I am currently buried in a project that is consuming all of my free time. Here we are the weekend before the biggest Big 12 baseball series of the year, and I’m overrun. I hope to get something out on stats today or tonight.

I apologize for not getting as much stuff out in the last couple of weeks, and I hope to get my head above water early next week.

In the meantime, contemplate this view of the University of Nebraska campus.

Hey there Husker fans,

It's been a while, I know, but one half of MidWest Coast Bias has found a new spot to roost and that spot is here within the Corn Nation.  John may be joining me at one point but let me just say that it's great to be able to converse with you all again.

Where have I been?  Oh, just wandering aimlessly around the Internet.  Kind of like one of those trips to Europe kids take after college or so I'm told.  I recently met up with Corn Blight who has just as much the mouth of a sailor as I do, so don't let him tell you any different.  With that said, with this very proud yet brief post, if you don't know who I am and even if you do, the menu to be served is slightly different.  What can you expect of Blankman 2K8 besides an even deeper dynasty mode?

Blasphemy.  I apologize, Husker Mike, I really do, but as much as I appreciate a nice fluff piece when I have a hankering for cotton candy, I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy a long time ago.  Combine the need to feel my cynicism and paranoia with the tinfoil I purchase in bulk at Sam's Club.  You do the math.

Recruiting analysis.  Yep, I still talk about recruiting just about as much as I talk about football in and of itself.  If you're a fan of the subject, you just got yourself one more reason to visit Corn Nation (aside from the fact that we're soon posting co-ed flag football scores imaginary or not).  If you're not...well, that's unfortunate

I just like that little so I'm using it again.  Really, I may sound all doom and gloom lately, but quality commentary has to come from the heart and quite frankly?  I respect the fans of Nebraska far too much to dumb things down and make everything flowery when it isn't.  I'm an optimist not an idiot despite what many think.  I get a sense of fun from the fans again and honestly, it does us all good.  Happy to be here, Corn Nation and for better or for worst, I'm here to stay.

It was a great Husker day Saturday - the day started with the spring game and finished with Nebraska's defeat of the Kansas Jayhawks 8-6 at Haymarket Park.

The mobile post below should give you an idea of what happened yesterday.

2007, I take great pleasure in burying thee, you year of great suckage. If ever there is a time machine invented, you're one of the last dead years I'm coming back to see.

It wasn't a great personal year for me. The year started with my older brother Jim suffering a massive heart attack at the Chili Bowl. We were told at the time that he wouldn't live through the next few days. Toward the end of the year my Mom suffered a fall and bleeding on her brain. She recovered from that, but it was the end of her independence as she's now in a nursing home.

And then there's the Huskers.

A review on the Husker suckage that was 2007.

• The men's basketball team doesn't make it to post-season play, ending their season with a loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. The season included a win over Creighton but a 92-39 mauling at Kansas.
• The women's basketball team made it to post-season play, losing to Temple 64-61 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Mike Anderson's baseball team experienced a tumultuous season, enduring several suspensions, and the dismissal of pre-season All-American Ryan Wehrle. They played the toughest schedule in the nation, finishing 32-27 and making the NCAA tourney. Their season ended when they lost the regional title game to Arizona State.
• The good news about baseball? Texas, a team that many thought would win the CWS (the "Augie Garrido factor" , didn't get out of their regional bracket. I love it when that happens. I don't hate the Longhorns, I just don't want their baseball team doing any better than we do. Wait. Yeah, in baseball, I pretty much hate the Longhorns.
• Women's soccer had a horrid season, finishing 1-8-1 in the Big 12 and 5-10-4 overrall. This is from a team that sees the NCAA tourney on a regular basis.
• Women's volleyball finished as co-Big 12 champs and then finished their season being swept by California in the Wisconsin regional final. They finished with a 30-2 record, their only other loss to Texas. It says something about Nebraska volleyball that their season is considered a disappointment. Possibly the worst thing about 2007 and Husker volleyball is saying good bye to Sarah Pavan.

