broadcasts more than his football broadcasts.  I always felt his strengths as a broadcaster:  a friendly demeanor and a gift for story telling, were perfectly paired for the rhythms of a baseball game.  I will greatly miss him the next time NET does a game.

Speaking of which…I would humbly suggest that NET honor Fiala during their next Nebraska Baseball broadcast (Saturday, April 18) by remaining silent during the home half of the first inning.  It would be a cool tribute to a man whose words accompanied so many Husker games.

Fiala fans should check out 93.7 The Ticket

After leaving the Husker broadcast booth, Adrian Fiala gave his talents and credibility to upstart Lincoln sports radio station 93.7 The Ticket.  The transformation of The Ticket from small time sports radio operation to one of the best Husker voices in the state is largely due to Fiala’s work mentoring the talented group of young broadcasters at 93.7.

The station’s staff – especially program manager and Fiala’s “Husker Legends Show” co-host John Gaskins – has done an amazing job of paying tribute to Fiala.  They have collected several beautiful and touching stories from a who’s who of Nebraska legends.  I encourage you to listen to the clips on their podcast page.

If for nothing else, you’ll want to hear the unbelievable story of the priest who gave Fiala the Last Rites on Monday.  While in college at Nebraska, the future priest performed as Herbie Husker.

Yes, a Nebraska legend received his last rites from Herbie Husker.

There is truly no place….

*   *   *

And on the opposite end of the spectrum…

Lawrence Phillips is accused of murdering is cellmate in a California prison.

The publicly available facts are rather limited at this time, but Lawrence Phillips is believed to have killed his cellmate last weekend.  Before I explore the Nebraska-centric angles and implications, let me acknowledge that very little of what follows is as important as a man being killed by another man – even if the deceased was serving 82 to life for first degree murder.  As much as it upsets me to see every transgression Phillips commits reported as “former Nebraska running back” instead of “ex-NFL running back”, I get that grievance is beyond trivial compared to the loss of life.  That said…

Can we stop referring to Phillips as “Former Nebraska Running Back”?

While I did see several articles and tweets referring to L.P. as an “Ex-NFL running back”, many still reference his 27 games (and just 14 starts) at Nebraska.  Admittedly, this comes from a fiercely proud Nebraska native and alumnus who wants to protect the name of his school.

I get that his first criminal acts took place in Lincoln, but at the same time, it’s been almost 20 years since Phillips was a member of the Nebraska football team.  Is there a statute of limitations that kicks in eventually?  Are other former NFL players accused of felonies identified by their pro team(s) or by the college they attended?

Many national pundits are taking advantage of this crime to attack Tom Osborne’s decision to reinstate Phillips.

Among the “highlights”:

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch linked a 20 year old Jim Murray column from the LA Times.  Deitsch refers to the column as “ahead-of-its time“.  I agree in that the style of one-sided outraged indignation used by the legendary writer seems lifted from today’s #HotSportsTake culture where clicks are more important than being measured or balanced.

Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde retweeted the Deitsch tweet and chased it with this gem:

Read that Murray column and remember Osborne is on the CFP committee — where the first word used to describe the members was "integrity."

— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) April 14, 2015

A respected national media member attacking Osborne’s integrity because he reinstated Phillips*?  Sheesh.

*I can’t remember if I’m on record or not about T.O. and L.P., so here goes:

Tom Osborne did not need Lawrence Phillips to win the 1995 National Championship.  That team would have been considered one of the greatest teams of all time with Ahman Green, Clinton Childs, or Damon Benning as the feature back.  To argue otherwise displays complete ignorance on that team’s talent, and the dominance they displayed throughout the season.  Remember, on the very first play in NU’s first game without Phillips, Clinton Childs went 65 yards for a touchdown (against a respectable Arizona State team a year away from a top 5 ranking and Rose Bowl berth).

Faced with the decision of what to do with Phillips, there should be no debate that the easiest option for Osborne (and Nebraska) would be to kick him off the team, expel him from school, and completely wash their hands of him.  Keeping him on the team – even if for the asinine reason of “winning at all costs” – is much more difficult for everybody involved.  The potential for distraction derailing a special season goes up exponentially with Phillips in uniform after September 10, 1995.  Period.

I truly believe Osborne knew in the depths of his soul that the best chance for Lawrence Phillips, human being, to be successful was to remain in the structured and supportive environment of the Nebraska Football program.  I have no doubt that Osborne, a devout Christian, believed he could turn Phillips’s life around.

Could Osborne/Nebraska have handled the Phillips situation better?  Hindsight always says yes.  Certainly, there is the notion that Osborne should have cut his losses and tossed L.P. to the wolves.  I’d listen to the argument that Osborne should not have reinstated Phillips until after the bowl game – giving him structure without opening the door to the “win at all costs” columns.

