wordyginters

Is this type of player Neb would never be able to pull in the past? My memory ain't what it used to be, but I can't recall a SR grad transfer who had a big impact for NU on the floor?

Didn't Pavelka tweet some cryptic statement about if only we knew what he knew, or if we could see what he sees or some such whatnot? I wonder if this be that, of mebbe a slice of that.

Bruce Chubick

When I said Go Big Red! I actually meant that I hope we can attract a coach who has a demonstrated ability to recruit, and who has possibly had success in the NCAA tournament. I should have been more explicit.

Blah, blah, blah..I would sum up your post thusly: "I like the boot on my face. You should like it too." If you can't see the harm the extremely wealthy have done to this country, then I can't help you. Go Big Red!

That's cute you guys, your one off anecdotes are heart warming. But I think the only way out is to EAT THE RICH. I can counter your anecdotes with stories of well heeled loons being absolute wankers in social settings that set my teeth on edge. Granted, I've had the misfortune of working in restaurants and retail in college, and as an adult, I spent a decade in the financial service industry. So I haven't seen people at their best. Again, obviously, I'll admit I'm painting with a big brush instead of contributing to the myth of the kind and benevolent rich overlords, but in my experience, the most irrational and demanding customers end up being those with the most money. The fatal flaw is that people who have big bucks think they got there because they are smarter than everyone else, or work harder than everyone else. It's never that simple. Way too easy to overlook the good fortune you've had along the way and think that you are something special. Hell, in this world, if you've got a stable fam situation, 2 parents, and maybe they read to you everyday when you are a kid or make sure you get involved in "enrichment" activities as a kid, you've got a helluva leg up right there. God forbid you have to service investments for some small business dude who made it big and thinks they've got vision and the rest of the world has glasses. Sure. Most folks are decent. Nice even. But in my experience, a noxious attitude towards the great unwashed often lurks beneath the surface. Greed. A lack of humility. A lack of compassion. Hubris. This is what I think of when I think of the 1%. Are there exceptions to the rule? Of course. Your mileage may vary, but I'm basing my opinions on actual real world interactions too. I can't just sit here, on a snow covered Sunday morning, and let people talk about rich people in glowing terms. A bridge too far.

Superior was a little too far south from my stomping grounds for me to be very familiar with, tho I recognize those names. Edwards a FB player/discus thrower/shot put guy? Placke more the the basketball guy? I think we upset you guys in FB back in 82 or 83 playoffs. Then went on to finals and got murdered by Mt Michael. I played against Vlach, he was All-State caliber guy. Double OT at their little bandbox gym, they got us, like they got most teams back in the day. Prob the most intense game I ever experienced, fans right on top of you, tense game, loud as hell. A lot of fun. Contrast that to getting run out of the gym by Fairbury at State. But what the hell, it was an experience playing at Devaney back in those days. That was literally a hundred years ago. Assuming you are from Superior?

Played against Zabel in HS - - a man amongst boys. They had another guy who has also tough, Claus? Klaus? Clouse? If I recall, Fairbury got jobbed a little bit in the state tourney, late semi final game, and then turned around and had to play Killer Kane and that rugged 1-3-1 early on Sat morn vs Mt Michael for the title. Hartington CC was also excellent around that time.

I can kinda sorta see what you are saying, but I still think comparing players to employees at a company is a skewed comparison. I typically identify with the individual and the worker instead of the bossman or the company. But in this case, my main point is that the players aren't employees, they are the product. The game doesn't exist without players. Apple, and the iphone, an ipads, etc. still exist without 75k a year employees. They can be replaced. You tell college athletes to take it or leave it, and they leave it, there isn't a game anymore. Maybe 25 or 30 years ago, the idea of collegiate sports, and student athletes, and scholarships in return for playing was more realistic, more equitable. The value of an education was more in line with the big picture. For me, now that college basketball is such a huge money making endeavor, players not getting paid is completely unfair. If things don't change, someday, there is going to be a strike or a no-show from teams at a Final Four, and then things will change quick. I don't understand why we should expect college athletes to be treated like free labor.

