Hello, my friends,
Sorry I haven't been with you in some time, it's been what, almost a year? But in 2014, I'm going to look to get back into this blog a bit more. So it is that I come to you from a freezing, yes a freezing, Gulf Shores, Alabama. That is unbelievable in and of itself and I will touch on that in this fairly brief blog post. There will be more blog posts coming about this past year in general including some experiences I had at Reliant Stadium of all places. But for now, here are ten things I learned over the last year or so:
1. I will never, EVER, EVER badmouth someone from the South again for not being able to handle cold weather, especially for people from the South who do not know how to handle icy roads. I come from the Midwest so I saw ice and snow a lot during my youth and saw it again during college. But this ice storm that has hit the deep Southeastern U.S., well...it exposes just how inexperienced people down here are at these driving conditions. You have to feel for them honestly and you can't say anything too bad because they just don't know how to handle it. I apologize if I have ever offended any Southerner for not being able to handle icy road weather. It's tough, it really is. When this region gets even a bit of ice, everything shuts down and you can't honestly blame them.
2. There are good people in this world, very good people in fact and especially some of those within the Texans organization. My thanks to Amy Palcic and those associated with the Houston Texans and Lone Star Sports and Entertainment for giving me the opportunity to write about some events at Reliant Stadium (and not just Texans games). I will touch on that in a future blog post.
3. Officiating in football and basketball is atrocious, especially college basketball. I watched a Michigan State-Iowa basketball game recently where a team shot 40-something free throws (Iowa I think it was). That should never happen.
4. The Huskers are still mediocre as ever. Never mind the win over UGA, they still struggled to win nine games with a schedule that called for 11 wins minimum. But they lost three home games and the Iowa game especially was a huge black eye for Husker football.
5. I am not Gary Kubiak's biggest supporter, but appreciate the time he took to thank the Houston fans in a Chronicle full page ad after the Texans removed him as coach.
6. Make no mistake, the 1971 Game of the Century is still the greatest college football game ever played. Yes it was way better than that Texas/USC national title game. However, I am willing to consider the 2013 Iron Bowl in the conversation. It was a classic game with a classic ending.
7. I do not like Texas (or Texas A&M for that matter) but I think if the hotheaded Texas boosters stay out of Charlie Strong's way he will make them a winner again. He is a tough coach who will ruffle feathers but that is exactly what Texas needed. Texas did not need a yes-man for a coach, they need a tough hombre who will instill discipline and make them a winning program again.
8. Speaking of winners, Gus Malzahn capturing the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award (irony of the day right there, a third Auburn coach winning the Bryant award) does not even begin to tell the story of what he did in ONE year at Auburn. Alabama fans better get used to losing some games to Malzahn. Auburn is for real. I also think Saban panicked by bringing aboard the lightning rod Lane Kiffin to run his offense. That is the first time I've seen Saban panic since he got to Bama.
9. My guess is that Goodell (Roger Goodell for those who don't know) will never again hold a Super Bowl in a place like New York. That whole week is more than just a football game.
10. Seattle wins the game Sunday. 34-20 I think. I am for Denver because I am tired of hearing about how great Seattle fans are but I think Marshawn Lynch and their defense win the game.
Until next time....
Erich
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Windy Weather and Woeful Basketball Refs
Just a brief blog update, as the hectic events of last night warrant a post here.
First of all, my goodness the weather has been wreaking havoc in many different ways. In places like Amarillo and Wichita, they got more snow than they could count.
And here in Houston, we got wind. Lots and lots of wind.
So much wind that the power got blown out for two hours last night and we were in total darkness from about 8:30 to 10:30. I am truly surprised it only took them two hours to get the power back on. I figured that as bad as the wind was howling it could be an all-nighter. The wind gusts had to have been about 40 miles per hour.
It knocked the power out long enough to where I didn't see the end of the KU/ISU basketball game live on TV. But oh I saw how it ended after the power came back on. Absolutely the Cyclones should never have let it come down to the last few minutes to where they could get hung out to dry by the men in stripes. But come on, the refereeing at the end of the game was so much in favor of KU it's ridiculous.
It's one thing to screw Missouri out of a conference title in basketball in their last year in the Big 12, which the men in stripes also successfully did last year. But come on this is Iowa State, with a likable coach and likable fans.
So Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria says he didn't renege on any promises to the Marlins. Yeah, sure you didn't Jeffrey.
Tom Brady gets a three year extension from the Patriots until 2017. At the rate he's going, that's probably about right - he probably does have about five good years and maybe another ring or two left in him.
