Finally! A useful invention!

Have you ever had a busy day doing laundry and you go to throw that last load in the dryer and, OH NO! the box of dryer sheets is empty?!

Have you ever arrived at work, only to find one of those pesky sheets has clung to the back of your slacks? (I haven't because I don't wear slacks.)

If you, or someone you know has experienced one of these unfortunate events, you can finally sleep easy, thanks to the fine people at Bounce. Bounce has just unveiled their new invention: the Bounce dryer bar. This amazing little brick sticks to the inside of your dryer and totally eliminates the need to throw those little sheets in there with your clothes for up to 4 months. And while I'm talking about those little sheets, has anyone noticed it looks like they are made from the lint left over from the load before? I've always thought there could be a good use for all that fluff. Here I have been just throwing it away all these years.

Not only have the fine people at Bounce invented this little guy, but they have actually hired a real "scientist" to help explain how to use this new invention. With all the great things this bar does, it is important to sit through the several video training sessions on their website or things could go drastically wrong. If it is not used following specific guidelines, death, dismemberment, discoloration, super-taco-II-type diarehha, and static-y clothes could result.

Not only does Bounce provide trainign on their newest product, but they also have sections discussing their other products, an apparel store, a newsletter, and even a clever uses section entitled, "Do You Bounce Beyond The Dryer?" where you can read laundry-related stories from other Bounce fans.

However, if you choose to introduce the new Bounce Dryer Bar into your life I must warn you "Generally you shouldn't need to replace the holder, but if for some reason you choose to remove the holder from your machine, you should note, once the holder is removed, it cannot be restuck." So please please please, don't make rash decisions. Really think about what the Bounce Dryer Bar has to offer, and what you risk to lose once you remove the holder.

To read more, and watch the instructional videos, visit the Bounce Website by clicking the link below.

BOUNCE

This is a rebuilding year...We'll be better next year.

You ever catch yourself saying that? Maybe not. But one thing is for sure, plenty of people are saying it. I've heard many times how favorable our schedule is next year, and that next year will be the year we finally break out. Seems like we have been saying this,...well...for about the past 8 years or so. Why is it that we are CONSTANTLY rebuilding. If we are rebuilding year anfter year after year, what is it was are actually building. Is it time maybe we just scrap these plans, throw out the blueprints and sit down and draw up some new plans. How long do we have to wait to finally have a finished product. And if we ever get one, will we have to set through another decade of rebuilding? How much further towards a final product have we come in the last 8 years? Will we finally have a finished product when we pull together a season where we actually beat someone we weren't favored to beat? Or will it come in a year when we don't lose to a team we should have killed? It this what the Nebraska program has come to? Really, ask yourself. What are we building towards?

Why is it that other schools can reload? Not rebuild a team, but actually reload and have players fill gaps year after year without a noticeable decline in talent? I would point out the fact that it is hard to get those skill guys that Texas, USC, Florida, etc can get but that would be committing Husker sin #8:

"If Dr. Tom could do it then, Bo can do it now."

We were able to recruit back in the 90's, but we weren't recruiting the same players as the big boys. We were recruiting players that fit our program. Even if we did recruit players that fit our program now, would our coaches even play to their strengths? Or would the coaches painfully force players to adapt to the system? Shawn Watson says that this team is young on offense. Certain players aren't ready yet. Well, Mr. Watson, who's fault is that? Last time I checked, you were in charge of making sure that our team was ready to play and that we were getting kids ready to fill gaps to graduation. If you were unprepared at your own jobs for year after year would you still be around? Why does Watcon get a free pass? Why are we constantly rebuilding? Well logic would point to the lack of rotation during the season and a lack of younger guys ever seeing the field. Take this year for example. We all heard at the beginning of the year that the defensive line was going to be running a rotation to keep the players energy level up. While I know that Suh, Crick, and even Barry Turner at times are the core of our defense, but really, when the game was in hand why did we not see more of Cameron Meredith and Steinkuhler? Why not get those young guys game reps when the game was out of reach? Look at Cody Green, if he doesn't see the field against Baylor, when are we going to see him the rest of the year? Oklahoma? Kansas? KSU? Colorado? If Cody Green can't see more than a few garbage snaps against the Sun Belt, and part of a quarter against Texas Tech when our guys have already given up, what was the point of burning his red shirt? So will next year be his rebuilding year? Will next year be the year we have to work in a new QB so we call it another rebuilding year? Come on Bo, get these guys some reps! Wasn't it you that said every position is up for grabs every week? Wasn't it you that told us that our team is very competitive and that there is not much difference from top to bottom? If that is the case, why are the same guys playing the entire game? Get with it. It's time to take some chances. What else do the Huskers have to lose? Why do you insists on sticking with Lee when you have a mobile QB that could at least run a zone read, (a la Joe Ganz)? I agree with the burnt red shirt of Dontreyvious Robinson, as long as he continues to get snaps. When Helu comes back is he going to be riding the bench again?

