Bleacher Report - Articles by Jay Urban

Vikings! Quick, Grab Michael Vick!

Jay Urban — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:21:18 -0400

Brett Favre has made a decision.

He will not play for the Vikings this season.

In a breaking AP article, Favre was reported as having called Vikings coach Brad Childress to inform him of his decision. He stated that the reason for his decision was that he did not believe that his body could stand up to another NFL season.

The response by the Vikings should be swift.

If you want to at least repeat the success of last season, you must get a quarterback that can make a few big plays.

Tarvaris Jackson simply makes too many mistakes. Sage Rosenfels has never been the answer... anywhere.

Vick will obviously not be available until October, and even after he comes back he may not be able to function as a capable NFL quarterback in a West Coast offense.

What Vick does bring to the table is that he has experience in both regular season games that matter and has won a big playoff game. He did so while playing in an Atlanta system that implemented a strong running game and made use of his big arm for play action and vertical passing.

Atlanta would later move to a system that featured a shorter passing game, which was intended to make reads easier for Vick. It didn't work.

Vick has shown throughout his history that he will probably never be the type of quarterback that completes more than 60 percent of his passes, makes the perfect read, and consistently delivers the short pass to the running back or tight end on the check-down.

What he can do though, is escape pressure. He can also throw a great deep ball. Usually, he can do both at the same time.

If the Minnesota running game can continue to be as strong as it has been, Vick could be exactly what this team needs. Not only can he deliver the ball once the safeties move up, but he can also advance the football with his feet.

Having Vick would force opposing defenses to slow their pursuit when the ball goes to Adrian Peterson. Along with Bernard Berrian, this team would be loaded with the kind of speed that can break a game wide open.

Michael Vick may not be considered the quarterback of the future anymore. He probably isn't a long term answer for the Vikings either. However, by focusing on the skills and abilities that he naturally has, a talented Vikings team could find itself in a much better situation than it has been recently, hoping that an old veteran from Mississippi will answer their prayers.

Kansas City Royals Should Trade Rather Than Waste Assets

Jay Urban — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:06:04 -0400

Once again, the Kansas City Royals have entered the portion of their season when they are more than 10 games out of first place and they become sellers in the race to get rich before the trading deadline.

Every year, the haves (Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, etc.) try to add the final piece of the puzzle, while the have-nots (Pirates, Royals, Angels, etc.) attempt to feast on the multiple prospects that they take in payment for the measly established talent they have managed to acquire.

This year in the sellers sweepstakes, the Royals, past sellers of Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, and Jermaine Dye (just to name a few), once again have plenty of first-rate talent on a team with absolutely no chance of making the playoffs.

To begin, Joakim Soriah is a first-rate closer. So far this season he has saved 14 of his teams' 37 wins. He also has 30 strikeouts in only 24 innings of work. Without a doubt, there are several major league teams that would benefit from Soriah's services—the Dodgers and Rangers being two teams that immediately come to mind.

Along those same lines, Zach Greinke has matured into, arguably, the best starter in the American League. He won eight games before picking up his first loss and has been dominant recently, giving up only one run to the Rays over seven innings on Saturday. Right now, his value is at a peak, because his performance in the All-Star Game, putting away the three batters he faced in short order, is still fresh in the minds of most big-league general managers.

So there it is, the two Royals with the most value on the trade market. Why should they be traded?

They are being wasted otherwise.

The Rockies' Jason Marquis was the first 12-game winner in the majors. He shouldn't have been. Greinke has been shorted on several occasions by both his bullpen and the Royals' bats. Were he to pitch for a team like the Phillies, he would easily have another three-to-five wins in his 19 appearances.

Soriah has also been robbed by the bullpen and lack of offensive production that the Royals have exhibited thus far. Last weekend, the Royals took leads late into all three games of their series against the Rays. However, they never ended up using Soriah because they lost those leads in the eighth inning of each game.

Why does a team that will lose more than 90 games need a player who only dominates in every fifth game?

Why does one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, which never takes a lead into the ninth inning, need a closer that can get three outs every appearance?

The issues here are multiple and stem from the financial situation that owner David Glass has shoveled upon this team. Now, I don't want to make this a discussion about the economics of baseball, but things aren't the way that they were 10 years ago. Both of these pitchers are under contract, and Greinke was extended this offseason.

