The Final Bracketologist Post of the Year, (maybe)

I would like to take a minute to clear the air. We, here at Life Explained Department of Bracketology, don’t want anybody to lose. We would like everyone to win, go home happy, be greeted by celebrations, parades, adoring crowds, and unbridled adulation. But, we are realistic enough to understand that is not going to happen. So, as long as someone is going to lose it might as well be the teams we had picked to lose. Only one team is going to win the championship, that is a given, but, who wins is a matter of circumstance, luck, unkind fate, uncalculable variables.  

As long as that is the case we feel we would be remiss to just let nature take it’s toll on these hardworking young men. With that in mind we have a foolproof plan for next year’s tournament. We are going to fill out our bracket and email it to every school participating in the “big dance.” It will act as a script. They will know when to lose, and avoid all the heartbreak, all of the crushing pain of loss, and the inescapable cloud of uncertainty. 

Now they can plan their spring breaks, know when to plan their homecoming parade, the coaches could schedule vacations, golf trips, and time with the family. Fans will know exactly how many tickets to buy and would be able to book rooms and arrange travel. It would be a boon for so many people. Plus, we would do so much better in the pools.

It is probably going to work so much better than our previous attempt. We asked each team how many games they intended to win. Oddly enough they all said they were going to win all the games, and intended to be champions. That plan, relying as it did on the ability to understand ego and reality was riddled with flaws. We feel this plan has some real potential, some real possibilities. We should have thought of this years ago. 

I would like to mention my friend Mike Raven, over at the Blog Of Thog, has something cooking up for next weekend. Mike may not be much of a cook, but he knows a little bit about having a drink, and writing a blog post.  Go check it out, and see if you are interested. 

Don’t forget about my coming trip to Shawnee State Park. Save some time to read all about it, and watch the blockbuster movie, made with my newest app, LumaFusion if I decide to spring for the twenty samoleons. It looks like an app I need to have. But, twenty bucks, I don’t know.  If you have a vote let me know in the comments.

Meet Our New Bracketologist,

We, here at Life Explained, have hired a new bracketologist. For the uninitiated bracketology is study of the structure of the NCAA basketball tournament, make wild, inaccurate predictions about the teams that will populate the places and, from this gooey, sloppy mess of guesswork, devine how far each team will travel along their designated path.

There are few jobs that require so little dedication to being correct and have so few repercussions for error. Maybe congress person, or television meteorologist, but nobody pays any attention to them. The bracketologist, however, is a revered, adored personality whose every word is weighed, recorded, acted upon.

Never more than in March. Printers across America and probably around the world, are whirring, spitting out Brackets. Duplicate sheets, by the dozen, as people try to predict who from the field of 68 will bring home the title.

Until this year this writer was the bracketologist in chief. But, since Nebraska got screwed by the inept, untrained, apprentice clowns on the selection committee and it was impossible to overcome the bitter resentment and boundless rage it seemed like it might be time to abdicate to a fresh new perspective.


In all fairness, it takes a lot of fun out of picking a team to win the championship and have them lose early in the tournament if it isn't a team you love.

Since our previous bracketologist (this writer) has set a new record in wrongness having picked the Cornhuskers to win the title when they are not even in the tournament, we feel he has reached the very mountain top of sports forecasting. It is now time for a fresh approach.

Ladies and gentlemen, children, pets, and visitors from other planets, dimensions, and time periods please say hello to Doctor Dawg, sports authority.

A Plea for Help and a Plea to #fixtheplus

We are now entering the second round of the NCAA tournament. "The round of thirty two." And I have yet to watch a complete game. Part of it has been the fact that I have been consumed by writing and "researching"* my book.** But mostly it has been terribly busy at work, which is where I have historically started.

It seemed sickening that people would want their product shipped at such an inopportune time as the first round of the NCAA tournament. What kind of monsters are we doing business with.

But, I realized that most of the problem came with our international distributors. Turns out people in Europe, scattered around the Pacific Rim, in the Middle East, and other places not in the US care very little for the sanctity of the tournament.

