I finally got around to picking up a copy of "A Sea of Red" 2008 football annual this weekend.  I'm only a couple of stories into it, but...whoa!  Congratulations to Jon and everyone else who was involved in putting this together, it is a testament to the NU bloggers and will be a keepsake of mine for years to come.  Thanks to Maple Street Press for including Nebraska in their lineup this year and for making such a high quality publication available to Husker fans (without advertising, no less...how great is that?!)  I can't wait to find the time to get into the rest of the articles...the book will be sitting right by my seat at the kitchen table until I can digest the rest.  My wife might get perturbed by the absence of conversation during mealtimes, but I guess she'll have to get used to it!  

Thanks again for your collective commitment to providing NU news and information from the fans' perspective.  I don't take the opportunity to mention my appreciation of the dedicated work of NU bloggers often enough, so I just wanted to take this occasion to do so.

Hi Everyone, hope to see you at my book signing this Saturday in Lincoln.

Saturday, August 8 @ 2:00PM

Barnes & Noble

2910 Pine Lake Road

Lincoln, NE  68516

HERO OF THE UNDERGROUND: NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLER.

REVIEWS:

"Bruising... more harrowing than usual. Peter’s narrative relentlessly focuses on the brutalizing facts, and it is free from the macho posturing and self-congratulatory navel-gazing common in recovery memoirs. Nightmarishly honest."

-Kirkus Reviews

“I enjoyed the hell out of this book, sped through it like a crack fiend. There will be a lot of interest in this part of the world because of his Cornhusker ties. Nebraska is God’s country, but God, as Peter says, is Tom Osborne.”

–Poe Ballantine, author of Things I Like About America and God Clobbers Us All

http://jasonpeter.com

The Journal-Star is reporting that Teeng Akol, a 6-10 (or 6-11, depending on the source) is visiting Lincoln this Monday.  Akol was committed to South Florida for this fall, but some sort of eligibilty snafu (which the LJS's Brian Rosenthal likens to the Sallie situation) will prevent Akol from playing at South Florida.

Akol is also considering Oklahoma State, who is also sorely in need of a big man.  Akol will be a recruit for this fall (assuming he clears the NCAA Clearinghouse), and will fill the major gap in the Husker's lineup for this fall.

I'll update when more is known.

Aleks Maric has found his future home, and it is with CB Granada of Spain's premier league, the ACB.  According to the Journal-Star, Maric signed a two-year deal with the club.

Maric, who finished his career at Nebraska as an All-Big XII performer and 7th on Nebraska's career scoring list, was not drafted in last month's NBA Draft.  He did, however, work out with Indiana and Portland's Summer League teams.

More information on CB Granada can be found (for Spanish-readers) at http://www.cbgranada.com/.

BO PELINI POLKA by George Dare is a fantastic way to usher in a welcomed new season with a great coach and athletic director. The song is fun and captures the joyful spirit of Cornhuskers who support their team all the way. You have to go online and listen to this song! I can envision folks at tailgate parties and the games all dancing to George's terrific song. Nice change of pace from current economic woes and helps us transplated Nebraskans enjoy our team. Very nice job, George.

Although the basketball non-conference schedule is not complete, the World-Herald reported today on some things that are known about the non-league slate.

According to the W-H, Saint Louis University, along with Head Coach, Steve Pederson dining partner, and all-around food connosieur Rick Majerus will be playing the first part of a home-and-home series in Lincoln this winter.

In addition, TCU and Nebraska are close to locking up a 4-year deal to play one game at TCU, 2 in Lincoln, and the 4th back at TCU.

This combines with a home date against Creighton and a Pearl Harbor Day visit to Arizona State for what the W-H confirms as the schedule.  Earlier this summer, the Lincoln Journal-Star also reported that Nebraska would be visiting Pac-10 bottom-feeder Oregon State, but the W-H did not confirm that date.

The World-Herald is reporting that 13 of the Huskers' 16 Conference Basketball games will be on the ESPN family of networks, including the Big 12 Network (formerly "ESPN Regional Coverage").  Currently, neither game with Iowa State nor the Feb. 4 road trip to Colorado are scheduled for TV coversage.  Nebraska still has its own TV deal with Fox Sports, and those three games may yet find their way to television.