If we want to continue to be a team in eternal rebuilding, then I think we have that act down. If we actually want to see some change, changes need to be made. We need to get the young guys in there whenever possible. If we don't find ourselves in position to do this, fingers must be pointed at the coaches. Afterall, that is their job. Until we have younger guys being able to get real game time experience, we will continue to have drop offs every season, and our coaches will continue to convince us that we are "rebuilding". Once we have more players getting experience, we WILL notice change. People will step up. Will our coaches be able to take chances, man up, and pull players who aren't performing and give some younger guys a chance to perform? We've seen glimpses. Cody ALMOST went in against Mizzou. ALMOST went in against Iowa state. Will he ALMOST go in against Baylor and get some reps. Will Cody Green have burt a redshirt to play mop-up duty against a couple sun belt teams agaisnt talent probably equivalent to that he played against in high school in Texas? Or will this week be the start to significant reps and building toward the future so that one day we may actually be a finished product? Ask yourself this, where do we want to be? Where are we going as a team? That's one thing I cant answer. The better question is, can our coaches?

Whatever happens, at the end of the day, the worst day as a Husker, is better than the best day as a buffalo. Right Hawkins? Husker Fans, follow the link below for a good laugh. Check out CU's Homecoming promotion. Trust me. It's a good one.

http://www.cubuffs.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=600&SPID=255&SPSID=3843

So, do you like fish sticks? You're a gay fish.

So if you watched Pelini's weekly press conference today, you were probably not surprised by some of his responses to the media. He continues to give watered down, minimal responses. However, Bo was not a complete jerk today to the media, and actually gave a pretty good interview. I will give my opinions. But hey, I give him some credit.

Media: "Was there anything you were surprised about on Saturday?"

BO: "Uh......No,....I think we left a lot of plays out on the field...but no, nothing really."

--What?!?!? Are you kidding me? Well Bo, I was surprised at the total ineptness of our passing game. I was totally surprised at how WELL we ran the ball, and surprised once again when for some unknown reason when we were moving the ball on the ground, we abandon it for the pass. Oh I was also surprised at how such a well coached football team could tie a record with 8 TURNOVERS. Oh yeah, we also LOST to IOWA FREAKING STATE. That didn't surprise you??

Media: "How do you address the turnovers this week?"

Bo: "Emphasis,...we just have to CONTINUE to emphasize to put the ball away."

--Yeah, thats worked, just CONTINUE to do that. I say running each stadium step after the game would have made them focus on it. But go ahead Bo, CONTINUE to emphasize.

Bo: "There are lots of things that need to be cleaned up. For instance...on the touchdown...we need to get those things cleaned up."

---Uh what touchdown? you mean the only touchdown we scored? Or the absolute lack of touchdowns that we have witnessed whenever we are faced with a descent opponent?

Media: "Bo, I wanna see someone grab somebody. I want to see some anger, I want to see some rage."

Bo: "Ever see me on the sideline?"

--Ok, that was pretty funny.

Media: "Why did the guys come out of the tunnel walk the way they did? Why did they have to band together? TO me that suggests weakness."

Bo: "I don't care what it suggested. That's irrelevant to me."

--Ha, classic Bo.

Ok, I must say, it was an entertaining press conference.