More again soon. Until next time....
First of all, my goodness the weather has been wreaking havoc in many different ways. In places like Amarillo and Wichita, they got more snow than they could count.
And here in Houston, we got wind. Lots and lots of wind.
So much wind that the power got blown out for two hours last night and we were in total darkness from about 8:30 to 10:30. I am truly surprised it only took them two hours to get the power back on. I figured that as bad as the wind was howling it could be an all-nighter. The wind gusts had to have been about 40 miles per hour.
It knocked the power out long enough to where I didn't see the end of the KU/ISU basketball game live on TV. But oh I saw how it ended after the power came back on. Absolutely the Cyclones should never have let it come down to the last few minutes to where they could get hung out to dry by the men in stripes. But come on, the refereeing at the end of the game was so much in favor of KU it's ridiculous.
It's one thing to screw Missouri out of a conference title in basketball in their last year in the Big 12, which the men in stripes also successfully did last year. But come on this is Iowa State, with a likable coach and likable fans.
So Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria says he didn't renege on any promises to the Marlins. Yeah, sure you didn't Jeffrey.
Tom Brady gets a three year extension from the Patriots until 2017. At the rate he's going, that's probably about right - he probably does have about five good years and maybe another ring or two left in him.
More again soon. Until next time....
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Long Overdue Update - February 24, 2013
For all those who have read this blog, it's been a long time. Been doing some stuff and have meant to update but just haven't gotten around to it. Seeing as I haven't updated in quite some time, a little house cleaning is in order. I'll get to sports in just a moment.
First off, went to Gulf Shores, AL for my annual trip about a week ago and spent about four days there. Man has it ever been wet down there but it was still a really good time even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate. All the places we ate at were solid, including the places we ate at on the way there and on the way back.
DeSoto's, the first place we ate at in Gulf Shores had really good coconut shrimp and a nice sauce. The Hangout, which is my personal favorite place to eat there, we did on Monday night and as usual it was rocking. They had some music there that night and we even had the Beer Barrel Polka not long after we walked in the door.
Wednesday night we had Red's, a nice seafood joint and we actually closed up the place. It was Ash Wednesday that day so we saved our big meal for late and were not disappointed. We had a lot of peel and eat shrimp though, more than I could handle and next time I'm going to split an order I think.
The places we ate at on the way there were great too. Prejean's in Lafayette, LA was awesome. Three words: Crawfish Boudin Balls. Those alone are worth going back for. And Louie and the Red Head Lady in Mandeville was a solid stop as well as it usually is.
Now to some house cleaning sports wise. Starting with football, and my disappointing teams. First off, regarding the Texans, you cannot begin to imagine the level of disappointment in the way the season ended. At 11-1, a lot of people in this town thought we had a legitimate look at the Super Bowl.
And then came the end of the season...four losses in the last six games and two drubbings by New England. We got served...no we got a fraudulent bill of goods. My feeling is this team will never go to the big game with those two named Schaub and Kubiak playing key roles on this team.
And then there's the Huskers. Oh, Huskers, how you make my heart hurt. Blowout losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin and a game against Georgia that slipped through our fingers. Sure, we had some nice recruiting but we're still chasing Urban Meyer and Ohio State which is not a comforting feeling.
Regarding the Super Bowl: As a Houston fan I hate the Ravens but Jim Harbaugh can't be complaining to officials about losing that game. Hell the way I see it the game was about to slip away from San Francisco until the power outage. I hope he finally got over it because the better team did win.
On college basketball, I don't think I've ever seen a year where there is this much parity. I can think of about 15 teams off the top of my head that could go the distance. I do think a team from the Big Ten has the inside track to win...any of about four or five teams...because of how difficult the conference is. It's not like last year where Kentucky was miles better than everyone else.
I'll have another blog post soon. Until next time...
First off, went to Gulf Shores, AL for my annual trip about a week ago and spent about four days there. Man has it ever been wet down there but it was still a really good time even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate. All the places we ate at were solid, including the places we ate at on the way there and on the way back.
DeSoto's, the first place we ate at in Gulf Shores had really good coconut shrimp and a nice sauce. The Hangout, which is my personal favorite place to eat there, we did on Monday night and as usual it was rocking. They had some music there that night and we even had the Beer Barrel Polka not long after we walked in the door.
Wednesday night we had Red's, a nice seafood joint and we actually closed up the place. It was Ash Wednesday that day so we saved our big meal for late and were not disappointed. We had a lot of peel and eat shrimp though, more than I could handle and next time I'm going to split an order I think.
