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Home - Sports
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Splish Splash - |
Olympic Swimming Trials Hit The Big O
by Adam Froemming
As the eyes of the swimming world look to Omaha this week, a pair of local products look to make a splash on the national stage.
Former Husker All-American and Big 12 Champion Lauren Bailey, and junior-to-be Mariah Hutchinson, are vying for spots on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Beijing.
“I’m extremely proud of both of these young women,” Nebraska Coach Pablo Morales said.
“This is something that they’ve both worked so hard for over the years, and for them to be able to compete in Nebraska is just icing on the cake,” he said. “We’ve got such a great tradition of Olympic swimmers here at Nebraska; it’s great to see Mariah and Lauren trying to carry on that tradition.” |
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The Jump - |
It was raining in Omaha on Tuesday morning, but Martie Cordaro was still smiling.
“We’re playing good baseball right now,” the Omaha Royals General Manager said as the team was in the midst of a 16-game road swing.
“We’re going to end this road trip with a winning record, which is great. It’s the longest trip of the season in minor league baseball, but the guys are handling it really well,” he said.
It’s well-known that the O-Royals become nomads each June while the College World Series roosts in their home stadium. Along with the team being forced out for over three weeks, the staff has to scramble as the NCAA also utilizes the office areas of the stadium.
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Husking at Home - |
NU plays host for NCAA tourney
by Adam Froemming
After skidding to a 1-5 finish over their final six games, all on the road, the Nebraska baseball team hopes for a little home cooking this weekend as they host the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Hawks Field.
NU is making their ninth appearance over the past 10 years in the field of 64, and is one of 16 regional hosts. Should the Huskers make it through the field in Lincoln, which includes 2007 College World Series participant UC-Irvine, Oral Roberts and Eastern Illinois, they’d face the winner of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, regional.
“I’m thrilled,” NU coach Mike Anderson said. “We’ve had regionals here before, but for this group of young men, I’m thrilled. I’m so happy for them to get the chance to play at home. We felt good about it coming back from Oklahoma City. We felt like we had put together enough of a season to do that. It wasn’t a gimmee. We earned it.” |
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The Jump - |
I had a chance to check out the latest temporary exhibit at the Durham Western Heritage Museum last weekend, Baseball in Omaha. While the exhibit barely makes mention of our Omaha Royals and takes just a brief glimpse at the College World Series, it definitely hits a stand-up double.
Not surprisingly, the focus of the exhibit is the past … the Omaha Dodgers and Cardinals as well as the importance of the game in this city during the early part of the 20th century.
There are plenty of interesting particulars that you’d likely need should you find yourself playing Trivial Pursuit: Omaha Edition. Did you know that the first game at Municipal (now Rosenblatt) Stadium was contested on Oct. 17, 1949, and pitted a team of ex-pros, including Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, against a squad of locals led by Johnny Storz? Did you also know our fabled baseball grounds originally had the same dimensions as Chicago’s Wrigley Field and that the lighting grid was patterned after the one installed at Yankee Stadium? |
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Creighton Béisbol - |
CU’s Cafaro took an alternate route from Venezuela
by Adam Froemming
When Alejandro Carrasquel took the mound for the Washington Senators on April 23, 1939, many in attendance likely didn’t know that they were watching history unfold when the right-hander from Caracas, Venezuela, threw his first pitch.
Carrasquel was the first Venezuelan to play major league baseball, setting the stage for legends like Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepcion and Tony Armas. Today, nearly 70 years after Carrasquel paved the way, more than 205 Venezuelans have dotted the rosters of major league teams. Superstars such as Bobby Abreu, Johan Santana, Carlos Zambrano and Miguel Cabrera call the South American country home.
In a few years, the name of Vicente Cafaro might be added to the list. |
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The Jump - |
Former Husker (and Arizona State) quarterback Sam Keller has drawn the attention of blogger Nik Richie over at thedirty.com. In a photo posted Monday morning, Richie commented that Keller “Looks like he is going to be ‘That Guy’ — the guy who sells shoes and talks about old football plays.” The photo shows a shirtless Keller drinking a beer at a beachfront bar with two other shirtless males. This isn’t an isolated appearance; Keller also has been featured on the site at least two other times. On April 23, pictures of Keller (again shirtless) with two semi-nude women in a hotel room popped up, and on March 24, a picture of Keller kissing another unidentified man appeared on the site.