So, I come to you, Life Explained Nation, well nation is probably the wrong term, Life Explained
Universe, if you live in another country tell your friends, coworkers, employers, everybody you know, about the importance of getting things done in advance of the NCAA tournament next year.

Muscles not to scale

It might not hurt to take out an ad in the local paper, or buy some time during a news broadcast. Whatever it takes to get the word out.

Thank you, we appreciate your support,

Sincerely,

Life Explained, department of basketball watching.






*Which involved poking around online for Missouri River dams in South Dakota, and then deciding to send my cousins husband a facebook message, he knows a lot about South Dakota, and the Missouri River (thanks Randy). And then poking around a little more on line and eventually asking my son about Viking religious beliefs, particularly the beliefs about life after death, he knows a lot about history, sometimes more than I can believe (thank you, son).

**I would like to apologize for this latest plug for an unfinished novel (close to finished, though), I'm sorry. And I would like to promise you it won't happen again, but that would be a lie. In fact, we, here at Life Explained, are looking for someone to head up our new "Shameless Self Promotion" department. Must have an oversized ego, and the ability to send messages to people who know stuff, and things.

NCAA Championship, too bad there is not more than one.

Monday is the National Championship Game in college basketball.  Duke (the Blue Devils) will face Wisconsin (the Red Devils, just kidding, they are the Badgers, but a game between two teams called the Devils would be cool).  It should be a good game, pitting Duke's trio of Freshmen against Wisconsin's veteran squad of upperclassmen.  Two experienced coaches whose teams are fundamentally sound, disciplined, and talented.

Of course, if anybody had been paying attention, they would see neither of these teams were in my Final Four, let alone the championship game, so it would be OK with me if they both lost.

Wisconsin did beat Kentucky, and as a Louisville fan that makes me happy, so Wisconsin would be alright.  And, if Duke win, our friend stands to win some money in her office pool, so Duke would be cool, so Duke might be a good choice.

However, having been a North Carolina fan for so long it is difficult to wish anything but evil for Duke.  So, that is kind of a tough call.

Since I am a Nebraska fan, and Wisconsin beat them so soundly earlier this year, it is so hard to hope for any success for them.

Being a sports fan can be a difficult, trying, labor of decision, loss, and sacrifice.  When the tournament starts a team is chosen, and certain emotional investments are made.  It becomes a relationship, you and the team, struggling, battling other teams, corrupt, myopic, referees, and partisan announcers.

Most times the team you have chosen to win, the team you really like, does not win, and you have to choose a secondary team.  And, the cycle starts over, often that will lose.  It is a roller coaster, hope and joy, and potential followed by crushing, terrible, heart breaking sorrow, and defeat.

Laughter, tears, elation, pain, and soon there is nobody left on the initial "I could live with any of these teams winning" list.  You are forced to choose from the lesser of the evils, and sometimes the evils are almost equal.

Then, you are forced to choose between untenable choices, and when the game starts it becomes a painful, tense, torturous exercise in avoidance.  It is like watching your parents fight, if you hate both of your parents, and are secretly wishing they would rip each other to pieces, be arrested, and spend the rest of their miserable lives rotting in a gulag, shovels in hand.  Well, that might be stretching the metaphor.

So, I will watch the game with difficulty, and a troubled conscience on Monday night, and dream of both coaches digging salt in a Russian mine.  Not really, and I always wanted the fights between my parents to end amicably.  I will probably root for Duke, my friend always invites me to participate in her company's NCAA pool, and she is my friend that is some powerful magic.

Road to the Final Four, or the Path to the Intermediate Thirty Two.

Tonight I am going to see the Dayton Flyers play the Oklahoma Sooners in an NCAA tournament game.  The NCAA tournament is my favorite sporting event.  A single elimination slugfest, providing hours of entertainment, competition, and numerous opportunities for gambling, game fixing, corruption, and intrigue.

