Look at the standings this week!

Indiana took over the top of the conference after winning their series at Minnesota while Michigan swept Rutgers, and Nebraska won their series at Michigan State.

This Weekend's Schedule:

• Illinois at Indiana
• Penn State at Nebraska
• Rutgers at Maryland
• Minnesota at Purdue
• Michigan State at Iowa
• Michigan at Ohio State
• Cal at Northwestern

There are two weekends left in the regular college baseball season, and as you can see, there isn't much that separates the top teams. Let's assume that Nebraska wins their series against Penn State, Indiana wins their series against Illinois, Michigan wins the series at Ohio State and Minnesota sweeps Purdue.

That would put next week's standings like this (projections)

15-5 Minnesota

15-6 Indiana

14-6 Michigan

13-8 Nebraska

13-8 Michigan State

and then next week you get:

• Indiana at Nebraska
• Ohio State at Minnesota
• Michigan State at Maryland
• Michigan at Illinois

In other words, a helluva finish to the Big Ten baseball season.

RPIs This Week (Boyd Nation):

• Michigan #28
• Minnesota #33
• Nebraska #44
• Michigan State #54
• Maryland #62
• Illinois #64
• Rutgers #75
• Ohio State #87
• Indiana #97
• Iowa #103
• Penn State #107
• Northwestern #261
• Purdue #280

(Creighton dropped from #21 to #34 this week. Ha!)

Minnesota is the only Big Ten team ranked this week by D1Baseball, and they're ranked at #25, while Michigan is the only team ranked by NCBWA at #19.

This week's D1Baseball Field of 64 projection includes Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State and Nebraska replacing Maryland.

Balloons

Does everyone feel like the balloon thing has been discussed enough? I wrote about it back in 2014 and how that tradition should go away but I just wanted to make sure you are all able to read it. My feelings on the matter haven't changed. It's not about the balloons themselves, it's about the helium, which is a nonrenewable resource. It's not like we can make more helium by eating beans and cabbage.

But then it hit me - what if we could?

What if we could produce helium by eating beans and cabbage? Would somebody 2000 years ago have invented the perfect recipe where man might fly by the process of eating beans and cabbage? Could the whole evolution of mankind changed by this simple chemical process?

"Not so", said my 17-year old son. "Our stomachs would explode."

"Yeah, but if that chemical process were changed, it's possible that the entire evolutionary process was also changed to allow us to have flexible airbags for stomachs."

So unimaginative, that boy.

We might be discussing a different microbrew process right now were that true. Our whole methodologies behind travel would have changed. Think of all the people in the air at one time; this could be like Harry Potter but without the brooms. There would be sports we'd never even thought of before.

The phrase "ran out of gas" would have an entirely different meaning:

"Honey, Jim won't make it in time for supper. He ran out of gas over Cleveland."

"My God, is he okay?!"

"No, he was able to crash land in a lake, but his phone and laptop were ruined."

Alas, we cannot create helium from beans and cabbage. We don't even have flying cars. So here we are, leading miserable earthbound lives, spending too much time wringing our hands over an aged tradition that wastes one irreplaceable natural resource for a few moments of us subconsciously pining for the sky.

As we watch the balloons sail away, does it ever occur to us that if we cannot let go of this one simple ritual solely because it's labelled a "tradition" then how will we save ourselves when everything else has disappeared as well?

And if that doesn't work, here's a video of a cop rescuing a gosling (A BABY GOOSE SINCE YOU PROBABLY DON'T LIVE WHERE GEESE DO) whose legs were tied up by a balloon string. Maybe it was a Nebraska balloon string. Maybe it wasn't. We'll never know. The wildlife can only shriek in anguish as they're dying.

(SARAH MCLACHLAN'S I Will Remember You is playing in the background right now and we fade to black and then to the next segment.... )

NEWS

Minnesota House kills effort to legalize Sunday liquor sales, 56-70. #mnleg

— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) May 12, 2016

Dicks

Midland is first Nebraska college to offer video game scholarships | Local Education | journalstar.com

The most popular game played at the collegiate level is "League of Legends," a multiplayer, real-time strategy game in which players control a champion with unique abilities and work with teammates to achieve an objective against an opposing team.

Governor Ricketts to Designate "Hannah Huston Day" | KRVN Radio

On Friday, Governor Pete Ricketts will sign a proclamation designating Hannah Huston Day in Nebraska. He will be joined by members of the Huston family, Grand Island Mayor Jeremy Jensen, educators, and other Nebraskans to celebrate the Lincoln teacher who has recently gained notoriety for her successful performances on the television show The Voice.

Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head | D1Baseball.com

Talking with Minnesota head coach John Anderson last weekend, he told me the new US Bank Stadium that will facilitate indoor baseball in Minnesota once again, will be the home of the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in 2018 (Minnesota, Michigan State and Illinois vs. Arizona, Washington and UCLA) and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in 2019 (Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State vs. North Carolina, NC State and Duke).

Owner Jerry Jones said the Dallas Cowboys need Randy Gregory back | The Star-Telegram

Owner Jones said suspended defensive end Randy Gregory is the top pass rusher in the last two drafts and the Cowboys want and need him back.

Patriots’ Vincent Valentine Looking To Erase Doubts About Work Ethic | New England Patriots | NESN.com

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Vincent Valentine will have a lot to prove as he prepares for his first NFL training camp. Valentine, whom the New England Patriots selected 96th overall in the 2016 draft, exited Nebraska after his junior season amid questions about his drive and conditioning

The impact of early recruiting on players and coaches

Despite a high cost mentally, physically and emotionally, early recruiting has become a tradition in many sports. Two lacrosse coaches are asking the NCAA to overhaul the recruiting calendar.

Damn kids. If they all turn out screwed up, it's their own fault. It's not like we put a gun to their heads. (Isn't this what we commonly hear about millenials?)

Then There's This:

Texas GOP to debate secession on convention floor - Houston Chronicle

Who hasn't seen this coming? WHERE'S ALL THE CONFERENCE EXPANSION TALK AT ABOUT NOW?