The Conference Schedule is as follows:

Jan. 10 (Sat.): Missouri, ESPN2
Jan. 14 (Wed.): at Iowa State
Jan. 17 (Sat.): Kansas State, Big 12
Jan. 21 (Wed.): at Oklahoma, ESPNU
Jan. 24 (Sat.): Oklahoma State, Big 12
Jan. 28 (Wed.): Kansas, ESPN2
Jan. 31 (Sat.): at Texas Tech, Big 12
Feb. 4 (Wed.): at Colorado
Feb. 7 (Sat.): Texas, ESPN
Feb. 11 (Wed.): Bye
Feb. 14 (Sat.): at Missouri, Big 12
Feb. 18 (Wed.): Colorado, ESPNU
Feb. 21 (Sat.): at Kansas, Big 12
Feb. 24 (Tues.): Texas A&M, ESPN2
Feb. 28 (Sat.): at Kansas State, Big 12
March 4 (Wed.): Iowa State
March 7 (Sat.): at Baylor, Big 12

The noncoference schedule should be released before the beginning of fall classes.

Commentary from HuskerLibrarian:

Last year, the starting conference schedule included both Kansas games in the first 2 weeks of league play.  Two confidence-destroying losses to the eventual National Champs later and the Huskers were off to an 0-4 start in league play.

This year, the Huskers start with what will be 4 highly winnable games in the first 5 (it'll be a tough order to win at Oklahoma, who may be the best team in the league next year, when Nebraska hasn't won in Norman in 10 years).

Better still, there is no long road trip in the conference slate, and only one two-game trip.   Four of the first 6 at home should also be a big plus, especially when only one of the first four road games is against a team (OU) who is likely an NCAA tournament team.  This is setting up for a good chance at a strong start in conference, which should mean fewer "must-win" games in the last three weeks.

Haha...  wow. NU fans are still living in their fantasy lands aren't they? Bo will be good for the NU program, but just like the last couple coaches, he won't do anything for the program to return to the good ol' days....  "the 90's". That will NEVER happen again. The Huskers haven't done anything much in the 2000's at all and probably won't until, well who knows how many coaches later...      NU will probably go to a bowl game though this year under new coach BO,  ONLY because, well yet AGAIN they have a really weak non conference schedule, (oh no, yes, wait, they did schedule VT, watch out!),  but other than that,  wow  another stellar lineup for the non conference.  The huskers are really out to prove somethine aren't they?  haha. yeahhhhh..   And also the first five games are at HOME?  yet AGAIN?   hmmmm....  something weird there AGAIN???     Desperate times always call for desperae measures right?   yes they do...... C'mon NU, get your stuff together..  face the real world facts...   You are nothing now.....  Stop talking each year like a national championship is on the way, because it is NOT.

Apparently, a last-minute opening has created a spot for former Husker Brian Duensing on the USA Olympic Baseball Team.  Duensing is currently playing for the Twins' AAA Affiliate in Rochester.

Also, Adam Stern, another former Husker, will be playing for team Canada.  Canada and the USA will meet on August 1 for an exhibition.

Team USA Baseball Schedule at Olympic Games (all dates/times CDT):

August 13   5 AM   South Korea

August 13   9:30 PM   Netherlands

August 14   10:30 PM   Cuba

August 15   9:30 PM   Canada

August 18   6 AM   China

August 19   6 AM   Chinese Taipei

August 20   6 AM   Japan

Semifinals: August 21 9:30 PM/August 22 5 AM

Bronze Medal Game: August 22   9:30 PM

Gold Medal Game:   August 23   5 AM

Medal Ceremony:   August 23   8:25 AM

What's up Nebraska people? Penn State fan here. I've got a question for you guys. There is a lot of speculation about what's going to happen with Paterno after this season, and a lot of PSU message boards are making it out to be some sort of battle royale between JoePa and PSU's president, Graham Spanier. Within some of the discussions, there have been some comments from people about how Spanier has a lot to do with the coaching mess you guys went through with Solich, Callahan, etc. But that's not making sense to me. Spanier left Nebraska in 1995. Osborne coached two more years, then Solich took over for a few years. Right? So, I'm trying to figure out how much that really could have to do with Spanier. I was hoping the Corn Nation could provide some insight. Thanks.

Oh, and are we officially scheduled to play you guys in 2014-15? I really liked our home-and-home from a couple years ago.