The primary issue here is value. Namely, can the Royals get enough, and of the right kind, to give their team the offensive help that they desperately need?

The main thing that is difficult for fans to stomach is that the Royals have been here before.

As mentioned above, in recent years the Royals have given up many bright young bats and have gotten little in return. Why do you think they have so much trouble scoring runs now?

To be fair, in a little, less recent, past they have also given up good pitching to get score some offense (David Cone?). When the past of this team is surveyed, it is apparent that all of the excuses of the past—rebuilding, bad luck, injuries, and the unfair economic system—are all really just other words for unwise decisions and poor management.

Top 10 Mid-Major Programs Of The Past 20 Years

Jay Urban — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:31:18 -0400

These types of articles seem to be all the rage. Since the NBA Finals are over here is some argument starting material to stave off summer boredom.

The criteria used in selecting these teams was actually quite simple. Which teams that don't hail from major conferences have achieved major success in the three major sports?

During the first consideration, points were awarded based on pinnacles of success—championships, BCS Bowl appearances, Final Fours, etc... And lesser achievements: top 10 rankings and professional placement.

Extra weight was given to teams that have been able to maintain their success for a long period of time, or, won stunning upsets. Extra points were also awarded to schools with really small enrollment.

No teams that have been a member of a major conference—sorry Houston and Rice-SWC—or the small teams that are now members of a major conference (St. Johns, Marquette, Louisville).

#1: Cal State Fullerton

This may be my college baseball bias, but it is hard to achieve the long term success that the Titans have achieved in any sport. Much less from a mid-major.

CSF has four College World Series Championships. They have made the trip to Omaha 11 times in the past 20 years—winning twice. All of this despite undergoing a loss that decimates most successful mid-major programs, the loss of a charismatic head coach.

Since losing coach Augie Garrido to Texas, the Titans have been Top 25 nearly every year, winning one title since he has been gone.

In other sports, the Titans basketball team made an NCAA tournament appearance this year and the Football team (discontinued in 1992) has produced the Canadian Football League's all-time leading rusher.

#2: Boise State

The Broncos got everyone's attention when they defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl to finish the season undefeated and ranked fifth in the nation.

The season was not an aberration. Since the 1999 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Louisville, the Broncos have gone 93-17.

While the Broncos were not the first mid-major team to win a BCS Bowl Game, their victory over Oklahoma was far superior to Utah's victory over Pitt (Pitt lost to a 5-6 Nebraska team that season).

The team with the blue field also has been able to maintain their success, going 23-3 the past two seasons without coach Dan Hawkins who built the program and then left for Colorado.

#3: Gonzaga

No surprises here. Many teams from mid-major conferences strike fear in the hearts of top-tier programs when they see them on the schedule. But no mid-major has gained respect rather than fear the way that Gonzaga has.

The Bulldogs have been one of the most successful college basketball teams of the past 10 years. They now begin every season ranked in the Top 25 and successfully recruit athletes at the McDonald's All-American level.

While other mid-majors have made deeper runs into the NCAA Tournament lately, none have been able to equal the tournament and regular season success of Gonzaga.

#4: UNLV

In the late 80s/early 90s no team in America was hotter than the Runnin' Rebels. This team had name brand athletes: Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Larry "Grandmama" Johnson, and a name, towel chewing coach: Jerry Tarkanian.

This team won the NCAA Championship in 1990 and lost the next year to eventual champion Duke.

While they flared brightly, they also flared very briefly. Like most mid-majors the program took a giant step backward after Tark left. Of course, he probably had a lot to do with the NCAA violations that helped to sink the program after he left.

The team has stepped it up as of late, making it to the big dance the last two years.

The football team has had two bowl appearances lately, both in the Las Vegas Bowl.

#5: Memphis

Memphis is a larger school with a long history of athletic success. Nevertheless, Conference USA is a mid-major. Recently, with coach John Calipari, the Tigers have been to a couple of elite eights and a national championship game.

They were a last second Kansas three-pointer from taking it all this spring. Their basketball past also carries a lot of weight. Anfernee Hardaway took a team to the elite eight in the mid 90s and several professionals are alumni.