On to Vegas, the current line on most sites right now is hovering around the Huskers being a 12-14 point favorite. Can we even score that many points? Take away amazing defense plays (and some luck) against Missouri, it has been over a month (9/26) since the Huskers have had any sort of an offense. Thats a little scary for me. The overs is set around 45-48. I think I'd just stay away from this game. Maybe take the under on the points. Tentatively I'll put my prediction at 24-10 Huskers. I must admit I don't know much about this Baylor team, other than knowing their playmaker QB had a season ending injury very early in the season. Like I said, the Husker offense still scares me. My prediction may change, but well see.

Ok, a few joke. All if fun. Husker fans, its okay to laugh at yourselves. I know some of you didn't like my "recycled" joke about Bo Pelini's house being egged, but only have three of the dozen eggs actually hit their mark, and how the police were investigating Zac Lee, so how are these?

" A few weeks ago when Helu had the flu they gave everyone on the team the flu vaccine except for the WRs because they knew they wouldn't catch it anyway."

"How do you make husker burgers? Turn 'em over 8 times and they're done."

"what does 6.2million dollars in coaching salaries and trainers get you in Nebraska? Nothing."

or how about this one:

"This one time, Nebraska had 8 turnovers and lost to IOWA STATE."

And one last video joke: just follow the address below.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcKiMy0Gp4

Ross Geller defines my identity....

A look at one fan's opinion,...and then of course, mine....

Fan:"Disagree. I don't think there is a fine line separating any serious fan's team from at least a part of their identity. What we do and believe become apart of all of us. The huskers are struggling and have had much much better years. There is no telling how many factors come into play each week (and beyond that) that have lead to these results. Yet speculate and call our team "pathetic clowns?" Those pathetic clowns are a part of us. I understand that you enjoy the argument and like to get people riled up. You have taken just as much, probably much more psych than I have... But I am more concerned/interested in what this is all about for you?... Because whatever it is, it seems to be becoming a part of you, with the blog, play by play facebook posts bagging on something many of us still believe in and are rooting for. I think you have found yourself in the minority (an even smaller vocal minority), painted into a corner. Is this worth it?"

DO:"Is it worth it? Sure. Its fun. Its supposed to be fun. I dont understand how people can have so much of their identity wrapped up into an athletic team. Actually its kind of an unhealthy amount of their identity that is defined by a bunch of 18-21 year old under achieving football players. There should be a HUGE DISTINCT line separating some one's identity from something they are a fan of. For example, I'm a huge fan of watching old reruns of friends episodes. I'm entertained by it, and if i cross an episode when I am flipping through the channels, I'll probably watch it. But in no way does this define my identity. Chandler Bing and Ross Geller have no bearing on my own identity or personality. IT IS ENTERTAINMENT, exactly like sports....But it doesn't define me. Now i understand how beliefs, morals, practices, etc can define a person. These are areas that are much more than pure entertainment. But really how healthy is it to have your character defined like i said by a bunch of 18-21 year old college students? So much so, that people become extremely offended when there is criticism made this team. So the entertainment value of seeing husker fans' heads nearly explode because the team is under achieving.....yes it is very much worth it; because we are talking about a sporting event! Something designed for entertainment purposes. Tell me it isn't satisfying for you when you saw a Missouri player crying on television after the huskers beat his team on national tv. honestly, you didn't get any satisfaction out of that? being a person who apparently defines at least a part of himself by how a football team performs, i bet you had some satisfaction, in spite of the pain that individual was feeling. well, its the same with me. It is somewhat satisfying seeing reality finally hit some husker fans square in the nose. Let's just hope these lessons result in a couple more husker fans having a more realistic outlook."

A Disappointing, But All Too Familiar Day In Lincoln

Okay okay, to the facebook crowd out there, I will start off by saying sorry. I'm sorry for the constant heckling and flooding of facebook status updates chastising the Husker's every mistake, and there were a lot! It must have been annoying for those who actually made comments and then were annoyed by the constant "popping" sound that little red box in the corner makes every time I responded. I apologize. But also stand firm by saying, you you don't like reading it,...then dont. It's not a hard concept.

