Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said he was “gobsmacked” by the blowback from the Big Ten’s decision to postpone the fall Football season.

I have two quick thoughts about that statement. First, the Presidents and Chancellors who were surprised by the reaction obviously run in different social circles than most of us. Or to say it differently, they must have had their heads in the sand.

Second, it made me think about myself and the people I run around. I have friends with various backgrounds — different ages, political persuasions, economic situations, educational background and work in different industries.

You have things is common with some that you don’t have with others. However, around here when the subject of Nebraska Football pops up there is a unified feeling. It is a part of our identity.

For some it may be a small part and for others it may make up a larger portion of their identity than it should.

Personally, about ten years ago my identity was probably 75-95% political. The remaining part was then split up into faith, family, my dog, my job, LeBron James and Nebraska football. I mean...I had a fricken eight foot political banner in my front yard in Omaha.

In the years since I have definitely changed the makeup of my identity. Politics is still a part of it, but it might be down to 5%. My Catholic faith and my family takes up nearly 85% of my identity. Since joining Corn Nation, Nebraska football has taken up a larger piece of the pie even though we have been terrible since I showed up.

The point is that for us, Nebraska football fans, when you have Nebraska football as a part of your identity and then it is somewhat taken away, then there should be no surprise when there is “blowback.”

That doesn’t mean the decision was wrong. However, to think you would be considered heroes for making that decision is somewhat baffling.

SPORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS!

NBA bubble: Reflecting after two-month stay in Orlando - Sports Illustrated
Goodbye, Bubble.

Goodbye, Orlando, Lake Buena Vista or wherever you officially were. After two months, 62 COVID-19 tests and a lifetime's worth of hand sanitizer, I’m going home. Farewell to my lizard friends on the stairwell, the mosquitos that swarm by the thousands and the monsoons that seem to spring from the sky. So long 7 a.m. alarms and midnight bus rides, the sprints to catch the end of one practice and the hustling to make the ride to the next. My watch has ended.

Shea: How I bought a $2.5 million Mickey Mantle card with just $25 – The Athletic ($)
Apart from a few singles kept on my desk out of nostalgia — Bernie Kosar, Kenny Stabler and Boog Powell — my sports card collection is primarily a heap of worthless 1990-92 football cards wilting in my parents’ Florida garage.

One exception is the $2.5 million 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle card that I now own.

Giants, Athletics play baseball under orange skies due to wildfires - Sports Illustrated
The Giants picked a hell of a day to sign free-agent first baseman Justin Smoak.

Smoke choked the skies across much of the West Coast on Wednesday as dozens of wildfires burned in three states. Millions of acres of land have burned. Entire towns in Oregon have been destroyed. At least seven people have died.

The Town Defined by Penn State Football Becomes a Void
When Penn State traditionally kicks off its football season — almost always at home on Labor Day weekend — this small town and the surrounding hamlets buzz with life.

Rutgers president on Big Ten’s reboot, Trump’s ‘cheap politics’ and college sports in a pandemic - nj.com
Jonathan Holloway is “gobsmacked” by the blowback the Big Ten has received for its decision to postpone its football season, and if anyone thinks the outrage in some corners of the country is going to change the new Rutgers president’s mind that this was the right decision, well, they’re going to be mighty disappointed.

'22 corner talks Husker offer: 'It's kind of a big thing for me'
James Monds III fashions himself as a ball hawk on the football field, and ball hawks know full well that turnovers can come in bunches. Apparently offers from big-time programs can too.

"It's been crazy just knowing that a couple months ago I had no offers and now I have about 34," Monds was saying Thursday night.

Huskers in the NFL ready for 2020 season
The NFL regular season officially kicks off Thursday night with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans squaring off.

It will be the first time this season that we will see former Huskers on professional fields, as Covid-19 forced the shuttering of preseason games.

Huskers acquire own rapid COVID testing through UNMC partnership | Football | omaha.com
In the earliest days of Nebraska Athletics’ response to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Scott Koepsell was the guy in the parking garage swabbing the noses of student-athletes. University administrative personnel got those initial on-campus coronavirus tests, too, back in the spring, as NU began to implement robust health and safety protocols that prepared the Huskers for a return to competition.

Tom's Time: 'A Little Sorry About the Score' in '93 Opener | Hail Varsity
Two plays into Nebraska’s 1993 season-opener sophomore quarterback Tommie Frazier limped to the east sideline at Memorial Stadium with a sprained right ankle, suffered on the first play.

HuskerOnline - Buckeyes want answers and to get things going
Day released a statement on Thursday expressing his hope to get something going and frustration in the timing of this entire situation.

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

Movies With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Scores | Mental Floss
Many movies are considered “generally good” or “generally bad,” but it’s not often that critics unanimously agree that a film is perfect. Though this type of perfection isn’t easy to measure with precision, Rotten Tomatoes’s “Tomatometer” might be the closest we can get. If all critics score a film at 100 percent, you can reasonably conclude it’s more than just “generally good.”

Why travel should be considered an essential human activity
I’VE BEEN PUTTING my passport to good use lately. I use it as a coaster, and to level wobbly table legs. It makes an excellent cat toy.

Welcome to the pandemic of disappointments. Cancelled trips, or ones never planned, lest they be cancelled. Family reunions, study-years abroad, lazy beach vacations. Poof. Gone. Obliterated by a tiny virus, and the long list of countries where United States passports are not welcome.

He Was Wounded and Angry, Yet Kind and Thoughtful | Hour of Our Death
Even if I know someone who has a lot of health problems, and has been sick for a long time, hid death always takes me by surprise. John D. worked for us for quite a few years. I am guessing about fifteen years. He was one of our main drivers taking people to their doctor appointments, as well as on occasion sitting with monks who were in the emergency room.

The Best Things I Saw On The Internet This Week

Another Week, Another Cover