The football team has also had a good run of late. The Tigers regularly have promise, but have not been able to capitalize. Players like DeAngelo Williams have helped the Tigers to four bowl games in the last five years, but they are still looking for a breakthrough win.

#6: UMass

This team seemed poised to become a regular in the college basketball elite. Then, their charismatic coach John Calipari left to coach the New Jersey Nets.

Since then they have completely dropped off the map. Good guard play and center Marcus Camby made this team the underdog everyone was rooting for in the mid 90s.

The team made a final four appearance in 1996 and had several other deep runs with Calipari at the helm.

#7: Wichita State

The Shockers have a national championship baseball team and a basketball team with recent success. Despite this, they always seem to get overlooked.

The baseball team won the CWS in '89 and was the runner up in '91 and '93. In basketball the team reached the sweet sixteen in 2006.

#8: Creighton

The BlueJays are another mid-major with major victories in two sports, basketball and baseball. Recently, Dana Altman's Jays have been a regular at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. NCAA appearances have come in nine of the past 20 years.

In 2002 they upset Florida in the first round and have also produced NBA talent like Kyle Korver.

Not that many people know this, but Creighton's baseball team also hangs with the big guys, going to the CWS in 1991 and making seven other appearances in the field of 64.

#9: George Mason

Probably the greatest Cinderella story of our time, this final four appearance came out of nowhere in 2006. The Patriots had their best regular season, yet failed to win their conference tournament. The selection committee was rewarded when their pick went crazy and made it to the Final Four.

They haven't equalled their success in any way since then. A first round loss followed on the heels of 2007's disappointment. Even if they never eclipse 2006, it was still one of the greatest runs ever.

#10: Appalachian State

Without going into their dominance at the 1-AA level, you have to understand that football is the toughest sport to break into dominance. The same teams from major conferences regularly dominate and have a stranglehold on the money, recruits, facilities, and TV time.

For the Mountaineers to defeat the mighty Michigan Wolverines from the Big 10 Conference was an amazing feat. Period.

Honorable Mention:

Cincinnati

Xavier

St. Joseph

Utah

BYU

Southern Miss

Team USA Basketball: All the Right Choices

Jay Urban — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:05:54 -0400

The choices made for the 2008 "Dream Team" for USA Basketball were the right ones.

The primary difference between this year's and the last Olympics' U.S. team is that this one has been selected in order to win at INTERNATIONAL Basketball. The inclusion of Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd prove this. Neither player truly dominates the game in the way that the other players on this roster do. These players were chosen because their particular skill set translates better into the international game.

More important than the players that were included were those who were not included. Most notoriously absent from the list were Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets.

Leaving these players off of the roster demonstrates that USA Basketball has now realized that a different strategy needs to be utilized in order to win at the international game. By taking a look at why these two players were not chosen will help demonstrate the ways how the international game is different and requires a different strategy.

Winning at International Basketball requires quick guards to defend the point guards of international teams. Guys like Carlos Arroyo are quicker models patterned after Steve Nash and Jason Kidd.

Players like Arroyo shoot the lights out and can get to the hole. Once they break down the first level of defense, they can distribute and score at will. Bigger, European slashing guards, like Manu Ginobili, also require a faster defender. International refs call the game much more tightly.

Now, I don't want to call out Peirce so soon after he has won his first championship, but similar players were the bain of the Team USA in 2004. While Pierce is indeed a better defender than Vince Carter, he is still too slow while playing NBA style defense (physical). While his scoring would be valuable, he doesn't shoot as well as Redd.

Remember, one of the best players for Team U.S.A. in 2004 was Allen Iverson. His quickness allowed him to break down the defense and his range was perfectly suited to the international game's shorter 3-point line.

Chandler is another player who would seem to be a good choice. He is as quick as Prince, with the size of Chris Bosh. However, his limited offensive game kept him out. The international game is full of posts who can shoot from 10 feet out. The zone rules enforce spacing and require good ball movement. Chandler's inability to hit the open jumper would allow defenders to stay close to the basket to repel penetration, forcing Team USA into charging fouls and poor outside shooting that doomed them in Greece.