It's literally a billion dollar industry, and the players, who are the reason for all of the money, get very, very, little. They shouldn't have to "make it" in the NBA. They are making it right now, in the NCAA. And they don't get paid for it . . . they may receive a small stipend, but realistically, scholarship, room, board, meals, etc... is in no way fair compensation when you are talking about a billion dollar industry. Why should these talented kids not expect a share of the money made off their backs? In what other situation do we expect workers, or entertainers, or those who have a skill that is worth billions of dollars, to not get paid at all? And why would we expect the players to have to adhere to these kind of sacrifices? Who does that benefit?

CBS/Turner literally pays a billion dollars a year for the NCAA tourney alone. Louisville hoops made close to 45 million last year. I don't know what the most equitable way is to set up a potential pay to play version of the NCAA would look like, but it certainly would seem like plenty of money in the pot w/out getting into need for increased taxes. I'm no expert, but I do know enough to realize there are tons of misconceptions about college athletic financials. Athletic Depts are non-profit entities. They aren't created to generate a profit. They exist to offer opportunities to a wide variety of student athletes. It's kind of like the Federal Debt. Most folks think of it like a household budget, when in reality, it's much more complex. Plus, you see a lot of half-baked alarmist "only 20 schools make money" type of articles out there, that aren't completely factual. Imagine that. If you dig a little, a lot more nuance reveals itself. Same thing with Pub Education. The Post Office. And health care costs, fwiw. But I digress. Many schools need "direct institutional support" to balance the books, this doesn't necessarily mean that Ath Depts are insolvent. Plus, that institutional support is often in the form of out of state tuition waivers, Title IX waivers, or lottery money. Being a big MLB fan as well, I know full well the data available on MLB profits is highly suspect. I would imagine the college data is somewhat similar. If an Ath Dept is flush with cash, I assume that would make the fundraising efforts that much more difficult. To me, I see these players as absolutely getting the raw end of the stick. Despite the glee I have at seeing Creighton getting caught with dirt on their hands(I've never seen so many tanned and well-dressed fans with sweaters draped around their shoulders at PBA in my life), I don't have any moral outrage at any of these parents/players for figuring out a way to monetize their talent at the collegiate level.

I def agree with your first premise. Although a scholarship is valuable, it is in no way adequate compensation. NYT article from 2016 says CBS Sports and Turner are paying about a billion a year for rights to tourney thru 2032. That is just for the big dance. On top of that, you have a lot of ticket sales, concessions, product sponsor deals, certain benefits and promotional value to UNL, and other multipliers that would be hard to pin down with a great deal of accuracy, but again, I think most agree that room, board, meals, free kicks, access to training staff, facilities, etc... is not just compensation. Players don't get paid a thin dime in cash. Allegedly. Regarding your analogy, I'm assuming your company pays you to work? The main thing tho is that James Palmer is the product. He isn't a worker bee or staff or a manager cranking out sales or widgets. The team/players are the product. Without players, CBS and Turner aren't paying for anything. In your analogy, the company or the product is something you work to produce or promote or whatever. I doubt if TV or radio or people buy tickets to see you work? What if that were the case? If people paid to see you work? Paid to see you perform? If your company made money off of your abilities and performance? If TV stations could sell advertisers time during your work day, because they know millions of people will tune in to watch you work? Not to see what you make or sell, but to watch you perform? Would you still believe that the company's money isn't your money? In the NCAA, the team and the players are the product. And they get zero pay. The fact that college athletes get jobbed out of even a crumb of that billion dollar pie is outrageous. Ultimately, I disagree pretty strongly with your analogy.

Myron Medcalf at ESPN, puts Neb at 9th in his pre-season B10 power rankings. Woof. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24933783/big-ten-preseason-power-rankings

Makes me miss Glendon Rusch and Jimmy Gobble.

