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Tough way to end it all... It was a great ride. It seems like yesterday when it all started... As they say at the end of an artillery fire mission... Rounds complete, end of mission... Out. Or, as an aviator the ATC guys tell us... Frequency change approved, good day.... To all of you... Good day, Sir.

Rachel will be upset I shared this, but I must... What’s happening in this photo???? She reports: Kate was a bit upset regarding how her offense game was going. Rachel told her a story that a NCO told me back in Germany during our second tour there. A farmer’s mule fell in a well and couldn’t get out. The farmer was distraught and didn’t want the mule to suffer. The farmer grabbed a shovel and began throwing dirt on the mule. Every time dirt hit the mule it would... “Shake it off and step up.” Eventually, the mule had shook it off so many times it simply stepped out of the well hole. Lesson: When you’re not doing well... Shake it off and step up. In the picture Rachel is “holding the shovel.” Makes me proud to have such a great teammate.

43 and my wife won't allow me to say what I want to say regarding playing time. However, this game showed what she CONTINUES to be capable of doing. Or, she can watch and cheer for 37 minutes. Apparently, having her cheer is the preferred course of action.

Thanks Red Don... Obviously, I'm biased, but I think you're right. Being a spectator tears her heart out. Mom sheds a tear, and I shake my head and say... damn It's one of those... Lord, I don't know what your plan is... but as of now, I don't like it. In fact, my vote is that currently, the plan sucks.

She doesn't tell me everything, because I get depressed hearing about the constant pain. What I understand: The knees tend to loosen up when she's playing/moving. When she comes out of the game, the knees quickly and significantly stiffen up (causing pain). So when/if she does go back in the game, the knees are very stiff and cause significant pain. I think the pain has caused her to lose a step (speed-wise). The heart is still there. She took a charge in CA. She is a better player than her knees are allowing her to be... I think that if her knees were better she could be helping out at the 4 and the 5. But, they're not... It's unfortunate. I didn't see Rachel's technical foul in CA... I think she said something like... WTF, with respect to (WRT) a foul. One thing I don't understand about these refs... They're so thin skinned WRT criticism. I don't think a player should be able to cuss directly at the ref (i.e. Ref, you're F-ing terrible), but to curse his/her call is completely acceptable, in my world. As a ref, you're in the business of being criticized. Nearly every call you make is going to be disagreed with by half of the fans... In today's PC world, the following is taboo... However, I think women refs are the worst. It seems they have something to prove... They have the... I'm in charge syndrome. Remember the game a few weeks ago (Clemson, I think) with 3 female refs...I told Lisa before the game... "This is going to be terrible." What happened??? Williams got a BS "T," the Nebraska bench got "T-ed," and Clemson got "T=ed." It was just a ref power trip... It was... I'll show you that I'm in charge.

It's bad... For a kid to be 21 and have knee problems that are so bad that she sometimes hobbles around... and no doctor can figure out why they hurt... Her frustration level is at 100%. Additionally, she knows how good a player she could be. It's sad. It's hard for me to watch. Her mom said, as we watched Sunday... "Her knees are hurting... I can tell how she's walking." Many of you all see her struggle. So, we'll see how it goes. I'm not optimistic. She'll gut it out until she can't. Then it will be... Rounds complete, end of mission, out. That will be a sad day. We're not looking forward to that day. Thankfully, Ms. Cain is playing very well. She is a great addition to the team.

#43: 2 points and 2 rebounds (would have taken a charge had the ref not called a foul a half second earlier) in 5 minutes. Not bad production. Miss Cain is very impressive.

Again, I'll state up front... I'm unapologetically biased. Rachel was not in warmups following halftime. I thought she'd play in the "second half..." She thought she'd play. Was she physically able to play? Yes. I stand by my contention... More of her presence on the court would have accounted for fewer Clemson points. How many fewer? Who knows, but they didn't need many. Sports and warfare have parallels. They're not the same, but they have parallels. Leadership is extremely important in both endeavors. Leadership is the most important factor of combat power. Leadership significantly impacts the other six elements of combat power (fires, maneuver...) In sports, leadership doesn't show up in a stat line, but you're a fool if you don't think it matters as much in sports as it does in warfare. Rachel brings that leadership aspect to the court. I spoke with announcer Matt prior to the Creighton game. I was talking to him about how Rachel likes to put her hand on the girl she is guarding. She does it to piss the girl off. The more the opponent swipes Rachel's hand off, the more Rachel puts her hand on... She lives "rent-free" inside the girl's head. Matt said... "They're a different team when she's out there." Yep. After Ms. Whitish missed the game's last shot, and the game ended... I watched, and the first player over to give encouragement to # 3 was #43. It's what leaders do. Knees hurt... yep. I've already said too much, and my view means nothing anyway. So, beat Navy again.

Not sure why Rachel only saw 3 minutes. She had a turnover during that time... Maybe that was why she was a spectator for the remainder of the game. She didn't know. I'm biased... acknowledged. I fully acknowledge that Rachel is not an offensive scoring powerhouse. However, I've watched her play at the Power 5 Conference level enough to know that her defense and her on-court leadership provide both tangible and intangible results. I believe her defense and leadership would have been worth at least 4 points.

11 Minutes

Regarding further treatment... I'm not allowed to comment. However, she/we've done a bunch of stuff. She is going to play. She says she feels better now than she did this time last year. Bottom Line: She'll play until the pain is so excruciating that she just can't take it. Then she'll go a little more.

So sorry to hear/read about the death of Row 6. Regarding Rachel: 1. We talked to Rachel last night. She says practice is going very well for her and the team. She thinks she's doing well in practice... She's humble, so I'll take her at her word. 2. She's very optimistic regarding how good the team can be (with respect to being competitive in the Big 10). She loves her coaches and her teammates. 3. She loved her high school team, and she said that this team gives her that same feel... They care about each other and want to be around each other. The old team chemistry is working. 4. Knees: When she's on the court they don't hurt much. If she sits, they tighten up. Nobody on the planet really knows why her knees hurt. I wish I knew how it is going to turn out. So does she... 5. She can't wait to play. 6. Fall break is this weekend. She'll be at the Chiefs game on Sunday... Section 117, Row 15, Seat 1 or 2. With luck the Chiefs will crush the Steelers. We'll see.

I'm violating my own rule with respect to (WRT) posting. However, this is an unusual circumstance that took us all by surprise. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Blackburn is staying at Nebraska. It's not my place to say what she thinks with respect to (WRT) Miss Shepard's departure. If they care, the press will have to ask her. I'm not sure how her knees really feel. I know she has a burning desire to play.

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Have never met the coach. I think Rachel has only talked, at length, to her once. Rachel was very impressed and as she put it... "I'm excited."