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• And then we get to football. The year started off with Marlon Lucky making a trip to the hospital for undisclosed reasons.  If that wasn't an omen, we should have been tipped off what kind of year it would be when running back Kenny Wilson broke his leg carrying a television. Sam Keller gets in trouble for throwing a cup, and Maurice Purify gets busted twice in five weeks.

All of this before the 2007 season started. Typical off-season stuff, or a foreshadow of what was to come? There were huge expectations for 2007 football. Husker fans were disgusted that Missouri was picked by many pundits to win the Big 12 North. Clearly we had drank the Callahan kool-aid and great things lie ahead.

Ahhhrgghhh! Our worst fears realized, the non-tackling defense of 2007!

Then came USC. It was clear given the size of the holes being blown in our defense that there was a problem.

Steve Pederson was fired. Husker fans partied in the streets. Nebraska's defense was historically bad, Husker fans booed them, and we all freaked out.

Mercifully, Nebraska's season ended with a loss at Colorado and along with it, Bill Callahan's reign. The final tally would be 5-7, the second losing season in over 40 years, but the second losing season under Callahan. The Husker defense would finish 2007 ranked 116th in rushing, 84th against the pass, and 112th overall, the worst defense in Nebraska Cornhusker football history thanks to the suckage that was Kevin Cosgrove.

The end of 2007 saw the return of Bo Pelini as head coach, Tom Osborne as the official athletic director, and the return of several former Husker coaches.

The year's best story belonged to a former Husker as Joba Chamberlain exploded into the national limelight after being called up to the New York Yankees. Chamberlain is the ultimate rags to riches work hard for your dreams story.

And so we move to 2008

My brother Jim survived his massive heart attack going through quadruple bypass surgery. He'll be back at the Chili Bowl next week, his car racing with 85 other rookies on Tuesday night. If they make the top 15, they'll move on. It'd be a great way to make up for 2007.

Keep Smiling in 2008.

2008 brings hope to Cornhusker fans, but let's not make the same mistake we made last year. Don't drink the kool-aid. Bo Pelini won't make us Big 12 champs in a single season. The good news is that 2008 can't be worse than 2007, so relax and enjoy the ride.

Update [2007-12-22 13:36:21 by midwestcoastbias]: 12/22: We're now featuring a second interview from the last person you'd expect us to go to for one: The Husker Hater

Greetings and salutations, members of the Corn Nation.  Blankman of MidWest Coast Bias here.  The administration of CN and MWCB (keep your acronyms straight at all times) have decided to mesh a bit and while Seth Jensen may be our favorite son, we now are proud to call Corn Nation our sister site (for tax purposes).  

When I approached the Powers That Be of CN, I offered opinions and since they cover NU news so well here and we cover opinion and obscure references there, we thought meshing would be a nice experiment.  I see it going much the same way as things did in the 1983 classic, "A Christmas Story" sans getting kicked in the face by Santa or having my eye blown out with a bb gun.  Also, the Internet Movie Database lists the plot keywords as "Costume, Mother Son Relationship, Dog, Family Relationship, Flat Tire"  I’m not particularly fond of any of those words being combined with my stay here in ideal circumstances.

For those of you not familiar with MWCB, my co-host from Aurora, Nebraska and I put out a weekly show hashing out some of the prominent news seen on this very site.  We also put a fair emphasis on recruiting analysis along with doing some stuff that comes right out of left field such as giveaways and the like.  This leads me into the pimp of the MidWest Coast Bias Bowl Giveaway which you can find more information about at this page.

I look forward to adding what I can to this site and I hope that you will feel more than welcome to visit us at MidWest Coast Bias, shoot a question or opinion our way to be discussed on the blog/podcast and not stone us too heavily.

It's nearly Christmas, and I'm not finished shopping either. Truth is, I let Mrs Corn Nation buy most of the stuff, and the few presents I'm responsible for, well.... I hope giftees have low expectations.