Now on to the game.

The writing was on the wall. The huskers have struggled against EVERY decent opponent they have faced this year. Every. Single. One. It was only a matter of time before the under performance caught up to us against an opponent we should have probably beaten easily. Field goals and horrendous red zone offense just isn't enough to win games. 8 turnovers? We were lucky we weren't playing a GOOD team. This one would have been over by half time. Roy Helu has no business being in the game today. There are obviously things wrong with him that are preventing him from playing to his full capabilities and right now he is a liability for us. I would say rest him until he can fully heal instead of running him every week and continuing this injury. I know we are already banged up at this position, but as we say today, D. Robinson looked more than adequate to step up. I think Mendoza could also be a play maker with his speed. Today and next week would have been a good opportunity for us to heal some bumps and bruises we have suffered.

Oh and Bo, enough with the hardass attitude towards the media. We all know Helu is injured. We know it happened on that 40 yard run in the fourth quarter against Missouri. We also know that he flew down on a separate flight with about 9 other huskers because they were sick with the flu. Quit pretending that these things are not happening. It's okay to be honest with us. Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole Quintin Castille fiasco. Eventually the fans are going to get tired of you dodging questions.

I feel today was a direct reflection of coaching philosophies that these young men are exposed to in practice. Helu played with a green "no contact" jersey all week. And we are surprised he fumbled why? This is division one football and our players need to be ready to go on gameday. Helu needs to be used to the game speed and full contact that he will expect come Saturdays. Oh and our starting center didn't even practice the last two days this week but started the game. I believe he was then later benched in the first quarter. If the players are not ready to go for practice, and can't participate in full on contact, then they are not ready to play in games. ITS SIMPLE!

Now on to Zac Lee. I know he has caught a lot of guff since last week and many people are calling for him to be benched. A positive today was that the offense actually moved the ball. While Watson still insists on throwing three yard dump passes on 3rd and 18, we were able to get the ball down the field at times. I wish Watson would stick to the ground game and not get spooked and return to his mundane patterns to the flats. However, today I feel Zac Lee ran out of chances. Earlier in the week I mad a few people upset via facebook when i referenced putting Cody Green into the game and said it was like throwing a rose into a toilet. At the end of the day, its still just a rose in the toilet. Cody Green, as talented (or untalented, we don't know yet) as he is, still is not going to change how this offense has come to be this season. I feel there are going to be growing pains if he becomes more involved in this offense. We have seen that he needs some fine tuning with his passes. However we have also seen that he can add that spark that this offense needs to make big plays. That being said, Zac Lee, I'm sorry, but your time is up. We can no longer afford you throwing behind receivers, throwing over receivers' heads, throwing into triple coverage, and making horrible check downs and audibles. We need to see what Cody can do. Hey, could it be any worse than what we saw today?

A bright side to todays game is that Suh continues to show that he is a BEAST. We very well may be watching the best defensive tackle to ever play for Nebraska. Keep up the good work big guy. You are keeping this team together and give us fans something to cheer for. I shudder to think about what is going to happen next year without him. I'll wait to think about that.

Oh, Henery, you're pretty good too.

On a final note it was brought to my attention by a respectable and intelligent husker fan i have know for many years that it appears that via facebook I often just bash the team without providing a personal stance on any issues regarding the team. He is right. I have been doing that and was forced to examine where I stand. Here's his post and my response to him. Hopefully this clears things up, a little bit.

Intelligent Husker Fan: "I support the idea of an opposing point of view in the form of a blog...even as a die hard Husker fan. I just think it would a good idea to clarify your stance on the various issues being discussed (i.e. is Bo the right coach? is Nebraska a great program and/or a great team? Should C. Green be the starter? Are the blackshirts back?). I think everyone would forced to take you more seriously, especially if you are able to back up your comments with factual information."

DO: "Is BO the right coach?-not sure. I like his emotion and his attitude, but i wonder how much he just lets Watson run his rink-a-dink offense, and how much he is actually involved. I'll admit i didn't like the hiring of Bo at the beginning. He's grown on me a little.