Clearly, the extra chance(s) Osborne gave to Phillips ultimately did not work out.  His reputation will be forever tarnished nationally (and to a lesser extent, locally) for choosing to support Phillips.  But what if Lawrence Phillips had left Nebraska, gone to the Rams and put together an average NFL career?  What if Phillips had gone through the last 20 years without arrest, professional insubordination, or anything worse than a parking ticket?  Would national pundits still take shots at Osborne’s “integrity”?

Or would they laud him for helping to turn around a troubled kid?

Damon Benning provides a raw and poignant look at who Lawrence Phillips is

Tuesday morning on 1620 AM’s excellent “Sharp and Benning in the Morning” radio show, they devoted two segments to Damon Benning speaking eloquently and passionately about Lawrence Phillips.

Damon Benning gives an in-depth look at who Lawrence is.  At one point, Benning says he is trying to “tell the story without excuses”.  It is a powerful listen.  You can hear the normally reserved Benning become emotional multiple times.

As fans – and likely as people who grew up in better environments than Lawrence Phillips – it is very easy to attack, dismiss, and write Phillips off as a thug or a piece of garbage.  Certainly, that is your right, especially if you feel that Phillips has done irreparable damage to Nebraska and Tom Osborne.  But the main thing I took from Benning’s words is it is not always easy to try to understand who the man is, where he came from, and how he processes life.  Benning describes Phillips as a smart, yet complex person built on a “shaky foundation”.  Benning notes that in his experiences “hurt people hurt people”.

Benning does not defend what Phillips has done or what he is accused of doing.  Nor does he attempt to justify his actions by sharing details of L.P.’s childhood and Nebraska career.

The first segment starts around the 2:05 mark.  The second picks back up around 5:00.  I strongly recommend listening to both segments.

*   *   *

If there is any positive we can take away from these two stories, it is that both have resulted in local radio hosts elevating their craft to exemplary and memorable levels.

But I wish this week was more about some silly scrimmage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Husker Hot Takes – 10/22/2014

A heaping helping of hot takes to get you through until Halloween…

Bo Pelini thinks the ESPN / SEC relationship is “bad for college football”.
I won’t argue Bo’s point, as it remains to be seen just how much ESPN’s love affair with the SEC impacts the game.  But I hate to see the coach give fuel to the message board conspiracy theorists who believe every announcer hates Nebraska, and ESPN disrespects the Big Ten and every other conference north or west of Columbia, MO.

Look:  You and I may sometimes forget it, but I guarantee that ESPN always knows the “E” in their name stands for “Entertainment”, not Ethics, Equality, or anything else.  ESPN wants viewers (which leads to higher cable fees and more ad dollars).  They get those viewers by promoting and talking about winning teams.  And right now, the SEC (as a whole) is widely viewed as a winning team.

This is nothing new.  Before their love affair with the SEC began, ESPN fawned all over USC.  And Texas.  And Boise State.  And other top programs before that.  As some of those teams have fallen on hard times, ESPN quickly moves on to the next big thing.  For the most part, this is decided as much by the results on the field as it is by any financial implications ESPN may see from a team or conference’s success.

Remember, ESPN has a big, big stake in Texas’s Longhorn Network, so if the “ESPN only promotes what they own” conspiracy were 100% true, we’d hear a lot more about Texas than we do.  But since Texas is 3-4, and is far from the dominant team they used to be, ESPN’s focus is elsewhere.

I realize all of this gets confusing when SportsCenter is passed off as a news program employing traditional journalism like you’d find on the evening news.  In reality, SportsCenter is little more than highlight packages and talking heads providing their own opinions (or, for the tin foil hat crowd, the opinions given to them by ESPN executives) under the branding of Coors Light, Lowe’s, or some new movie.  SportsCenter is a news program much like The Daily Show is a news program:  Some of the things they say may be news to you, but you’re going to get a heavy dose of opinion and commentary that is anything but impartial.  It’s up to you to determine what is factual and what is not.

As for Bo, he’s perfectly fine in his opinion, and I respect him for speaking his mind and reminding everyone that the SEC is closer to the rest of college football than some would have us believe.  Pelini can continue to do his part by repeating what his team did in January:  beating an SEC team in a bowl game.  That is what will sway the perceptions of the SEC’s dominance and the B1G’s ineptitude

Dougie McWildcat’s Appearance Angers Some Fans

Former Creighton standout Doug McDermott appeared in a video wearing a purple Northwestern shirt at the battle for NU.  McDermott said he .had taped the thing a couple of months ago, and was not aware that it would be shown during the Nebraska game.  He also said he was rooting for Nebraska in that game.  I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on both of these (even if I think he should have expected the video to be shown when Nebraska came to Evanston).

Personally,  I don’t really care if McBuckets wants to support Northwestern, Notre Dame, or North Dakota State.  He was born in Iowa, went to college at a school without a football team (insert Jaysker joke here, if you wish), and now lives and works in Chicago.  He is under no obligation to support Nebraska because he went to college within our borders.  If he wants to, great.  If not, I won’t lose sleep over it.

