For the last 32 years, my brain has been programmed with tradition. In 1980, after the tornadoes ripped Grand Island apart, one of the few things that survived was my Nebrsaka Cornhusker’s cowboy hat… I was 2, so a cowboy hat was acceptable and that has to be a sign of some sorts. In Nebraska, the day after Thanksgiving is not Black Friday, it is the Nebraska versus Colorado game and we are not wearing black. No matter what the polls say, any time Nebraska and Oklahoma take the field together you can bet it is going to be a good game. Iowa State may never seem like much of a threat but in recent years it has been pretty exciting to see if we could still pull off the win while our team was “rebuilding.” The last minute of the 1997 Nebraska and Missouri game pretty much created an instant rivalry in the eye’s of Missouri fans. Missouri wanted their win and their losing streak to Nebraska broken; six years later they finally got that win. Texas… Texas Tech… Kansas… Kansas State… I don’t care what you say, the Big XII was an exciting conference.

Looking past traditions, the move to the Big Ten will likely be beneficial to the University. Hopefully we have better recruiting options and based on the 10 million dollar figure form last year in the Big XII, 20 million sounds pretty good. Well, it did sound good. After Beebe’s attempt to save the Big XII conference included a 17 million dollar figure and more TV time, our move to the Big Ten doesn’t seem so sweet. So… Nebraska was upset because we weren’t getting enough TV time, enough money and deep down we despise Texas. Well, not to be rude, but did everyone just decide to forget what has happened during the last 12 years, because it has not been pretty. Don’t get me wrong, our stats still show we have been one of the strongest football teams throughout the years but the money goes where the action is and there just has not been much action since Osborne retired as head coach. We are not the powerhouse we once were and we need to accept that. That is the reason contracts do not last for ever. Who wants to give all your money and TV slots to an average team? It kind of seems we are expecting a lot more than we deserve right now. It takes time to recover. Everything was finally turning around but we will never get to find out how well things have turned around. Starting in 2011, we’re going to have a new hurdle. We will have a new conference schedule and we will be the new kid on the block.

I am not a sports analyst by any means. I watch for the enjoyment of the game. I do not have time to devote my life to sports and would never want to. My opinion is simply an opinion. When it sounded like the Big XII was breaking up and everyone was going their separate ways, I thought us moving to the Big Ten was alright. Now that the Big XII is moving forward with 10 teams, I feel like our move was made in haste. It is going to be tough to just pretend those Big XII teams do not exist and follow all the Big Ten teams throughout the season. Really, it is unfortunate the politics and money that is involved. It seems we traded away our traditions in favor for our greed… and that is never what Nebraska Football should be about.

After a small bout with winter, fall has finally arrived. The leaves are changing colors and the weather is comfortable again. I was beginning to think we were not even going to have fall this year. With the arrival of fall comes Halloween. A nice thing about having a little one being a part of your life, you get to do fun things that normally you would not do. Last Sunday, Cece and I took Sandy to the Roca Berry Farm’s Pumpkin Patch for an afternoon of fun and hunting for the perfect pumpkins. This was the first time I had ever been to the Roca Berry Farm but Cece and Sandy had been there in past years. There were a lot of activities for the little kids. We walked around the giant Candy Land game and then Sandy wanted to ride the Roca Berry Express. I opted to wander around the pumpkin patch and take some pictures. I tend to take the best pictures when I am not under pressure of other people. I really wish I could photograph people better but it seems the do not ever meet my standards. After the girls were done with their train ride, we wondered over to catch the last pig races of the day. The pig races were pretty humorous actually. How can you not be amused by a bunch of kids yelling “Soo-Ee” until they are red in the face? Then we went through some of the Haunted Barns. Sandy braved the Haunted Castle so she decided she wanted to go through the big Haunted Manor… that did not go quite as well. Even though Sandy decided to make use of an emergency exit at the Haunted Manor, she wanted to go through the kid’s themed Haunted Barn still. Afterward, we hopped on the hayrack ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Carrying around pumpkins for a long time gets tiring but I think we all found some good pumpkins for carving. Although… one of my pumpkins may actually be a squash according to the lady at the cash register. If it is a squash, apparently it is one of the biggest ones she has seen.

Now that summer is officially over, I appreciate not having every weekend on my calendar full for the entire weekend. Even when I do have plans, it is usually only part of the weekend. Next weekend, Cece and I are off to the symphony. That is not 100% accurate actually. Imagine the original Phantom of the Opera (1925) silent film with the Omaha Symphony playing a spooky soundtrack in sync with the movie (event information). Back during my younger days, I took a trip to Minnesota for some band function and I remember we ate at a dinner theater and they performed Phantom of the Opera. I really enjoyed it and have always wanted to have the chance to see something similar again. I realize this will not be exactly the same but I thinking it will be equally entertaining. Additionally, the Holland Center looks to be a pretty amazing venue with a modern touch. There is also a nearby restaurant I have wanted to take Cece to for awhile so I thought I would throw in a little surprise for the evening. Great food, a classic film and wonderful music should make for a perfect evening.

