I, as lover of Big Red and as obligated in the unwritten code that accompanies fandom of said Huskers, hate Oklahoma.
Now, that's nothing new or rare in the ranks of the Big 12. Pretty much everyone in the conference has a hate on for the Sooners and it comes for a number of reasons, not the least of which is most of their fans come off as complete (insert expletive).
So it was with great interest that I read an email forwarded to me by a fellow Husker fan in Omaha with the subject line: JEALOUS OF OU.
| The Sooners think we're all jealous of their football team/program...and here are a few reasons why........... 1)I'm jealous their football program is under NCAA investigation and will have to forfeit games that Rhett "Big Red Sports & Imports" Bomar played in. 2) I'm jealous their basketball program is on probation for cheating. 3) I'm jealous their legendary Coach they refer to as "The King" and they honor by naming buildings after ran a dirty program and got caught committing serious violations and got the program put on probation. 4) I'm jealous their team is named after their ancestors who were Dirt Burglars, cheaters and thieves (notice a theme here?). 5) I'm jealous their team is filled with brainiacs, so much that they got a whole 5 players named to the All Big XII Academic Team, ranking right up there with the likes of Kansas State for the lowest in the conference ...as an FYI the teams they hate like Texas and NU, had 24 and 22 respectively, most in the conference! 6) I'm jealous because during their 90s slump they had a five year stretch with a 23-33-1 including 3 losing seasons in row. In contrast, our slump consisted of one .500 season and one losing season, and only one year where we didn't go to a bowl game. 7) I'm jealous because despite their having an admirable run earlier this decade, going 60-7 in 5 years, playing for 3 National Titles, yet only winning one...it pales in comparison to our prolific run from 93-97 where we went 60-3, having played for 4 National Championships and having won 3 in that same 5 year stretch (the loss coming by missing a game winning field goal in the final seconds). Contrast that with our trouncing of Florida by a record 38 points in the '96 Fiesta Bowl, whereas the mighty Sooners nearly let USC break that record by getting trounced by a score of 55-19 in the 2004 title game. 8) I'm jealous because obviously our fans have nothing to cheer for, that's why NU has the longest sell out streak in the country, dating back to the early 1960s. 9) I'm jealous that in my lifetime OU has won 4 National Championships and my Huskers have 5. | ||
That pretty much gets the point across.
The Huskers and Sooners will face off in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday with a berth in a BCS bowl game on the line. It will be the first time in 11 years that the two heated rivals will play in the conference championship but there is no thought that that has dulled the fever heading into the big game. Nebraska beating Oklahoma any year makes the weekends sweet, but beating them in the title game? Well, that's off the charts.
Again the responsibilities of a career will keep me from watching the game unfettered. A Brandon-Simon Fraser women's volleyball match that I'll be doing play-by-play on falls right smack dab in the middle of the football fun. Just a little FYI, though? I'll have our courtside monitor switched to ABC. Don't tell anyone.
A few rambling thoughts to fill this thing out...
• Got a letter to the editor in the Brandon Sun the other day in response to a column I did last week in which I tried to put a spark in the southwestern Manitoba community and its penchant for being, shall we say, dull at BU games. Neither disparaging nor insulting, the piece was meant to question why, at exciting sporting events, no one in the region seems to want to make their voices heard. The environment is, more often than not, maddeningly monotonous. The letter, in short, stated that this particular person had at one time been an avid fan who was vocal and energetic until being told by the athletic therapist to quiet down because BU fans didn't act that way and had respect for the opposition. Just when I thought that was his cue he was in support of my piece, his letter went on to tell me that it's not my job to tell folks what to do at games and that, in fact, BU is not that kind of school and the letter-writer seemed quite proud of that fact.
Listen, there's a fine line between being an obnoxious jerk at games and being a vocal, intense fan who knows it's OK to make some noise. I can't even believe I'm feeling the need to justify this and perhaps the fact that I do feel it says volumes about the community in which I currently reside.
Not to beat this horse again, but the greatest sporting environment I've ever been in was in Lincoln and the fans there are known for their over-the-top graciousness to the opposition. Well somehow they manage to balance that with being absolutely rabid for their team.
So explain to me again why it's wrong to suggest Brandon could do the same.
• Last week I got through watching the five-part long VH1 documentary "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop" on YouTube, which was a nostalgic reminder of all the things that make that genre great to me. That enthusiasm was anhilated, however, a day later when I read an Associated Press review of Kevin Federline's album that said, in so many words, "hey, it's not so bad, y'know."
Actually, it is. Atrocious. What the reason behind suggesting it is anything but a steaming pile is, I don't know, but make no mistake there is nothing redeemable here and allowing Federline to come off as some sort of rags to riches inspiration is preposterous. Crediting his lyrics as "some of the most sincere urban storytelling" is just plain insulting.
Reading someone actually pimp this album as a worthwhile offering gave me an ugly feeling in my stomach. Actually, no.
Realizing that there's people who think this way about music gave me that feeling.
• Haven't done a list in a while, so here is...
The List of Five:
5. Dog Bites Man — My new funniest show on TV
4. The Simpsons Bart vs. Australia on as I type this. — I see you've played Knifey-Spooney before.
3. Jean Grae — Great voice of hip hop.
2. Sarah Pavan — The biggest star at Nebraska.
1. Fiesta Bowl — Go Big Red
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