While Paul Pierce and Tyson Chandler helped their teams to achieve great success, neither qualified for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The players that were chosen all demonstrate a vision for representing the U.S. in international competition. By looking into two of the players who didn't make the team, one can see that the U.S. made the right choice with the picks they selected.

College World Series: Why It's The Most Enjoyable Event In Sports

Jay Urban — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:12:47 -0400

The College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., has been a great event for me.

I am now living in Oklahoma, and this will be the first CWS in 6 years that won't be able to attend. In those six years, I made a lot of memories.

In 2003, I thought I saw Joe Namath standing on the concourse. Turns out it was just an old guy with a tanning bed wearing a Joe Namath jersey. I couldn't imagine why anyone would do that.

It sure seems like Joe Namath to wear his own jersey in public, though. My girlfriend broke up with me right after Miami lost that game. I can only imagine what might have happened if that really had been Joe Namath.

One year later, I witnessed a great championship game between the Titans of Cal-State Fullerton and the Texas Longhorns. My best friend and I took a long whiskey break after the fifth inning (It's hot! Black Velvet was a bad choice).

Huston Street's family was sitting right behind us as we obnoxiously cheered on the Titans down the stretch. We were put on notice that if we continued to disrupt the ESPN interview with Street's parents, that we would be exiting the premises. It wasn't a subtle approach, but it still worked.

Two years ago, my brother locked my keys in my truck right before a night game with eventual champion Oregon State. I had a few tallboys sitting in the bed of the truck while we waited for AAA to show up.

I couldn't believe how many people came up to me claiming they had lost their ID and needed a buyer. Luckily, AAA had a roaming service provider in the very parking lot where my truck was. They had me unlocked in no time.

Last year, I was able to go to the Championship Game with my Dad for Father's Day.

One of the great traditions is the team houses that line 13th Street across from the stadium. The tenants of these houses leave during the series and allow the houses to be rented out by fans of the teams.

In most cases, all of the fans from a particular team all stay in one house. The fans hanging out of windows to give their team's cheer and conversing with the masses walking on the street make the atmosphere electric.

In this same vein, the South represents at the CWS. Caravans of LSU fans populate the parking lots and throw great barbecues and post-game parties.

My first CWS experience actually came when I was working for the Open Door Mission in Omaha. My group of volunteers had the experience of attempting to take a large group of kids to the Omaha Zoo (right across the street on the other side of the stadium) in the middle of the first weekend of the CWS.

Parking was a nightmare. The kids were impatient. I was never more thankful than when a group of LSU fans told me they would save me a parking spot near their RV when I returned. After dropping the kids off, I returned to Rosenblatt and enjoyed an LSU pregame tailgate.

The CWS has provided me with some wild times and good memories. If you ever get a chance to go, you should do so. I know personally, that even if you don't have a place to stay, a case of beer and a good story will get a you spot under the canopy of an RV of the great fans from LSU who caravan to Omaha.

Waiting Too Long, Bring Us The Finals

Jay Urban — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:16:15 -0400

In most cases professional sports teams would be wise to follow the example of the NFL. From marketing, to managing player salaries, nobody does it better. This success has translated into the highest tv ratings and No. 1 spot in the popularity contest of professional sports.

In recent years, the NBA has been trying to copy some of the NFL's strategies, especially with regard to marketing. And, the player's dress code is probably the clearest example of this.

Now time for the big "but."

BUT, there is one NFL strategy that should not be followed.

For the past five years, the NFL has been giving a two week break between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. These two weeks give time for the full-fledged promotional buildup that the largest sporting event in the United States needs. Recently, the NBA has attempted enact the same type of break between their conference championship series and the Finals best of seven.

The Lakers defeated the Spurs in five games, culminating with a win last Thursday night. The Celtics took their series with their final win on Friday night. Instead of taking advantage of the momentum that these teams have achieved and schedule game one for a weekend primetime date, David Stern once again elected to move the first game six nights back.

Now, the Lakers, which rely heavily on timing in order to execute their offenses, have to sit out for a week. The Celtics were finally starting to get some good shooting from Ray Allen, only to have to wait a week for him to cool down.

This late start date has not only hurt the NBA from a product standpoint, but it has hurt it from a marketing standpoint as well. Not only has the momentum of the teams playing well been checked, the league's momentum has been set back. There is no reason for the teams in the Finals to wait a week for the series to start and the NBA should change this immediately.