Nicole Cousins? I thought I heard Edwards was dating someone out there, speculation that the break up of the relationship was related to him leaving. Coulda been local medias biggest power couple since Ken Siemeck and Deb Collins. Or Ken Hambleton and Ryley Jane. Or Colby Mach and an EIB fleshlight.

Interesting angle. Makes a ton of sense. I would have loved to have seen it too. I can't imagine the shit she's already put up with. Pop's stamp of approval carries a lot of weight. I wonder how long until she gets a job? Huge barrier to break. As far as I'm personally concerned, NBA does a better job of speaking to political issues than most major sports. But still, all sports are twisted masculine fantasies in one way or the other. Hard enough for female broadcasters to break through, let alone a HC. I don't doubt her qualifications.

Just belatedly jumping in to say ME TOO. Bucks fan. I'm old enough to remember having to get thru Bird Celtics and Dr J Sixers in the east. Sometimes they'd get by one, but never both. Good teams back then tho. What do you think of Bud as HC? I like it. He did good things with some no names in ATL.

No doubt. He's the kind of coach who can beat you with his team, and if he coached the opposing team, he'd beat you with them too. He hasn't got a title yet, but what he's done in Boston, with average to good rosters, at his age, with only NCAA exp, is remarkable. The NBA has changed A LOT in the past decade. Old school fans who haven't kept abreast of the revolution likely have no idea what they are seeing. The disconnect between new/old ways of analyzing and understanding the game among some of the people broadcasting basketball is painfully obvious. Same thing happened in MLB. I recall Joe Morgan being about as out of touch as Shaq and Barkley. Although, today, most of the major network MLB coverage has gotten much better. Same thing will happen in NBA, but it definitely takes time.

I hope you are right. It's been a looooong time since we've had talent like those two. Sounds like you've got some connects or insight? What's the scoop? If you've got any additional insights, I'd love to hear them.

What's your take? Are both of these guys coming back? And to kill three birds with one mis-crossed post, any insight on Teddy or Wingett ending up in Lincoln?

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I was told that for the right dollar amount, ANYONE is available. Plus, we've got nice facilities. #MEADOWLARK #GBR #HEHASRISEN

Who used to coach the Globetrotters? They always had an incredible record, and boy, were they creative. Whoever coached that team knew what they were doing. They were ready for anything, and they used to have the best out-of-bounds plays. Efficient as hell on both ends of the court. Great adjustments. Took care of the ball. In a sense. What is Meadowlark Lemon doing these days? Sign him up.

I'm always confused and amused when fans look at the NCAA and players in D1 sports, and somehow see the NCAA as the victim. Or the primary concern. It's like rooting for the Yankees. How about less emphasis on the bottom line for the NCAA, and allowing the players to get a share of the profit generated off their labor? Who cares how the NCAA competes with NBA and NFL and Rough Trade Records? I don't buy that line of reasoning to begin with. A scholarship, in 2018, is in no way, shape, or form appropriate compensation for a D1 NCAA basketball player. CBS is paying 8.8 BILLION for the rights to the NCAA Tourney. I think a rational place to start would be 8.8 Billion on one side of the scale, and whatever number you want to dream up for the value of a scholarship, room and board, and whatnot on the other. Considering player compensation has to be viewed in those terms. So, the slow-mo emergency of the apparent pay to play scandal doesn't bother me that much. Other than it being against the rules, I have a begrudging admiration for the players who are able to monetize their skills within the NCAA system. Pretending it's some big moral outrage takes several blind eyes to the reality of the way the NCAA "amatuer" sports system is run, how much money it generates for damn near everyone but the players, and outdated social notions about the sporting life at the ol' alma mater .

AMEN. Royko and Ivins were both excellent. Serious dearth of quality on all ends of the spectrum. David Brooks. George Will. Friedman. Maureen Dowd. Gail Collins. Thomas Sowell. Cal Thomas. Could easily roll out a dozen more clowns who, in all seriousness, provide a serious disservice to our democracy. How in the hell do any of these people have a job writing columns anymore? Maybe at some point in their careers they had some relevance, but now, hard to take any of them seriously.