After watching some of the officiating so far maybe that is not all a joke.  But, maybe I am just unhappy that the teams I was rooting for went down in ignominious defeat, a sobbing, bleeding pile of broken dreams laying below the naked baskets, the nets recently cut away by the winners.

Speaking of which, there is a great commercial featuring one of the heroes of my youth, Dr. J, where he explains that when you are climbing the ladder to cut down the net, make sure to grip the scissors firmly, because everything about climbing a ladder with a pair of scissors screams eye injury.  You should listen, he is a doctor, after all.

Of course, that is not important, because I am GOING TO THE GAME!  Long a dream of mine, and the great thing is I like both teams, so no matter who wins, I can be happy.  More importantly, it doesn't matter which group of fans I am with, there will be no friction.  And, it is likely that it will be Dayton fans, since we are going to the game in Columbus, OH.  At the hockey arena, playing on ice will add a new dimension to the game, I hope they don't call traveling too tightly.

Plus, and here is the good part, I have a new app, "Cute Cut" for my iPhone, to document the trip.

Further, I had no choice in going to the game, as I was visited by a Killer Robot from Outer Space, who demanded we take him to the game.  Here is the video of the event.

As you can see, the options were limited.

Tune in tomorrow, or Tuesday, for the full account of my "FIRST TRIP (though, I am hoping it is not my last) TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!"

Now is the spring time of our discontent.

Made glorious summer by this sun of diamonds.  Sorry, Shakespeare was always distant, and barely accessible to my meager intellect.  To clarify, now basketball season is over, and we are in the sports void of summer.  There are plenty of people who love baseball, soccer, and golf, and I drink to their health, but I am not one of them.  I am sure they will enjoy all of the games, tournaments, and Viagra and testosterone commercials.  Come on, enough is probably too much, I am not a prude, but televised sports becomes a non-stop parade of innuendo and suggestion.  "Viagra, the official medicine of television."

To recap the season, and tournament, early in the season my favorite teams lost some games, and I was sad, then they won some games and I was happy.  Then the tournament came, and my team (the Cornhuskers) lost in the first round, so I went to my backup team (the Louisville Cardinals) and they lost in the regional quarterfinals.  Quickly, I chose a team to root for (Iowa State), and they lost.  I jumped on the Dayton Flyer bandwagon right before it crashed, and burned, and left me in the lurch.  Go Badgers, Wisconsin was an easy choice, they are red and white, and I have a lot of red shirts, so here we go, all the way to the promise land.  But, they got beat.

Since, I am a long time Louisville fan I could not root for Kentucky, it is anathema to us Cardinals, so I chose U Conn (even though they don't wear red), and they won, and we celebrated, and it was great.  What a great season, my team (sort of) won it all.

I knew they could do it!

And with that, we end this years edition of Basketball Explained, and we move onto mowing and raking and gardening and working long hours for free explained.

One Last Time, Probably.

I am not a rabid sports fan, for a wide variety of reasons.  It is not dreamy idealism, not a stand against the corruption that may be rampant.  Nor is it a vengeful stand against the dangers inherent in competition, though both have merit.  It is just a view based on experience, and hey it is my blog, after all.

I can make it all the way through baseball season without ever thinking about standings, pennant races, public scratching, or spitting.  I find the average baseball game lasts too long, and most of that time has little real drama, or action.  Sometimes I like to watch a baseball game on television, just to listen to the announcers fill the time between pitches with a constant stream of statistical trivia, the colorful memories of past performances, and the hopes for potential greatness.  In many ways, to me, it has to be one of the most difficult jobs in sports broadcasting.  Being the play by play announcer for a baseball game requires more research than a law degree, and more flexible, associative reasoning than quantum physics.  It is almost like a machine, a perpetual motion construct, taking long minutes of routine and trying to make it sound noteworthy.  But, I am not even sure who won the World Series last year, and don't really care.