Also, on another note, the playoffs in general take way too long. The playoffs started in the middle of April and the Finals are going to end in the middle of June. That is two months long. (half of an NFL regulard season)

Talk radio programs still mention the NBA, but how much breakdown can one expect from the standard-format program on ESPN Radio? Without new information, Sportscenter can only spend more time discussing the matchups that occurred between these teams 20-plus years ago.

NBA, this is one NFL strategy you need to reconsider.

Nebraska Baseball: Blame Coaches For Four-Game Losing Streak

Jay Urban — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:30:44 -0400

The 2008 Big 12 Baseball Tournament did not start out very well for the Huskers as they lost 10-4 to the Baylor. Once again the starting pitching for the Nebraska Cornhuskers (No. 7 overall, No. 3 seed in Big 12) did a respectable job of keeping the Baylor Bears (No. 6 seed in Big 12) from crossing home plate.

Dan Jennings started the game and went six innings, allowing four runs, two of which were direct results of Husker errors. The rest of the way, it was nearly all Baylor, as they put up six more runs and held the Big Red at arm's length the rest of the way.

Whenever there is a sporting competition, no matter the effects of officiating or coaching, the results of the game depend most heavily on the execution of the players. That being said, Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson influenced the game heavily in a negative way for his team.

After the sixth inning, Anderson chose to replace the starting pitcher, Dan Jennings, even though he had been performing adequately. Zach Herr came out to start the seventh, and promptly walked two batters and allowed a single, loading the bases with no outs. The Bears got a three-run triple from Shaver Hansen and cruised the rest of the way out.

Now, I don't want to attack a college athlete who has contributed to his team like Zach Herr, but several times in big games he has been inserted into the game only to look extremely unprepared. Today was no different, and rather than again point to this player's failures, the necessity of the pitching change should be brought into question.

Why did Coach Anderson take Jennings out of the game? Jennings had a couple of 1-2-3 innings in between the innings where he gave up runs. He looked as if he could have gone at least two more innings. Instead, by pulling his starter too soon, Anderson did not put his players in a position to be successful.

Overall, the Huskers lacked focus. They made mistakes in the field, and catcher Mitch Abeita allowed five runners to grab extra bases. After relief pitcher Mike Nesseth righted the ship in the seventh, getting outs from the first two batters, shortstop Ben Kline opened the door for more Baylor runs when he fielded a routine grounder but failed to throw out the runner at first.

After a walk, a two-out hit by the next batter allowed the two base runners to score and shut the door on the Huskers. The Husker offense was also inconsistent, getting good performances from supporting players while the stars struggled. In doing so, they failed to take advantage of a great performance by Tyler Farst (No. 32 in the photo), getting a career-best three RBI.

The Huskers received their first series shutout at the hands of the Missouri Tigers last weekend. It looked like those losses have shaken the confidence of the Big Red. Coach Anderson needs to get his players focused and back on track. While no one wants to lose the first game of a tournament, the Huskers have had success while losing the first game, winning the tournament with this scenario in 2000 and 2005.

College Baseball: Nebraska Cornhuskers Done in by Relief Pitching

Jay Urban — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:31:45 -0400

In Big 12 play this season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers got at least one win in every series they played—except for this last one against the Missouri Tigers.

As usual for the Huskers this year, the relief pitching did them in. Jim Rose, the voice of Husker Baseball, attributed the loss to mental drainage, after their involving come-from-behind wins and 16-inning game last weekend against Texas A&M.

Relief pitching is always critical, especially during tournament games in close succession. The first hint that things might go badly occurred during the third game against Oklahoma.

While Nebraska had taken the first two games in solid form, they allowed the Sooners to get back in the third game and leave with a tie. In this game, starter Aaron Pribanic went deep into the eighth while the Huskers built a solid lead.

At this point, Coach Mike Anderson decided to put in Zach Herr, in order to, as the radio announcers decided, get a little confidence after some bad outings. Instead, Herr continued in his rut and allowed the Sooners to start a run that let them get back in the game and leave with a tie.

The same issues have been plaguing the Huskers ever since, and rose to the surface in this last series against Missouri.