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Link Lack - |
High-tech golf lessons can even fix Gumby’s swing
by Adam Froemming
I used to think that I had a decent golf swing. Teeing up a handful of times each summer, I golf for the camaraderie and relaxation than the sport. I’d proudly boast that no instructor had ever tinkered with my swing, which I thought was pretty solid.
However, I’m not a consistent player. Give me a half-dozen shots and you’re likely to get balls sent in six different directions.
Golf TEC’s website boasts that they’re the premier source for golf improvement in the world, and that in 2007, they taught more than 10 percent of the total golf lessons in the United States. I was sold.
Their Omaha location, a sleek, modern facility tucked between a bank and a Mexican restaurant in a plain strip mall on 114th and Dodge, offers training areas that look like television studios, with golf mats and nets replacing anchor desks and teleprompters.
I quickly realized my swing resembled that of Gumby. My instructor, Jamie Stogdill, had 60 minutes to cure more than a decade of bad habits and poor posture. Through the assistance of a trio of video cameras and all the patience Stogdill could muster, we set out to correct my swing.
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The Jump - |
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The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights might have been foolish if their move to the Quad Cities was based mostly on lagging attendance. The Quad Cities Flames averaged 3,523 over 40 games this season, while the franchise averaged 3,543 during its final stanza in Omaha. Omaha averaged 4,621 over three playoff games last year, fifth in the American Hockey League. The QC Flames didn’t make the Calder Cup Playoffs this season. |
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Spring Surprise - |
Walk-on linebacker earns his face time
by Mike Babcock
Tyler Wortman entered the interview area of the expansive weight room in the Tom and Nancy Osborne Complex and set his Brook Berringer Citizenship Team plaque on a folding chair on his way to the podium. The initial question was predictable. He was asked about the first play of the Nebraska football team’s Spring Game.
Before discussing his answer, some background …
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The Jump - |
Omaha Royals pitcher Jorge De La Rosa accomplished a feat last week that no Omaha hurler had managed in nearly six years; he was honored as the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week.
De La Rosa went 2-0 with a 0.81 earned run average, scattered seven hits over 11 innings while striking out 10 as he picked up a road win at Memphis and a last Sunday’s home win over New Orleans.
He’s the first O-Royals pitcher to earn the PCL accolade since Brett Laxton on July 14, 2002. Former Omaha slugger Craig Brazell is the last hitter to capture POW honors, he earned the award last May 28.
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Appearing Permanent - |
Glenn turning, knocking heads on defense
by Mike Babcock
The last Nebraska football fans saw of Cody Glenn, if they saw him at all, he was standing on the sideline, waiting for an opportunity that never came.
Glenn played as a true freshman. He was the short-yardage back in a four-man I-back committee in 2005. And his future appeared bright.
He scored eight touchdowns as a sophomore, with limited carries, before suffering a foot injury late in the season. He recovered, but never really returned.
Though he maintains he was healthy, he played in only five games last season, including only one of the final six — and then for only one carry.
He watched the final three games from the sideline, a forgotten man. |
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The Jump - |
Omaha Beef Head Coach Steve Warren’s D.R.E.A.M. Foundation hosts a second-annual “Big Weekend” in Omaha and Lincoln this Thursday through Saturday. The weekend will feature a meet-and-greet with former Husker football legends at Farrells Elite Sports Bar, 902 Dodge St., 9 p.m. Thursday night, and a benefit dinner ($50) at InPlay, 1502 Cuming St., from 6-9 p.m. Friday.
The event ends with an autograph session at Lincoln’s Rococo Theatre, 13th and P, 10 a.m. Saturday, before the Red vs. White Spring Game.
Among former players expected at the events: current National Football League stars Ahman Green, Correll Buckhalter, Carlos Polk, Fabian Washington and former Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier.
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Kicking Breast Cancer - |
NU-CU on the pitch
by Adam Froemming
As the Creighton Women’s Soccer team prepares to host Nebraska Saturday, April 19, at Morrison Stadium, there will be more going on than just a game on the pitch.
