It’s Texas Week

 

Former Texas QB Colt McCoy hoists the Big XII trophy. /Photo Jaime Squire Getty Images

 

Do you know how to spot a fair weather Nebraska fan?  Well, after the last decade or so they are hard to find to begin with.  You might have to start looking at sports pundits or writers or even Vegas odds makers who have this game set as the Huskers being -8.5 point favorites.

Yes, the game is in Lincoln this weekend and fans have been salivating since December 5, but it is still a game that should concern every fan who has been paying attention since the Longhorns and a young Ricky Williams ended the Huskers 47 game winning streak in 1998.  Or even going back to 1996 in the inaugural Big 12 championship where it was all but a done deal Nebraska would take the first title.

The players and circumstances are different, however the aura of Texas owning Nebraska’s number throughout the years of the Big 12 are no secret to long time fans of the team.

What I like about this game is the match up between Nebraska’s defense and the Texas offense, specifically Garret Gilbert.  Although, I have had nightmares about someone emerging and having a coming out party against the Huskers a la 1998.  But in reality Gilbert is going to have to beat Nebraska.  The Blackshirts showed they have the ability to stop big play threats out of the backfield with Lavonte David, who picked up Big 12 Defensive player of the week for stopping Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas almost single handedly.  Thomas, who was averaging over 150 yards per game was shut down to under half that total last Thursday night.  The match up between Texas receivers and Nebraska’s secondary also seems to favor the Huskers, which could be said of Nebraska versus any team in college football this season.

What is true for Texas is also true for Nebraska, however.  The likelihood of redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez running 80 yards untouched by the Longhorn defense is not quite as plausible as it was last week against the Wildcats.  Martinez may have to throw the ball between 15-20 times in this game without many mistakes to keep Texas honest and to open up the ground game.  I fully expect Texas and Will Muschamp, the Horns, um, charismatic defensive coordinator, to be dialed in on the zone read option come Saturday and give the Husker line some looks they haven’t seen yet this year from a defense.  What fans I’ve spoken to online and in person feel could be a new wrinkle with Martinez and the line is rolling the pocket to create options in a new way.  Also, something fans have seen little of is use of the wildcat offense, which was shown in a couple of offensive drives last year in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona with surprisingly effective results.

A couple of things the Huskers need to be mindful of is their special teams, which has not been exposed as the sub par until it is when returning punts and covering kickoffs.  Also, the Husker receivers will be tested against a very good and talented Horns secondary.  Not much has been made of it since they started losing, but trust me, it is fast, athletic and physical.

If the Huskers can control the line of scrimmage and throw in a few new looks for their running game and pounce on Texas early, it could be a long afternoon for the Horns.  If Texas hangs around, it’s anyones ballgame.  The fans have been waiting, and I expect the atmosphere to be similar to that of the Oklahoma game last season despite it starting at 2:30 p.m.  And while this game may not be quite as attractive to the rest of the world with Texas being at their worst in over a decade, you can rest assured the :01 arm bands some players wear as a reminder of last year’s loss in Dallas are just some of the small things done around the locker room to get ready for this game.

I like Nebraska to win, but I don’t believe it will be easy.  No matter how bad one team has been, it’s always close.  With all the bad luck moments that have held the Huskers winless against the Horns since 1999, you would think with this much stacked in the favor of the home team would allow for a sure win and that the Huskers are due.  All I know is this Saturday can’t get here soon enough.

Deliver Us From Kietzman

Is Kietzman emotionally unfit for radio?

If you are not from Kansas City and not a sports fan, you probably have no idea who this man is.  Kevin Kietzman hosts “Between the Lines,” a radio show on local 810 WHB.  He also happens to be part owner of the station while maintaining his four hour long program.  A dirty little secret that is seldom broadcast to the listening public.  I’ve taken issue with many of the topics discussed on the show and the manner in which they are carried out by the host.  I’ve emailed with no response either, as opposed to fellow host Soren Petro who routinely responds to seemingly everyone’s emails.

Ready at a moments notice to get on his high horse, as he usually does when it comes to anything regarding the Huskers, he was quick to take action against University of Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Pearlman and Athletic Director Tom Osborne for bringing our special brand of arrogance to the publicly broadcast board of regents meeting,  “smearing” Texas and Missouri.  You call it arrogant, I call it transparent.  Tomato, tamato.