In game one, Johnny Dorn got things started out right for the Huskers, going seven innings and allowing only one run—just to have the bullpen give the game away with seven runs the rest of the way. Dan Jennings was the culprit in this instance.

Game two was given away at the very beginning by starting pitcher Thad Weber. It only got marginally better throughout the game, as the offense was able to put up some numbers while the game remained essentially out of reach.

In game three, the starting pitching again started out shakily, with Aaron Pribanic having control issues. The game did not get out of hand though, and the Huskers were able to keep the game tight until the sixth.

But after Nebraska battled to get within two runs, relief pitcher Joe Hatasaki gave up a two-run homer in the sixth that increased Mizzou's cushion to four runs. The Big Red never recovered, and seemed to just want to play the game out and get the tournament started.

After getting swept in this last series, Nebraska is now the No. 3 seed in this week's Big 12 Baseball tournament in Oklahoma City. I was planning on going to every game this week, and as the No. 2 seed, Nebraska would have been playing several evening games. Instead, we play the third-seed schedule—4 PM on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

The first game is against the always-tough-in-tournament-play Baylor Bears. Nebraska took the series from Baylor and seventh-seeded Kansas State during the regular season, but will also face No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, who posed problems for them during their match-ups in Stillwater.

After losing a 1-0 battle the first game, Nebraska was taken behind the woodshed by the Cowboys, only to rebound and take game three to avoid the series sweep. This game on Saturday will probably decide who will go to the championship game on Sunday.

These Nebraska pitchers will once again be challenged and called upon to do a lot of work. The Big 12 Tournament is four games in five days, if you make it to the championship. You can count on at least one poor performance and early exit from the starters. Will the relief be able to step up?

Mike D'Antoni Cites Reason for Leaving Phoenix

Jay Urban — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:19:31 -0400

During his interview on PTI this afternoon Mike D'Antoni, under heavy duty scrutiny from both Kornheiser and Wilbon, eventually caved under the pressure and admitted that he quit because of differences with Suns' GM Steve Kerr.

Basically, Shaq came between them.

D'Antoni stated over and over again that he felt that trust was lost. He seemed to be referring to something that happened during the playoffs, but upon closer inspection it became obvious that he felt his run-and-gun coaching philosophy was undermined by the trade for Shaq.

Whether there was an argument or a power play remains to be seen. Steve Kerr either went head to head with D'Antoni and won the battle to trade for Shaq, or he made the trade without D'Antoni's knowledge or blessing. In both cases we see that the GM, and ,by extension, the ownership felt that the coach's style could not deliver a championship.

While D'Antoni repeatedly cited a lack of confidence in the organization, it is becoming quite clear that it was the organization that lost confidence in him.

The Suns pushed D'Antoni out by getting a big man with a bad contract—be careful, the Knicks will do the same thing if they get the chance.

Creighton-Cornhuskers: Best Rivalry in College Baseball?

Jay Urban — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:36:59 -0400

While nearly everyone in the state of Nebraska loves the Huskers, most sports fans would admit that they also cheer for Creighton whenever they get the chance.

And why wouldn't they?

Creighton is in the top 10 of Mid-Major sports programs in the nation. They regularly qualify for the NCAA Basketball Tournament (seven of the last 10 years!), including a first round upset over Florida in 2002.

Creighton plays basketball at the Qwest Center in Omaha. Last season, the team ranked in the top 30 in attendance in the nation—not in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Midwest, but the entire nation!

The Jays' baseball team has qualified for NCAA regional play in four of the last 10 years. Current coach Ed Servais has averaged over 40 wins per season during his tenure.

Most importantly, the Bluejays don't field a football team, so they don't challenge the reign of Husker Football.

Nebraska fans support Creighton sports. While Husker Football rules the state, Creighton has consistently manhandled the Husker basketball team in recent years.

Is it possible that baseball will decide which school rules the state?

Hardly. The Huskers have won both games against the Jays this season and have won 21 of 28 since 2000. So why is this a rivalry?

Here's why:

1. The reasons stated above demonstrate that the state of Nebraska supports winners. With the football team at the lowest point it has been in over 30 years, some younger fans have been giving that little bit of extra attention to the Jays, and their winning ways.

