Lil' Smokies, Brett Favre, and Purple Pride

I want to use the napkins and the plates. Not just any ones, mind you, the purple and gold I bought 11 years ago. It was 1998, the Vikings were headed to the Super Bowl and I wad headed to the party store. As a lifelong Vikings fan, I was going to be ready when they won. I picked up some napkins and plates with the team logo on them, so I could eat my nachos and lil' smokies with purple pride.

With Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Robert Smith, they were going to wipe out years of frustration, finally winning the big game. And then it happened. The most dependable kicker in football missed.

As a Vikings fan I should have known better. Of course Gary Anderson was going to miss. After all, he's gotten our hopes up by completing a perfect season until that NFC title game.

Now it's just another footnote on Wikipedia, another sign of this team's failure, along with those four Super Bowl losses, the Herschel Walker trade, and the Love Boat scandal.

But while we've had great offenses and great defenses, the one thing Vikings fans haven't had since Fran Tarkenton is a great quarterback.

We've suffered through guys like Tommy Kramer, Wade Wilson, Sean Salisbury, Rich Gannon, Jeff George, Brad Johnson and Tarvaris Jackson. Along the way there were also forgettable guys like Spergon Wynn and even St. Cloud State's own Todd Bouman.

Sure some of those guys put together a good season here or there, but arguably only one quarterback in that stretch put together a string of success, as Daunte Culpepper gave us glimmers of hope.

Tarvaris Jackson is a tremendous athlete with a strong arm and quick legs. But he hasn't shown he can win consistently. Brett Favre to the rescue -- he could have been the bona fide Hall of Fame quarterback the team has lacked.

But now that too is just another story in this team's ongoing saga of losing.

Guess I don't have to dig up those plates and napkins this season. There's always next year.

Go Jacks!

Finally! Five years after going to Division I, my alma mater is making news for its athletic program, most notably the women's basketball team. I did manage to get to quite a few games in Frost Arena, so this is pretty cool to see.

ESPN - South Dakota State Jackrabbits ready to make a run toward NCAA tournament

PRE$$ PA$$

I'm in the end zone. The crowd erupts. TOUCHDOWN!!!

It's no fantasy. It's really happened. No, I wasn't the one with the ball, but the guy with the camera shooting highlights for the evening news.

One of the perks of being a TV reporter in Nebraska is the access to big time college football. Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools I've seen.

It takes a press pass to get that kind of access. Of course, I'm not always the guy on the sideline or in the end zone. Sometimes I have to go to the photo box on top of the stadium. You have to take stairs up to the roof to get there.

Make no mistake about it, covering a game is work. I've put in 16 hour days, schlepping a camera for hours. You take a play off, and so does the defense. As soon as you turn the camera off, someone scores.

While we don't pay to get in, we do pay to get there, and pay to park.

Big time politics is the same way. From what I understand, it's not unusual for the TV folks to pay to park their satellite trucks. Those on the campaign press planes pay for their travel. Reporters at big campaign stops pay for internet access and phone lines.

But paying just to cover the event? I thought that was unheard of.

Until now.

This year the two presidential campaigns have what amount to a pay-for-play plans for election night.

No media get in free to John McCain's post-election party according to a columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Barack Obama has a free option -- if you want to huddle into a tent watching a TV with other journalists. If you want a good seat, be ready to shill out $1000 or more. Main riser? Pay $1870. Don't believe me? Look at Obama's website.

Columnist Lynn Sweet said in this piece about Obama's plans, "This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets."

I agree.

Journalists are considered the fourth estate. They play an important role, that frankly shouldn't be restricted by who can afford to pay.

Yeah, it's not a problem for CNN, ABC, or the Washington Post. But is it limiting coverage by alternative voices or smaller market outlets?

Every journalist should be able to cover this historic election freely, unhindered by finances. I think this sets a dangerous precedent.

Even with the TV contracts in big time college football, members of the local media still get in free. But we're not talking sports, we're talking about the next president. Do you want to limit news coverage to those with the deepest pockets?

Bill Callahan Fired

Bill Callahan Press Conference, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Here's a shot of Bill Callahan, following Nebraska's loss to USC.

This morning Tom Osborne fired Callahan, saying Nebraska has lost its identity.

It's always a trying thing when a well known organization like Nebraska football does indeed lose its identity.

Here's hoping Dr. Tom helps them re-find it.

'Greatest Fans' in football leave early as Huskers suffer worst home

Good thing they match, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

On Saturday the Huskers suffered their worst home loss since 1958.

Usually when the Huskers play, the state shuts down. It's a great time for non-fans to shop, because they can go to the mall or grocery store without trouble. No one goes out. Everyone's either at the game or someplace watching the game.

Just to give you an example of how bad it's gotten, even the governor took a shot at the team the other day, joking how some long-time state employees should suit up on defense.

It's getting ugly.