Calling the two men mostly responsible for the move to the Big 10 classless, tasteless and boastful in this meeting is one thing.  The guys who take these positions are fully aware of the thick skin they have to wear in order to operate multimillion dollar athletic programs in the presence of overly self important and self righteous sports talk radio hosts.  I mean really, how else to you fill four hours while talking about one subject?  It’s not as easy as it looks folks.  Taking flack from the media is also a part of the game and people like Obsborne have been down this road many times as a legendary coach of a highly visible football program and taken shots from all over, least of all Kevin Kietzman.

What I take issue with is Kietzman’s perception of Nebraska fans.  Sure, there are bad apples in every bunch.  With the success our football team in relation to conference and national championships, a subject Kietzman has virtually no understanding of as a Kansas State alumnus and not-so-impartial fan, so it’s easy to see why he takes the position he does.  However, calling out all fans of Nebraska as arrogant people who will one day brag to their children they brought down the Big XII conference is not only presumptuous, but incredibly stupid.

I have much respect for the former members of the Big 8.  I grew up on Big 8 football and the battles between Nebraska and Oklahoma.  But has the Big XII erased all memory of the Big 2 and Little 6?  The cries of an inherent imbalance when it came to football?  The desperate outcries of athletic programs like Kansas State and Oklahoma State to form a larger conference that meant more money for them and a level playing field in theory, gave them the fuel to get where they are today.  So, somewhat in Kietzman’s defense I understand his wishes to keep the conference going because it made Kansas State somewhat relevant outside the bubble that is Kansas City.  In light of Texas and other Big XII South schools set to move to the Pac 10, Kansas State is poised to move to the Mountain West Conference I would be upset too as a fan and probably donor to K-State’s athletic department.

What I cannot abide is the arrogance and hypocritical nature of a sports broadcaster who is quick to call out the faults of men and women in the sporting world while housing the amount of skeletons in his closet that he does.  Not more than a few years ago while calling out former Kansas City Chief running back Larry Johnson for being a poor role model, citizen and football player and teammate, Kietzman was allegedly in the midst of a nasty divorce from his wife because of an affair with a staffer at his radio station.  I know radio is entertainment, and you have to be somewhat of a character on the radio, however Kietzman reminds his listeners he gives honest, factual opinions on his show.  I personally find it hard to take the honest and factual opinion of someone who preaches being humble, talks of  family values and moral fortitude while his personal life crumbles around him because of his improprieties as a human being.  Allegedly.

Call Pearlman and Osborne what you will, because at the end of the day they will gain or lose the support of the people they answer to and in turn be held accountable, which happens to be the State of Nebraska and the fans of the athletic program.  But making hay and radio time out of calling out the fans is lowbrow and sophomoric.  Kietzman knew the Pearlman’s and Osborne’s of the world have little time for his thoughts and opinions, so he goes after the people who support Nebraska and are subject to his show.  His job is to stir up animosity among the local universities fans, create controversy and be “edgy.”  I get that.  But I guess when your alma mater is being pushed out of the BCS because it is still, for the most part, nationally irrelevant, it would make me say just about anything too.

Starting Anew

John Lackey taking names.

It is a good thing MLB.com emails me to let me know they are charging me for my MLB.tv subscription in advance, or else I would have missed John Lackey face off against the Twins in some Spring Training action today.  Thanks, MLB !

If you ready my former Red Sox blog dedicated exclusively to the Boston Red Sox, you would have picked up on the fact when the Sox played the Anaheim/Los Angeles/California Angles that I loved to make fun of John Lackey.  Mostly because he cried and whined on the mound like a 13 year old girl.  But now that he is donning the red and midnight navy, all can be forgiven.

I still don’t know how I feel about the signing, considering the Sox are being outpaced by the Yankees making it look more like 2000 than 2010.  Remember just 18 short months ago when the Sox were on the way to their second World Series win in four years and the Yanks were destined to miss the playoffs?  Joe Torre was on his way out and the Sox had the perfect blend of big name signees and player development that would rule the baseball world.  If last year was an indicator, big money and spending still rules the bigs.

I’m not going to bellyache about how much the Yankees are spending, but I will complain about losing Jason Bay (maybe I will) and not making that big of a splash in the free agent market.  General Manager Theo Epstein seems to be satisfied with rolling the dice on his ever aging core of big name players, and will expect younger guys to step up.

The feared bullpen from a couple years ago started to show some chinks (no pun intended, racists) in the armor in the ’09 campaign.  Dice-K, who was supposed to change the way the game was pitched when he debuted back in 2007, is getting worn down by the American version of the game.

The Yankees will come in with a ton of confidence (duh) to this season, and will probably even do what they normally do which is flounder around until June and then only lose two games the rest of the year.