The places we ate at on the way there were great too. Prejean's in Lafayette, LA was awesome. Three words: Crawfish Boudin Balls. Those alone are worth going back for. And Louie and the Red Head Lady in Mandeville was a solid stop as well as it usually is.
Now to some house cleaning sports wise. Starting with football, and my disappointing teams. First off, regarding the Texans, you cannot begin to imagine the level of disappointment in the way the season ended. At 11-1, a lot of people in this town thought we had a legitimate look at the Super Bowl.
And then came the end of the season...four losses in the last six games and two drubbings by New England. We got served...no we got a fraudulent bill of goods. My feeling is this team will never go to the big game with those two named Schaub and Kubiak playing key roles on this team.
And then there's the Huskers. Oh, Huskers, how you make my heart hurt. Blowout losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin and a game against Georgia that slipped through our fingers. Sure, we had some nice recruiting but we're still chasing Urban Meyer and Ohio State which is not a comforting feeling.
Regarding the Super Bowl: As a Houston fan I hate the Ravens but Jim Harbaugh can't be complaining to officials about losing that game. Hell the way I see it the game was about to slip away from San Francisco until the power outage. I hope he finally got over it because the better team did win.
On college basketball, I don't think I've ever seen a year where there is this much parity. I can think of about 15 teams off the top of my head that could go the distance. I do think a team from the Big Ten has the inside track to win...any of about four or five teams...because of how difficult the conference is. It's not like last year where Kentucky was miles better than everyone else.
I'll have another blog post soon. Until next time...
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Random Thoughts Dec. 19, 2012
As the year is winding down I hope you and yours are having a very happy holidays. Just some random thoughts for the evening. It's been a while since I've been on so it's time to do some catching up.
First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Newtown, Connecticut as are the prayers of millions of Americans from coast to coast. Every time I hear of a shooting at a school or any place else I have to wonder to myself, what is wrong with people?
Johnny Football deserves the Heisman. It could not have gone to anyone else. Of the other candidates, Klein took himself out of the running with his stinker vs Baylor and if Suh couldn't win it three years ago then Te'o should not have won either.
Josh Hamilton has probably thrown his last bit of goodwill in Texas away by signing with the Rangers archrival. I cannot WAIT till the first week of the season when these teams clash at Rangers Ballpark. The boos will be deafening.
So Roger Goodell has been contemplating eliminating kickoffs. What is this sport going to be in five years, flag football?
The Texans get shellacked in Foxboro against the Patriots then the Patriots get beat by the Niners six days later. It goes to show there is no momentum whatsoever in the National Football League.
I like Texas Tech hiring Kliff Kingsbury. The guy seems to have a swagger about him and can win some games in Lubbock. He is very inexperienced though.
Last Saturday was a tremendous college sports day. Butler and Indiana was a classic basketball game that had an NCAA tournament feel. Arizona and Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl was tremendous and Arizona also beat Florida in a great basketball game.
Dallas may have saved their season by beating the Steelers and has put Pittsburgh in peril. As for Dallas, they have to beat New Orleans and then have to beat Washington. New Orleans they should win, Washington on the other hand...
Final thought: Nebraska is not all that good but should play with a chip on its shoulder in the bowl game. Teams always want to play better after getting blown out.
Until next time....
First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Newtown, Connecticut as are the prayers of millions of Americans from coast to coast. Every time I hear of a shooting at a school or any place else I have to wonder to myself, what is wrong with people?
Johnny Football deserves the Heisman. It could not have gone to anyone else. Of the other candidates, Klein took himself out of the running with his stinker vs Baylor and if Suh couldn't win it three years ago then Te'o should not have won either.
Josh Hamilton has probably thrown his last bit of goodwill in Texas away by signing with the Rangers archrival. I cannot WAIT till the first week of the season when these teams clash at Rangers Ballpark. The boos will be deafening.
So Roger Goodell has been contemplating eliminating kickoffs. What is this sport going to be in five years, flag football?
The Texans get shellacked in Foxboro against the Patriots then the Patriots get beat by the Niners six days later. It goes to show there is no momentum whatsoever in the National Football League.
I like Texas Tech hiring Kliff Kingsbury. The guy seems to have a swagger about him and can win some games in Lubbock. He is very inexperienced though.
Last Saturday was a tremendous college sports day. Butler and Indiana was a classic basketball game that had an NCAA tournament feel. Arizona and Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl was tremendous and Arizona also beat Florida in a great basketball game.
Dallas may have saved their season by beating the Steelers and has put Pittsburgh in peril. As for Dallas, they have to beat New Orleans and then have to beat Washington. New Orleans they should win, Washington on the other hand...