CU is hosting the third-annual “Kicks For A Cure,” featuring four soccer games on Saturday, as well as a soccer clinic for the Girls and Boys Club and Girls, Inc., and a banquet Friday night.
The event has raised more than $250,000 for Liz’s Legacy, a charity that supports cancer research, education and patient care at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Eppley Cancer Center. |
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The Jump - |
Omaha is hosting another NCAA Championship this week, this time for women’s bowling. Thunder Alley, just off 209th and Dodge, welcomes eight of the top teams in the nation, including top-ranked University of Nebraska.
Joining the Huskers in Omaha are Maryland-Eastern Shore, Arkansas State, Central Missouri, Minnesota State-Mankato, New Jersey City, Sacred Heart and Vanderbilt. Bowling became an NCAA Championship sport five years ago.
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Fan Focus - |
Royals add dollar beers, top pitching prospect in 40th season
by Adam Froemming
As the franchise prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Omaha Royals roster is sprinkled with a solid nucleus of returning veterans and some of Kansas City’s top prospects. The team hopes for some celebrating on the field when the season is over.
Perhaps the biggest name in the group is pitcher Luke Hochevar. The former University of Tennessee star was KC’s top choice in the 2006 Major League Draft, and sported a 4-9 record with a 4.86 earned run average and 138 strikeouts last season, splitting time between Wichita and Omaha before a late-season call-up. He went 0-1 with a 2.13 ERA for the parent club, mainly in relief duty.
Hochevar, Omaha’s opening-night starter on Thursday, is ranked third by Baseball America among KC’s top 30 prospects. |
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The Jump - |
The ‘Nebraska Assassin’ jumps back into the octagon this weekend at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colo. Omaha’s Houston Alexander, 8-2 on his career, is fighting for the first time since he lost to Brazilian Thiago Silva by technical knockout at UFC 78 last November. Fellow American James ‘The Sandman’ Irvin, 13-4-1, will be Alexander’s opponent, matching two players with crafty nicknames in one of six bouts on the main card.
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CU vs. NU - |
What to look for as Jays and Huskers resume their baseball rivalry
by Mike Babcock and Adam Froemming
The Nebraska baseball team is young, certainly.
How young? During pre-season practice, coach Mike Anderson joked that some players were asking about recess. “They’re that young,” he said.
The team was so young and inexperienced that senior pitcher Johnny Dorn expected it to struggle early on. “Hopefully, by the time the Big 12 rolls around, we’re hitting our stride,” he said two weeks before the opener at Stanford.
The Cornhuskers hit their stride, all right. They were riding a 10-game winning streak when they opened conference play at Kansas State. And they extended the streak to 14 before losing the second game of a mid-week series against Arkansas. |
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March Madness Returns - |
Kansas and K-State bring star power to town
by Jason Krivanek and Adam Froemming
The long wait is over. March Madness, the annual rite of spring that captures the collective consciousness of sports fans around the nation, is back in Omaha.
It’s been 31 years since the NCAA Tournament has come to town. Marquette used the Civic Auditorium as a springboard to its only national championship that year. Kansas has high hopes of repeating that feat this time around, as do their legion of fans descending on the city this week.
This time fans will make their way down to the river. They’ll be joined by Vikings, Trojans, Titans and even Runnin’ Rebels. This could be so historic that it could spur the formation of a “Save parking lot C” group because they don’t want to lose the place where they tailgated. This is what the Qwest Center was made for.
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The Jump - |
One Husker basketball team got a ticket to the Big Dance this year. The eighth-seeded NU women (20-11) will travel east to College Park, Md., for a first-round game against Atlantic 10 Champion and ninth-seeded Xavier (24-8) on Sunday, March 23, at 11 a.m.
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New Faces, Same Game - |
Former Husker Steve Warren leads Omaha Beef into 2008 season
by Adam Froemming
It has been seven years of whirlwind for Head Coach Steve Warren of the Omaha Beef.
Drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2000 after an All-Big 12 career at Nebraska, the defensive lineman spent four years in the frozen tundra before trading his snow shovel for sunglasses, and a pair of seasons with San Jose and Arizona of the Arena Football League. Last season, he served as a volunteer defensive coach for the Beef, in addition to starting the DREAM Foundation, a non-profit that helps at-risk youth find role models. |
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