But as a fan of all* Husker teams (and not just the winning ones), I love that he appeared on-screen at the Nebraska game in Wildcat purple.  Let’s face it:  there are Nebraska football fans who root for Creighton instead of Nebraska basketball.  These folks have a variety of reasons for doing this (Creighton alums, Omaha residents, like a beer with their hoops, want to watch a winner, attracted to Jesuit sports, whatever) but those really aren’t important in this context.  My point is these fans exist, and their existence rubs some Husker fans the wrong way.

*Admittedly, “all” is an exaggeration.  While I do want all Husker teams to be successful, to say that I am a diehard cross country fan or longtime supporter of the swimming team would be a lie.  That said, I do actively support NU teams beyond football and men’s basketball (notably, baseball, volleyball, and women’s gymnastics) – even when they are not competing for championships.  For me, it’s more about supporting the team and the university more than it is about identifying myself as a fan of a successful team. 

By having McDermott appear at a Husker event, in the colors of a third school, the folks who root for Creighton and Nebraska had to be a little conflicted, and possibly feel a little awkward.  I like that.  I’ve never understood the idea of a la carte fandom, picking teams from different schools to fit my needs.  So I like that some of these people – call ’em “Jayskers” if you wish – may have been a little uncomfortable during that video.  Kudos to Northwestern for realizing that red + blue = purple.

Pelini Continues to Push for Recruiting Reforms
In addition to his previous suggestion to eliminate National Signing Day, Bo also wants schools to be able to pay for a parent to come along on their child’s visit.  I love Bo’s quote from Monday’s press conference:

“I look at it from a parent standpoint. If a 17, 18-year old kid, is getting ready to make a life-changing decision, his parents should be with him,” Pelini said. “Because most kids, there are a small percentage of kids who are ready to weed out and make their decisions for the right reasons, but you have a large majority of kids who aren’t ready to make that decision because they don’t know what’s important yet. They should have their parents with them. They should have their parents with them to say, ‘it’s not about the uniforms here, bud.’”

Yes, if you want to be cynical about it, Bo is pushing these reforms because he’s lost some talented recruits in part because Mama didn’t want them going so far away from home to play in the middle of a cornfield.  But what he is saying makes perfect sense.  Where you go to college is a big decision in a kid’s life – often the biggest decision an 18-year-old kid has made in his life.  Having Mom and Dad there to provide guidance and recognize the things that a school like NU can provide (tutoring, training facilities, mentoring, etc.) is huge.

Besides, as adidas has proved time and again, it is clearly not about the uniforms here, bud.

Back in Blackshirts
Tuesday afternoon, several members of the Nebraska defense took to the practice field as Blackshirts – the first time the coveted practice jerseys have been issued in 2014.  Not to take anything away from the strong defensive performance in the second half of the Northwestern game, but it sure seems like the timing had more to do with the increased questions about when (or if) the Blackshirts would be issued that popped up in the last week.

Personally, I’m not a fan of the Pelini method of issuing Blackshirts arbitrarily after a midseason game.  Call me a stodgy traditionalist if you must, but I believe the Blackshirts should be issued towards the end of fall camp every year, not in late October.  Period.  If they need to be yanked after an ugly performance, that’s fine, but I disagree with using them as a carrot that the team may or may not reach.

As for the number issued, I don’t have a problem with issuing more than eleven jerseys, especially if you have a handful of key contributors that technically don’t start (such as a nickel back or third down pass rusher).  But I don’t think you need to give the entire two-deep a Blackshirt either.

I’d like to see Pelini and Papuchis embrace the Blackshirts tradition more, and make it a more integral part of the team.  That said, you know NU is having a good season if the logistics of issuing Blackshirts is a topic of conversation.

Husker Baseball gets a jump start on Halloween
The baseball team wrapped up the fall Red/White intrasquad series with all of the players and coaches in costume.  I could describe the awesome variety of costumes, but some of them really need to be seen to be appreciated.  Besides, how often do you get to see somebody in an inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man outfit get an at bat, hear the announcer say “now pitching, Thing 1”, or see a group of costumed baseball players recreate the De’Mornay Pierson-El to Tommy Armstrong, Jr. trick play (with Superman playing the role of Armstrong)?

I love the idea.  The players looked like they were having an absolute blast.  Ditto for the coaching staff – although I’m sure Darin Erstad had to be roasting inside a full Chewbacca costume on an unseasonably warm and sunny day.  It was fun to see the guys show off their personalities and put on a good show for the several hundreds diehard fans who came out (as well as those of us who work downtown and were able to take in a couple of innings over the lunch hour).

Plus, these are the types of things that help a program gain positive national exposure and help make Nebraska look good to recruits.  I hope this becomes an annual tradition.