2. Creighton is an Omaha team. It's not that the Huskers don't represent Omaha, but many Husker fans see a split between the Omaha Metro area and the rest of the state, which is decidedly more rural.

3. Both teams are loaded with in-state recruits. However, as usual, Creighton has more; to the tune of 17 to 12. And Creighton's number has been larger in the past five years.

4. The fans. The Creighton-Nebraska matchup has drawn six of the 26 largest regular season crowds in NCAA history (from Creighton website).

5. Everyone loves an underdog.

Nebraska Baseball: '07 Huskers Just a Bad Memory—'08 Team Headed for Success

Jay Urban — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:47:34 -0400

After listening to Friday night's game against league-leading Texas A&M, I was certain that this was going to be another repeat of last year's fan-killing style of play from the Nebraska Cornhusker baseball team.

The 16-inning game was a great example of weak mental performances the Huskers had been turning in against top teams in pressure situations. It looked like a sad repeat of late-season conference losses to Oklahoma and Missouri from the past two seasons. Despite extended runs in the Big 12 tournament, these losses inevitably led to postseason losses against University of San Francisco and UC Riverside.

However, the "give up runs in the last inning, and never get a hit with two outs" team of the last three years seems to be a thing of the past after Sunday's victories in the doubleheader against the Aggies. While the pitching was not entirely strong, Nebraska put on their most-encouraging batting performance of the past five years as the Huskers twice came back from deficits of more than three runs on Sunday.

Nebraska has the bats going this season, despite the fact that they are missing standout power. The most outstanding statistic, and the one that should be most encouraging to NU fans is that, "NU is now 15-8-1 against top-50 RPI teams" (www.huskers.com). If they win their series this weekend against Missouri, they stand a very good chance of being Big 12 regular season champs—due to taking two out of three against current leader Texas A&M

Taking a series from the Tigers will not be easy, though. Missouri is currently the No. 14 team in the nation. That's life in the Big 12 right now. They have three teams ranked in the top 12 in RPI, but somehow they are still only the third-best conference in college baseball.

Oh well, we'll see who puts the most teams in Omaha. Hopefully, the Huskers clutch hitting will allow them to stamp a ticket—or fill up for a one-hour drive—to Omaha.

"Come On Franco" Wrong, The NFL Is Great TV

Jay Urban — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:40:58 -0400

Below is a response I had for the author of the blog Come on Franco (I feel there should be a laugh track triggered after I say that, introducing the star of a '70s talk show) after he decided to attack the 'watchability' of the NFL.

I don't know if he will post it, since he has rejected some of my comments in the past, so I will post it for everyone to read.

Joe, of all the ignorant things you have written on your post, this is by far the most ignorant.

I won't go into explaining why the NFL by far the most successful professional sports league. It should be apparent. Don’t let the poor example of your local Detroit Lions mislead you into thinking that this league suffers from ineffective management.

On the subject of your post, the NFL is not my favorite sport, but when you step back, you must realize that it is the most watchable sport for several reasons. Obviously, baseball used to be the primary sport in the US. Now football reigns supreme. Why is this?

Besides their ability to promote and limit themselves with free agency and parity, their sport naturally complements what television has to offer. First, football perfectly lends itself to the modern telecast. It consists of short bursts 4-10 seconds in length with breaks in between.

Here, we have a built in break for commentary and commercials to be included. The mode of an NFL game also lends itself to completely different field position, down and distance situations which require different camera angles in order to portray the story.

Compare this to your favorite sport, tennis. Tennis is primarily shown from one point of view. The shot from about 30 feet above and behind the server. Also, tennis is repetitive in that the initial situation of the action always remains the same.

Football also contains a great number of miniature goals (first downs) along the way to the end zone, keeping viewers interested in the small successes, making every play important (as opposed to soccer).

Finally, the cheerleaders, the uniforms, recognizable and likable stars/easily identifiable enemies, the sound of pads impacting against one another, tradition, the great backdrop of grass, and most importantly, the constant promise that the next play is going to be the one that is broken for a long touchdown.

These things make the NFL the most watchable professional sports league. It's not that other sports leagues don't have some of these same benefits, but the NFL is the only one that combines them all.