For those of you who are still looking, Corn Nation is pleased to offer a 10% discount from Asgard Press on 2008 calendars made from vintage Nebraska game day programs.

Asgard's site provides a slide show of the images from the calendar. The images featured in the calendar are archival-quality reproductions of the covers of the actual souvenir game programs that were sold at the games many decades ago. Some images have been digitally repaired and restored where creases, tears, marks, or other damage would have otherwise distracted from the appreciation of the artwork as it appeared at that time.

If you read Corn Nation much, you know I really go in for the history stuff so the Nebraska calendar fits that pretty well. Maybe later they'll be offering these as large-sized prints.

If you're looking for a book you've never heard of, you might consider "Huskerville" by Roger C. Aden. I haven't reviewed it yet, and I will soon, but if you ever wondered why Nebraskans have such a close connection to football, Roger's book will tell you why.

It is more expensive than a typical book because it's published by an academic publisher. It's what I'd call semi-academic. It includes a lot of stories and quips from fans (referred to as "Huskervillers"), but references those with what made Nebraska what it is - Will Cather and Old Jules, the Homestead Act, Mari Sandoz and then relates all that to football. It's a good choice for Husker fans who live out of state and wonder why they long for the place. There are some other books out there that describe the brains and body of the relationship of Huskervillers with their football team. Aden describes the soul.

Our hearts go out to the families whose lives were shattered yesterday in the senseless killings at Westroads Mall in Omaha. Please keep them in your prayers over the next few days as they deal with this tragedy.

Husker Mike lives in Omaha, not far from Westroads, and states more clearly than I could what must be on the hearts and minds of people there.  While I left the state 20 years ago, I still have a fair number of friends in Omaha and when I heard my first thought was wondering if they were all right. I guess you never really leave Nebraska, do you?

Husker Pedia is collecting items for donation to an auction to be held on behalf of the victim's families, so please consider donating to them.

Lil' Red. Isn't he cute?

The Husker athletic department wants you to vote for our very own Lil' Red so he can make it into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

I know you won't do it, though because I know you hate Lil' Red. I've seen the comments you make. He's not manly enough to represent the University of Nebraska. A mutant. Satanic. You find him embarrassing. You think he's a freak. What is it about him that brings out such nasty comments?

Look, kids like him. He's entertaining. He bounces when he runs. He stands on his head better than anyone I know. He never says anything and he's at all the Husker sporting events. He's a true fan. And yet there is such anger directed towards him. I've tried to understand how people could direct such animosity towards a guy who represents nothing but innocence. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that it's not just him you don't like. You don't like his kind. You know what I mean. You have a hatred or fear of balloon creatures. You have globophobia.

Senor Cactus. Your First Love.

Something must have happened in your past that caused this. Maybe at some point in your life you felt deflated by a balloon creature. Perhaps someone in Lil Red's family came to your seventh birthday party and no one else showed up so you spent the day with him. Maybe it was Senor Cactus. You had no one else to play with, so you gave all your love to Senor Cactus and when the end of the day came, they took him away. He was your only friend and then he was gone just like that. You've resented it since and now you've transferred that resentment to Lil' Red.

Burning Man. Needs Counseling. Badly.

They say that you don't know someone until you've walked in their shoes. I'm not saying that I've walked in Lil' Red's shoes, but if you take just a moment to think about his life you might see him a bit differently. What happens at his family reunions? Holiday dinners? Can you imagine all those different personalities coming together?

Like Lil' Red's cousin Burning-Man festival dude, having to endure constant jokes about being set on fire. Or the constant Lord of the Rings Ent reference - "Hey, man, where's Treebeard?" It's left him a neurotic mess.

Jimmy? Confused about identity.