Is Nebraska a great program? At one time yes. but right now we are far from it. We have a lot of progress to make in a lot of areas before we will even be considered an above average program (currently, not historically).

Should Green be the starter? I think he deserves a chance to at least play in some games and get some experience. I mean it can't be any worse then what we are seeing right now. I'm not saying he is the answer and there will most certainly be growing pains if he is to see extensive playing time. But it cant hurt to experiment a little.... Read More

Are the black shirts back? No. And i could care less if that tradition ever comes back. Like Bo said last week, its not about the blackshirts, its about the red and white that they play in during games. Without Suh, I think our fron line is average. Without Dillard i think our linebackers lean to the inexperienced side. and our secondary has been exposed several times at key points during games."


I know this is getting long, but I wanted to include a message I received from another Nebraskan that I thought was funny. Here it is:

Nebraskan: "I wish I hadn't wasted my time with the game today, I should've just checked your status update play by play.
Its too bad this guy isn't wearing a husker shirt, then it would be too perfect for your blog."

***its the picture at the top of this post***

The Daily Opinion is gaining fans

So i was sitting around the ol' computer last night when a faithful Daily Opinion fan instant messaged me. (Yes the Daily Opinion is on Facebook. Join the group if you have not yet done so.) He began talking to me about not only his feelings on the Husker teams, (of current and past) but also his outlook on this state as a whole. I had to include some of his opinions as these are some original points of view that I have never heard before. Below are some exerpts of our conversation:

Loyal Daily Opinion Fan(LDOF):"btw, thank god you're a SMART husker fan. I myself have been a WVU fan since pre-1995 so imagine how much hell I went through growing up"

Daily Opinion(DO): "Oh man,..thats a sin here. Those were the glory days that most Husker fans think we are still living in."

LDOF: "Fuck that man, my mom's side of the family is from West Virginia the only ties to NE I have is my parents zip code, a high school reunion that I'll never attend, and Nebraska Wesleyan University...whose reunion i'll never attend as well."

DO: "lol, theres not much else it has to offer."

LDOF: "I guess I'll accept carhenge, but that's it"

DO: "What about chimney rock?"

LDOF: "That fucker will be weathered to a pile of sand in another 20 years

LDOF: "...and William Jennings Bryan is a piece of shit, but inherit the wind makes fun of him enough. Johnny Carson is dead. And David Letterman never visits his home office in Wahoo.

DO: "HAHA best point yet"

LDOF: "I think I might've covered it all in those few sentences. Oh, and Fuck Willa Cather"

DO: "Dont forget about tina brandon....and hillary swank who played her/his character in "Boys Don't Cry" was born in lincoln..."

LDOF: "Malcolm X moved away when he was 3 to become a pimp, later to be shot by his own followers. Gerald Ford is a pile of shit who keeps on falling on himself."

DO: "You sir know more about nebraska than most. What about Warren Buffet?"

LDOF: "Buffet claims he pulled himself up by his own boot straps
but he married into wealth. Peter Kiewit is an alright dude."

LDOF: I had no clue Hilary Swank was born in Lincoln. Shitty movies,... hot body, and buck teethed."

DO: "I'd hit it tho."

LDOF: "If you didn't i'd call you queer."

LDOF: "So, how does that go for summing up Nebraska?


Pretty pointless information. But I thought it was still good enough for a good laugh.

Keep posted and check back soon. The Daily Opinion will be back with more.

Super Tacos and Knitted Knives...