I used to like professional basketball, but at some point I came to the realization that they are not promoting a game, as much as a series of players.  They always need a larger than life personality, someone who can sell jerseys, shoes, cell phones, posters, and he needs to have the unique ability to polarize people.  It seems to be a lot more about the players, and less about the competition.  This is not really a criticism, they have a right to make the league as popular and profitable as it can possibly be, in fact that is their prime responsibility.  But, it does not interest me.

And the NFL has always seemed too corporate, and packaged to be a sport.  Microsoft vs Apple vs Google, and occasionally Samsung or Hewitt Packard will come through and grab that last wild card spot.  Or Coke vs Pepsi.  But, it is really hard for me to care, I find presidential debates more compelling.  The smart money is on Coke and Apple, by the way, at least my money.  Considering how well I did in every bracket I filled out this year my money, and the person carrying it, may not be all that bright.

So, I have to squeeze every last ounce of enjoyment possible (and another blog post or two) out of the Final Four, which will be a little difficult since all of the teams I really like are watching it, too.  Which, I guess, is kind of cool, I will be watching the Final Four with Tim Miles, and Rick Pitino, and Bill Self, and their teams, I better get some more chips, and drinks, and better chips, and drinks.

But, it is time to start looking forward to next season, (college football, and basketball), when once again my teams will provide fresh hope and dreams, and all will be new, and wonderful.  Of course, the new conference alignments are going to provide some intrigue.  The Big Ten is adding some new teams, and realigning the divisions, and I don't really have a handle on all of that.  So, I will have to learn to say Go Big Ten Western Division, (or whatever they call it), I hope the Cornhuskers win all of the games against all of the opponents, whoever they are.  I will elaborate on that as soon as I can figure it out.

And Louisville, which left the Big East after last season is leaving the American Athletic Conference after this season, and joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, and that will make for interesting matchups, where they will meet, once again, the Syracuse Orange, and some other teams from that left the Big East, but that bit of knowledge escapes me for the moment.  And, I need to apologize, in advance, to Christy Barongan who writes a very powerful and compelling blog http://normalintraining.blogspot.com/ (a blog I read faithfully, it is well written, insightful, and enlightening, you should check it out) and is a Virginia Cavalier fan.  So, please accept my apologies, and go Cards.

I intend to write one more post predicting the winner of Monday nights Championship game, but am so busy it will probably have to wait until Tuesday.

Pick your winners?

We are halfway through the Elite Eight and have almost arrived at the Final Four.   In essence, we are at the So Close Six.  With five games left to play, I am no longer in the running for the Warren Buffett / Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Dream.  I have no chance to win any of the pools I entered, all of the teams I really like are eliminated, and I am left to choose the least distasteful from the teams remaining.  Kind of like almost every year.

But, there is no sadness, or self pity around here.  If loss is uncomfortable, you should probably find a different choice of viewing pleasure, because as Danny O'Keefe sang so hauntingly and so appropriately so long ago, "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, good time Charlie's got the blues."  So, I will watch the games today, make my choice in the Final Four and post it here, tomorrow.

You might wonder why I do this, you might ask "Tim, why do we care who you pick?"  A very good question.  It is a public service, and I like to give you plenty of time to make wagers against the team I choose, because no matter how good they are, they have no chance.   I am like the Sports Illustrated jinx, magnified, bulked up, and packing heat.

At this point, I should apologize to a person who writes a very enlightening, insightful blog, and happens to be a Virginia Cavaliers fan, and I dragged them into the abyss, with the Huskers and the Cardinals, and the Jayhawks, and... and I am sorry.

On a plus note, I have found a way to win without cheating, technically, at Words With Friends.

Pumpkin Face added to protect the Innocent.

Back to work, no chance for escape.

Well, I had my shot, took my chances, tried to grab the brass ring.  A billion dollars, and they were just waiting to hand it over, to me.  "Here you go, Tim, a billion dollars, and man, are we glad you won."  I was ready.  All I had to do was pick all of the winners in the NCAA tournament.  How hard could that be?  Let's face it, there are two teams in each game, and one of them is going to win, and one will lose, so that makes it one in two, or 50 % of getting it right, and some games are just obvious, right?  So, all of the sudden I am at like 60 % - 40 %, maybe 70 - 30.  It was almost a sure thing.