Final thought: Nebraska is not all that good but should play with a chip on its shoulder in the bowl game. Teams always want to play better after getting blown out.
Until next time....
Monday, December 3, 2012
Big 10 Championship Post Mortem: Where Do We Go From Here?
Saturday night was supposed to be the night. That was supposed to be IT.
The night all the demons were erased, all the trials and tribulations of winning no conference title in 13 years for the Nebraska football program...all of it was supposed to go away Saturday night.
Talk about a fanbase that was lied to. We were served an enormous batch of fools gold, again.
First thing's first - I have to give Wisconsin credit. They came out well prepared and they executed well all game long.
That said, that was one of the most disheartening performances, from the star players all the way down to the water boy, that I've seen from a Nebraska football team in my lifetime.
The thing is, the reason we got Bo Pelini is because we hoped that the 60 and 70 point games that we suffered under the Bill Callahan regime would stop.
We were sold fools gold. Again.
Because here we are in year five and take a look. 63 points given up to Ohio State and 70 points given up to Wisconsin, when the lights were the brightest.
I'm not telling Nebraska fans anything they don't already know, but these are the kinds of losses that kill a program, that drive away fan interest. It's one thing to lose a close game and generally most of the time when Osborne would lose, those teams wouldn't get humiliated. They might lose, but they wouldn't be totally embarrassed.
The fact is, five of the seven losses Nebraska found a way to lose in embarrassing fashion. That cannot happen at any school, much less Nebraska.
So the question I pose again is: Where do we go from here?
My theory is this: Bo should not be fired. He found a way to win 10 games again, as miraculous as that sounds that is the truth. However, this program has glaring flaws everywhere. There need to be changes in the staff and they need to happen immediately.
The first thing Eichorst needs to do when he gets in that AD chair on Jan. 1, 2013 is he needs to tell Bo that there needs to be massive changes on his coaching staff. I think at least three or four coaches need their walking papers for one thing.
I do not envy Eichorst. He has a massive task ahead of him.
Until next time...
The night all the demons were erased, all the trials and tribulations of winning no conference title in 13 years for the Nebraska football program...all of it was supposed to go away Saturday night.
Talk about a fanbase that was lied to. We were served an enormous batch of fools gold, again.
First thing's first - I have to give Wisconsin credit. They came out well prepared and they executed well all game long.
That said, that was one of the most disheartening performances, from the star players all the way down to the water boy, that I've seen from a Nebraska football team in my lifetime.
The thing is, the reason we got Bo Pelini is because we hoped that the 60 and 70 point games that we suffered under the Bill Callahan regime would stop.
We were sold fools gold. Again.
Because here we are in year five and take a look. 63 points given up to Ohio State and 70 points given up to Wisconsin, when the lights were the brightest.
I'm not telling Nebraska fans anything they don't already know, but these are the kinds of losses that kill a program, that drive away fan interest. It's one thing to lose a close game and generally most of the time when Osborne would lose, those teams wouldn't get humiliated. They might lose, but they wouldn't be totally embarrassed.
The fact is, five of the seven losses Nebraska found a way to lose in embarrassing fashion. That cannot happen at any school, much less Nebraska.
So the question I pose again is: Where do we go from here?
My theory is this: Bo should not be fired. He found a way to win 10 games again, as miraculous as that sounds that is the truth. However, this program has glaring flaws everywhere. There need to be changes in the staff and they need to happen immediately.
The first thing Eichorst needs to do when he gets in that AD chair on Jan. 1, 2013 is he needs to tell Bo that there needs to be massive changes on his coaching staff. I think at least three or four coaches need their walking papers for one thing.
I do not envy Eichorst. He has a massive task ahead of him.
Until next time...
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Football and 8th Grade Basketball
Just a few thoughts on this Thursday before Thanksgiving:
As far as the Huskers go, it was nice for the team to finally have a blowout game as the team has played close games for two months straight. It was only Minnesota but it was nice to see that blowout nonetheless.
As far as this week goes, I am still concerned about Iowa somewhat, in the sense that Iowa could make Nebraska their bowl game. Iowa won't be going to a bowl game so this will be their bowl game and they are going to empty out their playbook
It's going to be awfully tough for me to watch the title game if it's Notre Dame vs. the Southeast Conference like what might happen. It will be just as tough to watch if it's another all SEC matchup.
Regarding some of Saturday's games, I don't think Klein of Kansas State has fully recovered from his concussion. Either he's got one of those or he's got another injury. Also, KSU looked like Nebraska against the 80s Miami Hurricanes...a step too slow.