And then there's this .... uh, rainbow colored dancer guy. I think his name is Jimmy. He's got a lot of internal conflicts - constantly trying to find himself, his true identity, where he fits into the world. Doesn't talk much, even to anyone in the family, because his self-esteem is so bad. Everyone thinks he's happy all the time, but I'll bet his inside is rotten, maybe even moldy.

Frank. A real nightmare.

Or maybe you felt threatened or frightened by Frank. That's understandable. He's huge. He's kind of scary. He's cranky all the time because he has to work all day and then he's illuminated at night. Always has to wear the same stupid "Monster Sale" sign. Lil' Red has indicated that he's a real problem at family reunions. They have to get a couple kegs just for him and the other balloons don't talk to him very much. I suppose it's understandable given that he's . Can't do any tricks (like dancing on his head), unless there's a huge wind and then people are screaming at him like he's alive or something.

The members of Lil' Red's family are jealous of his abilities. Most of them can't jump or run. Most of them are stationery. He is special. Some mascots suck. Some blow. He's the only one that does both. The envy has left Lil' Red a little lonely. And there you are taking out all your anger on him.

Well, this time you can make it right. Lil' Red needs your help. Look at the competition he's up against: Brutus Buckeye (Ohio State), Smokey (Tennessee), Big Red (Western Kentucky), The Ibis (Miami) and Sparty (Michigan State). You can't let those guys beat him. You can make amends.

Put Lil' Red into the Mascot Hall of Fame! It's the right thing to do!

This is short, sweet, and to the point, but it's for all y'all who keep hitting this site while searching Google for

"How Long Will A Keg of Beer Last?"

apparently inspired by an article from the middle of June.

There are apparently a number of you who are concerned about this issue.

Looks lonely doesn't it? Maybe you should give it a call, big fella...  Source:(My garage)

As always, Corn Nation is here to help. We want you to have a good summer, and given our vast experience with kegs you know that you've come to the right place for the answers to all your beer-related questions.

The answer to how long will a keg of beer will last:

As long as you keep it cold and under pressure, a keg of beer will last okay until you drink all of it which should be no more than three days after you tapped the darned thing. The key is keeping it under pressure. You preferably will do this with CO2.

The real answer:

If you are keeping a keg of beer around undrank for a week, you didn't deserve it in the first place. And that is especially true for the person who searched "How long will a keg of Bud Light last?".

I realize that we're all at different places in our lives. Some of us are about quantity. Some about quality. Some are about both (whooeeee!). If you're worried about a keg of Bud Light lasting more than two days after you've tapped it, you need to examine the quality aspect of beer, because you're not drinking enough quantity. It's that thing with life being about balance. If you're not going to drink a boatload of a piss beer like Bud Light, then you should buy better beer and enjoy a quality beer. (Note: Heineken is not a quality beer. Heineken is what you get when you soak Lutefisk in Bud Light, strain it a pour it into a green bottle.)

That is all. Thank you.  

We now continue with our regularly scheduled programming.

--JJ--

Rules for the College Football Blogosphere? There aren’t enough rules in the world already?

Peter Bean (BON) and Orson Swindle (EDSBS), two monsters of the college football blogosphere have put up a set of ‘proposals’ (rules) that they’d apparently like us to follow (join the movement, as BON says). I don’t get it - I really don’t.

The list of proposals (rules) sounds like a good idea - bringing up the level of discourse - but isn’t that also how you start paving the road to hell with good intentions? This year it starts with 17 rules and next year there’s 25, the year after that 35, then 50. There’s only one set of rules I’m aware that started at ten and has stayed at ten over the years and those involved a Supreme Being. Human beings can’t help themselves in this regard because they have a need to control the world around them.

I suppose it’s inevitable as the blogosphere evolution/revolution marches on, but I can’t help but feel saddened watching as non-conformists start to conform.