To increase my odds even further I decided to use the power of the internet, and research each game carefully.  By using a formula that gives extra weight to road wins and wins against "quality opponents, further I planned to research common opponents, and maybe even move out two or three degrees, and compare point spreads, rebounds, and assists, figuring that was the key factor in deciding most games.  I was so excited.

But, when I went to the first game, Florida, vs Albany, they didn't have any common opponents, and none of the teams either of them had played ever faced an opponent from the other team, and this was out to the third place, dang this was going to take a while.  But, Florida was going to win, so I chose them.  On to Pitt vs. Colorado.  Again, no common opponents, and maybe they only had one cycle to get to someone but, I didn't have forever, you know.  And I just don't much care for Pitt, so I chose Colorado.  And people say VCU is good, and their coach is actually named Smart, so that is good, I choose VCU.

Soon, I was just flying through the sheet, a guiding light showing me the way, almost casting a glow on the winning team!  Man, this was too easy.  Some higher power, some unseen force wanted me to win a billion dollars, and do good things with it.  It was almost like cheating!

Wednesday night I could hardly sleep.  Three weeks, and I would be rollin' in the samoleans, saying sayonara to the good folks at work, and setting sail for prosperity, wealth and casual indulgence, with a polite nod to charity of course, no point is being greedy, right?

Then, the unthinkable happened.  I was knocked out before the first day was really even started.  How could this happen?  Harvard, Mercer and North Dakota State all won in the first round!  What?  Well, fate had a nice laugh, at my expense, but, we are friends again.  It was a silly indulgence, anyway, and who really needs a billion dollars.  I can live without it, until next year.

Just wait until next year.

Ok, so I had the Cornhuskers winning the tournament, unapologetically, unabashedly, and with a great amount of pride.  I am a fan, and they are my team, it is a symbiotic relationship, but I probably get more benefit.  But, if the Cornhuskers read blogs it would be more equitable, so it is not all my fault.

But, they got beat today, it was an unfortunate game that took some unexpected twists, and a few tragic turns.  Coach Tim Miles was ejected for the first time in his coaching career, but, I won't blame the official, there will be not finger pointing on my blog, a loss is a loss, and you move on.

The referee who called the technical to eject Coach Miles was just a guy doing a job, and is only human, so we are not going to indulge in any childish name calling.

It does bring to mind an old saying from my time in India when I was working for...  well I am not really authorized to discuss who I was working for.   Anyway, there was an old Punjab saying, "Trust a cobra before you trust a Sikh, trust a Sikh before you trust a Pathan, and trust anybody, anywhere in the world before you trust a truly loathsome bastard like that."  My multi-lingual Punjabi is not that good anymore but, it was something like that.    Not that I think the official in question is loathsome, or detestable, this was just a coincidence, sometimes thoughts show up, a lot of old people have that problem.

Sorry, I slip into memories, occasionally.

In the wonderful words of the fantastic Bob Dylan;

"I'm not sorry for nothing I've done,
I'm glad I fought I only wish we won."

Anyway, this was a special season to be Cornhusker basketball fan, and next year will be even better. With that in mind I have started filling out my bracket for next seasons tournament already.  I am picking Nebraska to win it all.  But, I am not too sure who to pick from the south division, any suggestions?

Hey, somebody has to win.

Before we start today, you deserve a little explanation, a reason for the way things are done in some places.  Mostly here, and exclusively on an NCAA bracket selection sheet.  I am a fan, and root with abandon for a team.  It is a passionate rite that endures bad seasons, and rough stretches.  It is like a friendship, a relationship, a marriage or a family.  Sure, sometimes things are not perfect, and occasionally a rocky stretch will cut deep.  But, we stand together, me and the teams.  I can not pick another team to beat my team on the sheet, it would be infidelity, it would be unfaithful, it would be wrong, and then when the game took place I would have to choose between hoping my team lost, or I lost.  So, I picked Nebraska to win the NCAA tournament.