Regarding Oregon they've got much less to be ashamed about - Stanford is a really good team. Oregon will be right back in the hunt if they win out and certain other things happen.
It took a while for my heart to stop pounding from the Texans game. The team definitely showed heart coming back from 14 down against a game Jacksonville team. I hope the team can maintain the intensity at Detroit.
I went to watch an 8th grade basketball game last night in Iowa where I am, which turned out to be much more fun to watch than the Monday Night Football game. Got to see a family member of mine play. Her girls 8th grade team is really fun to watch.
Until next time....
As far as the Huskers go, it was nice for the team to finally have a blowout game as the team has played close games for two months straight. It was only Minnesota but it was nice to see that blowout nonetheless.
As far as this week goes, I am still concerned about Iowa somewhat, in the sense that Iowa could make Nebraska their bowl game. Iowa won't be going to a bowl game so this will be their bowl game and they are going to empty out their playbook
It's going to be awfully tough for me to watch the title game if it's Notre Dame vs. the Southeast Conference like what might happen. It will be just as tough to watch if it's another all SEC matchup.
Regarding some of Saturday's games, I don't think Klein of Kansas State has fully recovered from his concussion. Either he's got one of those or he's got another injury. Also, KSU looked like Nebraska against the 80s Miami Hurricanes...a step too slow.
Regarding Oregon they've got much less to be ashamed about - Stanford is a really good team. Oregon will be right back in the hunt if they win out and certain other things happen.
It took a while for my heart to stop pounding from the Texans game. The team definitely showed heart coming back from 14 down against a game Jacksonville team. I hope the team can maintain the intensity at Detroit.
I went to watch an 8th grade basketball game last night in Iowa where I am, which turned out to be much more fun to watch than the Monday Night Football game. Got to see a family member of mine play. Her girls 8th grade team is really fun to watch.
Until next time....
Monday, November 12, 2012
Texas A&M's upset of Alabama
Just want to say a couple of things from the college football weekend. It's mainly regarding Texas A&M's upset win at Alabama, which I consider to be Texas A&M's greatest football victory in the modern era of college football. They beat Kansas State in the 1998 Big 12 conference championship game but really didn't do anything with that win. That said, here are a couple of things that come to mind.
First off, the SEC is not equipped to defend guys who can pass and run. We've seen that to be true the last several years. Think about Cam Newton, who won the national title with Auburn two years ago and look at where Auburn is now (it also didn't help Auburn that their current defensive coordinator is at Penn State now). Think about Tim Tebow who won a national title with Florida back in 2008. Even Chris Leak won a national title with Florida. And Texas had Alabama on the run a few years back in the national title game, but when Colt McCoy got hurt that was the end of it.
Texas A&M with the way they are built now is going to force SEC teams to adjust their game plans. It's no secret the SEC has trouble with high octane, up tempo offenses that some of these teams run. Teams are going to either have to adjust and get players in quicker or they are going to have to recruit better offensive players.
That said, Manziel is unreal. He can probably book his trip to New York now for the Heisman ceremony.
With regards to other college football action, the Huskers better stop giving me heart attacks or I won't live till I'm 50 years old. In all my life I've never seen the Nebraska football team come from behind this much.
Kansas State had its flattest offensive performance of the year while Oregon rolled over Cal. At this point, it is my hope that these two teams will play for the national title.
Until next time....
First off, the SEC is not equipped to defend guys who can pass and run. We've seen that to be true the last several years. Think about Cam Newton, who won the national title with Auburn two years ago and look at where Auburn is now (it also didn't help Auburn that their current defensive coordinator is at Penn State now). Think about Tim Tebow who won a national title with Florida back in 2008. Even Chris Leak won a national title with Florida. And Texas had Alabama on the run a few years back in the national title game, but when Colt McCoy got hurt that was the end of it.
Texas A&M with the way they are built now is going to force SEC teams to adjust their game plans. It's no secret the SEC has trouble with high octane, up tempo offenses that some of these teams run. Teams are going to either have to adjust and get players in quicker or they are going to have to recruit better offensive players.
That said, Manziel is unreal. He can probably book his trip to New York now for the Heisman ceremony.
With regards to other college football action, the Huskers better stop giving me heart attacks or I won't live till I'm 50 years old. In all my life I've never seen the Nebraska football team come from behind this much.
Kansas State had its flattest offensive performance of the year while Oregon rolled over Cal. At this point, it is my hope that these two teams will play for the national title.
Until next time....
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