So to y’all joining this movement I say no thanks. I have no interest in following any form of rules regarding participation in the college football blogosphere. I reserve the right to make fun of any number of coaches that I feel like making fun of on any given day of the week. I reserve the right to bash the PAC-10. I reserve the right to be a reactionary boob if the situation presents itself and if I’m wrong, I’ll only apologize if I feel like it (or Mrs. Corn Nation makes me). I will not be bound by a bunch of rules because I won’t remember them anyway.


Referencing a particularly bad ‘70’s movie and Peter Fonda? I can’t get much lower than this can I?

Maybe I need to relax, eh? 45 years old and I still have a problem with authority. Maybe it’s the big chip on my shoulder. Maybe it’s because I want to be free to do what I want to do even if it’s the stupidest thing possible.

As long as the internets remain free (as in speech, not as in beer) I feel an obligation to honor that freedom. There are already too many rules to follow in the world and the blogosphere is one of the few places left that we aren’t forced to comply.

--JJ--

Sunday while the Louisville Cardinals were destroying the Oklahoma State Cowboys 20-2, the NCAA revoked the media credentials and ejected a reporter, Brian Bennett, from the press box because he was live-blogging the game. The NCAA's action has resulted in a fair amount of attention, with a lot of comments mostly about how stupid the NCAA is for doing this. Let's face it, the NCAA is an easy target. A lot of people believe that the NCAA is a bunch of moronic boobs running a Stalin-esque organization, but let's try not to be so reactionary because there is a whole lot of good that can come out of this. Let me explain:

Josh Centor over at the NCAA blog Double A Zone gives us an explanation of why the NCAA did what they did:

Centor points out that the policy applies to all NCAA championship events. If that's the case, why did it get enacted now?

CSTV had planned on live-blogging the college baseball regionals, as had Baseball America. Now they can't because ESPN owns the broadcast rights and possibly asked the NCAA to enforce them. I don't have any inside info on that, but it would make business sense for ESPN to cut off some other major media outlets, wouldn't it? ESPN doesn't want you watching the game on their TV channel while browsing someone else's web site (especially a competitor) - even if ESPN has no plans for live blogging or much Internet coverage. It would be in their best interest to kill a competitor's (CSTV) ability to establish a foothold in the marketplace.

The NCAA didn't have much of a choice but to enforce their policy. If they didn't enforce it, they'd potentially be in breach of contract and I think we know how nasty ESPN can get about the fine points on contracts.  In enforcing their policy, the NCAA opened themselves up to a lawsuit. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm guessing they have a pretty good chance at losing this one, and there's nothing wrong with that. It puts the issue into the courts and the blogosphere can end up with some guidelines as to what is allowed and not allowed regardless of what a broadcaster like ESPN wants to control.  

The NCAA chose to oust the blogger and force the issue. Now they should get sued by a newspaper, preferably the Louisville Courier-Journal whose blogger got canned. They should lose that lawsuit and then we'll have a position on whether or not someone can live-blog an event as it's being broadcast on ESPN or any other network. It would be presumptuous of me to come right out and say that this is what the NCAA had in mind when they pulled this stunt, but I don't think it's that far-fetched, either.

Unfortunately, in order to believe the aforementioned possibility you'd first have to believe that the NCAA isn't an arcane and outdated organization being run by complete nincompoops. I wonder if I'm asking the impossible?

--JJ--

The podcast for SB Nation, The SB Nation Sports Report, is on-air tonight at 8 PM Central hosted by BigBlueShoe and TheSportsGuru. Please tune in and listen if you can. We'd love participation and interaction. We'd like you to call us, or chat with us at the site, and tell us our opinions are full of it and are meaningless.

The SB Nation show immediately follows Peter Bean's (of Behind the Steel Curtain and Burnt Orange Nation) and Orson's Every Day Should Be Saturday Live show.

Guests this week: Blez from AN; Scott from Bad Left Hook and Camden Chat.

Topics: BB Day (Barry Bonds Day), 44-year-old vampire pitching for the Yankees, how Floyd Mayweather actually LOST his fight with Oscar, and much, much more.