From an unnamed source and used without permission.

While filling out my brackets I took the words of Coach Miles to heart when he said "I think we're a good enough team to win the tournament."  Coach Miles does not seem to be guilty of overt, macho bravado, or rampant, wild conceit, it is a quiet confidence, at least outwardly, that drives his words.  So, I picked Nebraska to win the NCAA tournament.  

After so many years of accepting an early end to the season, and looking forward to spring football coverage, this is exciting, and the joy of possibility is a powerful force.  Things are getting better, and it is happening now.  So, I am picking the Huskers to win the NCAA tournament.

In the hauntingly appropriate words of the great Bob Dylan.

"It’s undeniable what they’d have you to think
It’s indescribable, it can drive you to drink,
They said it was the land of milk and honey
Now they say it’s the land of money
Who ever thought they could ever make that stick
It’s unbelievable you can get this rich this quick"

One of my earliest memories is, and I was just a child, when my Mother, rest her soul, took me aside at a family reunion, and said to me, "Tim, if something carries a statistical probability, no matter how slight, that does not diminish over time it will eventually happen."  Those may not have been her exact words, but it was something like that.  And, after this season, it is safe to say that the statistical probability of Nebraska winning the tournament not only did not diminish it sky rocketed.  So, while Coach Miles, and I may have the time variable a little off, we are probably pretty accurate, if not this year, one year very soon.  So, I picked Nebraska to win next years NCAA tournament.  Yes, next year, the riches just keep piling up.

And, since I feel so good about this, here is a bonus appropriate Dylan quote for the day.


"It’s unbelievable like a lead balloon
It’s so impossible to even learn the tune
Kill that beast and feed that swine
Scale that wall and smoke that vine
Feed that horse and saddle up the drum
It’s unbelievable, the day would finally come"

So, has our day finally come?  Yes, to me it has.  By the way, I like the Cornhuskers in this years big dance, who are you picking?

NCAA Tournament a Sure Pick.

Well, the wait is over, and all of the conference tournaments are finished, the Big Kahunas of the NCAA have made their picks, and we all know where our teams stand, or sit for the next several weeks.

It has been an exciting, unpredictable season, a season filled with "bigs" using their "length" and "physicality" to impose their will on the smaller, insignificant "bigs" (who have a much tinier supply of "physicality") from the other team.

Many of the games went right down to the last few minutes, where one team had such a small advantage in points that the "differential" between the shot clock and the game clock was a very important and widely discussed, consideration, and had a profound affect on the point "differential" when the game clock and shot clock had no "differential," and both read 00:00.

As always, some people are very happy, in this case the Virginia Cavaliers, who had a wonderful season, and a fantastic ACC tournament.   They won both the regular season and the tournament championship, managing to beat the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game.  It was to be one of the best basketball games of the year, and  they re a well deserved #1 seed.  Plus, they have a coach named Tony Bennett, that is a plus no matter who you root for.

Some people are less thrilled, like the Louisville Cardinals, who are playing basketball so well right now that many people felt they deserve a better seed than #4.  I feel that way, but I am a Cardinals fan, and a little biased.

And there are some people who are unhappy, as is the case in Dallas, Texas where SMU was not even invited, after having a very good season, and are the first ranked team to miss the tournament since 2004.  But, that is the nature of this tournament, and the selection committee works in strange and mysterious ways, or at least strange ways.

I am very happy, my team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, are in the tournament, and an 11 seed, facing the Bears of Baylor.  True, the Cornhuskers started the season slow, and got beat in the conference tournament, and has no true "bigs" bristling with menacing "physicality."  But, they are young, fast, and enthusiastic, and a late season streak of success increased their chances of inclusion.  And, when they are playing well, their defense is so agile and quick it almost looks as though they have 6 players on the court.

And almost as good as the Huskers making it to the NCAA tournament, almost, but not quite, I am planning on winning the Warren Buffett/Quicken Loans Bracket Challenge.  If you pick every game correctly you will win a billion dollars.  That will be cool, too.