Like Republicans bailing on the Bush Administration, fans have actually been leaving early. These are fans who cheer for kickers who send kickoffs into the endzone, and linemen who get pancake blocks. They know football. And they can't even bear to watch this.

The thing that makes me nervous is how people will cope with this. The state takes its identity in part from how well the football team does. Nebraskans can't relate to lovable losers like the Cubs or perennial losers like the NBA's Clippers. People here don't know how to lose. They may have to take a crash course in losing, because it doesn't look like this trend is turning around.

Keanu, Rush, and Me

So I didn't really meet Keanu Reeves, but he did walk past me during the USC-Nebraska football game last night. So did Rush Limbaugh.

I guess Will Ferrell was there, but I didn't see him. He's a USC fan. Nebraska's answer -- Larry the Cable Guy. Makes me proud to be a Cornhusker ;)

We also interviewed Terry Bowden on our pregame show. You can add him to the list of famous football guys we met -- Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Sean Salisbury, and some radio guys who it turns out were probably the most appreciative.

Photos forthcoming.

A reporter, not a personality

Some get into TV news to become a personality. They hope to parlay good looks and some news experience into a job on the E! channel or somesuch.

They're the ones more worried about the "me roll" than the "b-roll". (B-roll is the TV term for video footage that will go with soundbites to make a story).

Tonight I had a chance to get some "me roll". I interviewed not one, but six broadcasters from ESPN tonight. That's Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, former Minnesota Vikings QB Sean Salisbury, and two radio guys (who turned out to be super gracious). They're all in the area for the big USC-Nebraska match-up.

But the guy whose interview will make my story truly a tale worth telling isn't on TV. He's the stage manager, who happens to be from North Platte and graduation from the University of Nebraska.

If you wanted proof I'm a reporter, not a TV personality, there you have it. The story, not the reporter, comes first. It's a lesson I learned early, but sadly it takes other years to learn.

Are you ready for some football?

The season kicks off today! I think we'll celebrate with nachos, and yummy snacks :)

Hockey Tournament

I'm exhausted. Muscles I didn't know I have ache.

We've been playing hockey at church for about 7 or 8 years now. We play a weekly pick up game that lasts about two hours.

Last night we played a tournament. It started about 6 and I didn't leave until close to midnight. It was fun though.

Last night felt like one of those God things. Everyone got along, no one got too hurt. That's pretty much a miracle for a bunch of teenagers.

I'm proud of these guys for playing hard, but not getting nasty. The guys wer ealso very encouraging to each other.

I've got special affection for a kid named Brian. He plays goalie, and does a pretty good job. You can see him in the black gear towards the center of the picture. His team came in second. They came a couple of goals short of being our tournament champs. He made some nice saves. Especially when you consider he can't use his legs.

We have to carry him and set him in the net.

That's because Brian usually gets around with the use of braces. Brian suffers from cerebral palsy, I believe. He doesn't talk about his disability.

The other kids help him put his goalie gear on. Kids then give him a lift, and position him in net. They bring him water, and are generally encouraging. I don't think anyone pities the guy. Rather, they show compassion and try to bring the best out of him.

That's the body of Christ at work, in a bunch of sweaty, often frustrating teenagers. God moves in mysterious ways.

If you haven't played roller hockey, you don't know what you're missing.

Or maybe you do.

One of my favorite childhood memories was a trip to St. Louis with my grandparents to see the Cardinals play the Cubs. It was a great series. Ozzie Smith did a back-flip. Vince Coleman stole like 23 bases in a game. Or maybe it was five. But at any rate, I've grown up with the Cardinals. They were my dad's team and my dad's dad's team. This weekend my grandpa celebrates birthday #94. A more gentle and caring man you'll be hard pressed to find. Happy Birthday Grandpa, and maybe the Red Birds can deliever a nice gift this year!

In Ames, Iowa tonight preparing for Nebraska - Iowa State game. Got some pretty decent barbecue here in Ames. Better than I would have expected! It's alwasy fun to see a college football game, but I'll be honest, this game doesn't get me that excited. But it should still be fun!

We're gonna win Twins,
We're gonna score.
We're gonna win Twins,
Watch that baseball soar.

No. 34 has been grounded. No more leaping catches off the hefty bag, no more World Series heroics. No more soaring home runs.

Kirby Puckett died today, and a piece of my childhood did too.

He was a fallen man, undoubtedly, but a hero none the less.

Sure there was the career ending glaucoma and the sordid tales of abuse and infidelity.

But Kirby Puckett smiles at me tonight. Two of his baseball cards sit here on my desk. Kirby, and the Cardinals' Ozzie Smith are maybe the two greatest icons of my youth. I was fortunate to see both play.

As I head to St. Louis this week, I'll definitely remember that 1987 World Series between the two. Not to mention the '91 series between the Twins and Braves, arguably the greatest ever played. And the catalyst for those teams was the undeniably likeable, cherubic ball player.

Crank out a homerun,
Shout a Hip Hooray!
Here's for *the* Minnesota Twin today!