So today some acquaintances and I decided to try out a new taco joint in town, SUPER TACO II. For quite some time we wondered where Super Taco I, or Super Taco Uno as I would call it was located. But, due to their wonderful advertising and clever naming, we assumed if they provided an enjoyable enough dining experience to run two locations, the food must be delicious. So, we enter Super Taco Dos, and are greeted by a wonderful handwritten sign on notebook paper that says "No Public Bathrooms." They didn't even splurge for the printer paper, or colorful construction paper; just a piece of notebook paper. Wide rule, and not even the perforated type, were talking 67 cent spiral notebook paper. Anyways, we get seated, and i was excited to see a plasma T.V. hung on the wall playing "A Nights Tale." Excellent. Oh yeah, we were the only ones in the place. Anyways, the menus were all written in Spanish first (they did have English subtitles) but the designer of these menus gets a D- grade for organization, ease of reading, and spell checking (must like this blog). My favorite item on the menu was "Osters and Chesse." I held back my urge to enjoy the shellfish plate and went with the standard beef burrito with shredded beef. (They didn't have a carne esada burrito! but i must remember that this wasn't De'Leons) So we all recieved our fine dishes that looked wonderful, however upon first bite we all noticed that our meals were lacking a pivotal ingredient,...flavor. Oh well. My dish was the cheapest at around $5.50. Now those who went with the enchilada platter, they dropped almost $10. Yikes. Needless to say none of us finished our meals, but a few of us politely grabbed to go boxes as to not offend the cooks. These boxes were then thrown away at the near by gas station as we satisfied our hunger with a soda and candy bars. In short, Super Taco, was far less super, and more of a Robin in the world of Batman taco joints. Lets hope Super Taco III (tres) improves on the fine dining experience.

On another note, this lunch break provided the opportunity of an acquaintance of mine to disclose that he has recently taken up knitting as a hobby. He proudly proclaimed that he spent $50 last night on knitting supplies and said this was a productive hobby to occupy his free time. Sounds all good and fine right? I thought so too. That was until later on he decided to threaten another acquaintance by saying he was going to knit a knife and hide in the dark waiting for her, at which point he would pounce. I think I will also take up this new hobby and knit a gun, because we all know to never bring a knitted knife, to a knitted gun fight....Oh productive days!

Day One: 10/21/09

So, day one. I've never done this whole blogging thing before, but after realizing how much time I spend throwing my opinions around on facebook, just to have them sink beneath the surface and lost in the ocean of new posts, that usually let us know that someone is "eating ramen noodles" or "taking the kids to the park" I figured I needed a new space for all the important stuff. The stuff I care about.

Lets begin...

This whole idea started after I started receiving negative feedback on my HONEST opinions regarding the University of Nebraska's football team, the one and only "gods gift to earth" Cornhuskers. Now why is it that people in this state refuse to look at facts, and rather go on unbridled loyalty to support a football team that is under achieving? Why is it so wrong that someone who lives in this state says "they just aren't that good?" In huskerland, (where everyone wishes it was still 1995...) this is a mortal sin. Now here are just a few of the responses that I have received, and my rebuttals to them:

1) They are just college KIDS!

No, they are young adults. Individuals the same age as these football player are allowed to go to war and die for their country. We do not call those individuals KIDS. These ADULTS are also receiving a free education, to play football. I paid for my education, and guess what, I can throw a lousy three yard pass play incomplete (a la Zack Lee). Should I get a scholarship for it? Please...

2) To be a good fan, you have to support them no matter what.

Not true. Actually, this is only true in....NEBRASKA. In all other sports, if things are not going well, as a fan you get to express that. Should I stand there and cheer for a team that put forth zero effort in a loss to Texas Tech? Hell no. I will boo and show my disgust. This is how change occurs. Had everyone been a loyal fan at all times, we would still be stuck with Solich or Clownahan. Please watch a major sporting team. When fans are unhappy, they have to let their voice be heard, and allow changes to be made. Nebraska is no different. So sit down, shut up.

3) Nebraska has the classiest fans in football.

It's nice to assign crowns to ourselves isn't it? Guess what? That doesn't help us win games. Neither does sell out streaks, big screen T.V.s or mythical best fan awards. Just because our stadium is filled with grey haired old ladies, does not mean we have to all act like we are sitting in front of the pope. Please, if you waste your money on a ticket to the game, and they are under performing...boo. The old lady behind you wont be able to hear you anyways.


So to end this rant. please just accept that Nebraska really isn't that good. Its not going to get good, and we will probably continue to be mediocre for a long time. Nebraska just isn't capable of hanging with the big boys. Until our high school ranks become more competitive nationally, we will continue to be mediocre collegiatly.

My prediction this week. NU-31, ISU-17. (for now)