So, thank you Warren Buffett, Quicken Loans, the NCAA selection committee, and a special thanks to you, Tim Miles, your hard working, wonderfully young team, and my parents, my teachers, the directors, and the Academy... oh, sorry I accidentally started reciting from my Oscar acceptance speech.

Anyway, enjoy the tournament, root for your team, and enjoy the snacks, I am going with chips, and dip, or crackers, and cheese, or cookies, and milk, well I will have it figured out by Thursday.

Things are stil going brightly.

Yesterday, Nebraska lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament.  It was a close game and either team could have won.  I was disappointed that they lost, but man I love this team.  They fight hard and have climbed so much higher than people expected.  And, one way or another their season is not over.

If they do not get selected for the NCAA tournament they will certainly be a high seed in the NIT tournament.  Which would probably bring some more games to the friendly atmosphere of the very hospitable Pinnacle Bank Arena.  Either way, I will be watching, and enjoying the intense and dynamic Cornhuskers play together as often as possible.

And, when the season is over I am overflowing with confidence for the future.  Names like Parker, Petteway, Pitchford, and Shields have become welcome in our house, and in our conversations.  And, will be, we hope, for several more years.  This is a young team, and the future is filled with glorious, profound possibility and potential.

When looking back at the later part of the season I can't help but think of the Dylan lyrics;

"I got something in my pocket, make your eyeballs swim,
I got dogs that will tear you limb from limb,
I'm circling around the southern zone,
I pay in blood, but not my own."

Tim Miles is building a good team, piece by piece, and in only his second season he has done
something significant and wonderful.  He is a calm presence in front of the camera, and a tempest on the sideline.  He can coach, and he can recruit, and he can give a danged good interview, as well.

Tom Osborne hired the right man, at the right time.  We have a coach who knows how to build a winner, a new state of the art arena, a team of talented young men, who are hungry to prove that Nebrasketball is a state of being, and fans that ready for successHu.  No matter what happened yesterday it is a good time to be a Husker.

Strange, isn't it?

Last night I had the strangest dream, wonderful, but odd.  I dreamed that the Nebraska Cornhuskers beat the Wisconsin Badgers in basketball.  Weird, right?  What makes it even more unbelievable is the part of the dream where the Badgers were on eight game winning streak, including wins over ranked Iowa, and Michigan teams.  And it happened on the same day the Cornhusker Women's team beat Iowa to win the Big Ten tournament.

Here is where it gets really strange.  By winning the game Nebraska played it's way to a first round bye in the Big Ten tournament, and many people feel that the team earned an at large bid for the NCAA tournament.

Every Husker Fan Loves Terran Petteway!  Thank you Cornhuskers Men's
Basketball Facebook Page, and Thank You, Terranasaurus!

And, if that were not crazy enough, the Cornhuskers, in this amazing dream, had the leading scorer in the Big Ten, and he was only a sophomore.  Surrounding this marvelous, magical sophomore was a whole team of outlandishly talented, victory hungry, underclassmen, with more sitting on the bench.  And, they had a coach who was enthusiastic, energetic, and won everywhere.  Taking teams (like Nebraska) and turning them into winners, time after time, and he was coaching Nebraska now!!!

Man, I hated to wake up this morning.  Well, off to get some coffee, and tell my wife about this wonderful dream.

NEWS FLASH!  This just in!  Our fact checker (my wife, who is pretty smart, smart enough to know how fragile I am when discussing college basketball in March) just informed me this was no dream, but all of this really happened.

Thank you Cornhuskers Men's Basketball
Facebook Page, and Thank you  CBS And
Thank you Walter Pitchford.

Thank you Cornhuskers Men's Basketball
Facebook Page, and Thank you  CBS And
Thank you Shavon Sheilds

I know there are a lot of people who deserve a lot of credit for this dream season, but hey I was lucky to get these photos on here.  Blogger does not make that easy, you know. So, thank you all, and keep your eyes on this blog, you just might see your picture.