Everything else in life is pretty normal. Work is always busy and there is always something to do at the house. I am still trying to get everything outside prepared for winter. It sounds like we may be having a little Halloween get together so I need to work on a costume. I am really looking forward to making and freezing some big batches of Chili for the winter. Remember that blog post about my horrible racing season? Since then, I have missed one race and finished three laps of the next race. I am really enjoying my racing games on the 360 lately and the wheel stand project has only made it more enjoyable. I also am considering a different venue for my online racing leagues because I just have lost interest and patience for my current league. I really feel iRacing is going to be the next big thing in the online sim racing world and now that they dropped their prices I think it is time for me to give it a try. I still think some of the pricing for the add-on content is too high, but maybe it will be worth it.

Everyone enjoy the decent weather… before it is gone.

Early last week, the Lincoln Journal Star posted an article regarding a new arena for Lincoln and the new proposed taxes that will be used to pay for this arena (additional article). Lincoln has been crying out for a new arena for a long time because the Pershing Center is apparently too old. Honestly, I have no problems with the age of the Pershing Center and I think it is still a good venue. The age of the Pershing Center does show when you compare it to the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. The problem I do have with the Pershing Center is the events they get, or it may be better to say the lack of events. My first question regarding a new arena for Lincoln would be why Lincoln is not getting events at the Pershing Center in comparison to the Mid-America Center. Is the arena too old for bands to want to come to Lincoln or is something else preventing bands from coming to Lincoln? Granted, an arena can be used for much more than concerts but that is primarily what I go to arenas for, so that is what I am focusing on. The last concert I went to at the Pershing Center was Evanescence with Julian-K and Sick Puppies. At the time, Sick Puppies was not even popular enough for the average person to know who they were and Julian-K hadn’t even release a CD yet. I can understand the Pershing Center not selling out for this show but the floor was probably only about 30 people deep, which was just sad. The Evanescence show at the Mid-America Center was close to sold out. If a new arena is just going to be used for UNL sports and our concert scene is still going to be pitiful, I will feel like the University pulled a fast one over on the city and then kicked the taxes payers to the curb. So, what is the real reason for such a pitiful concert scene in Lincoln?

One of the biggest complaints about the new arena is paying the additional taxes. They proposed a 4% tax on hotels and rental cars and a 2% tax on restaurants and bars. I enjoy going out a few times a week, so paying an additional 2% at restaurants and bars is not something I am happy about, but I realize the city needs to pay for the arena somehow. Omaha and Grand Island already have similar taxes to pay for projects to boost entertainment in their cities. These kinds of taxes are not unheard of by any means. The amusing part, some people seem to think they should not have to pay for an arena they never plan to use. Sports, concerts, kid’s events, and “giant liquidation” sales… I am sorry your life is so boring you will never attend anything hosted at an arena. If you never plan to attend anything at the new proposed arena, you should at least look outside of the tiny box you live in. Most people in Lincoln probably do not have to worry much about the additional taxes on hotels and rental cars; unless your spouse kicks you out of the house and takes your car. The tax at restaurants and bars is likely going to hurt the staff more than anything. I assume people will likely cut back on their gratuity to make up the 2% difference. The bigger picture, events draw people to the city and those people spend money. This creates additional revenue from shopping, dining, drinking, and paying our city’s taxes. It is not required to attend an event at the arena to benefit from the addition to the city. Plus, when the city decides to build the “Museum of Boring and Whiney People”, the rest of us will be too busy enjoying the arena to complain about it.

Another compliant revolved around the idea that the people of Lincoln will travel to Omaha but the people of Omaha will not travel to Lincoln. There is probably a lot of truth to that statement, but last I checked Lincoln and Omaha were not the only place where people reside in the state of Nebraska. People will travel to see the events they want to see. I personally have traveled to Kansas City and Denver just to see a specific concert. I think I need to explain something at this point to those that do not keep up with concerts. Bands do multiple tours. Bands are interested in making money. The average person is not going to pay to see the same band, at the same venue, on the same tour, more than one time. In the last three years I can think at least four bands I have seen four times in this area. None of these bands played the same venue more than twice. If they did play a venue twice, it was because one instance was festival they were involved in. It is common for a band to cross the US multiple times and they will hit our area multiple times if we provide them a place to play and an audience to attend. The Qwest Center is a nice venue but it is expensive. I have only been to the Qwest Center twice and I have seen well over 50 shows. Personally, I do not even consider it a viable option for most concerts I am willing to attend. The Qwest Center hosts very big names with fairly expensive ticket prices. If I was a country music fan, the Qwest Center would be about my only option for seeing a show. I realize country music is big in Nebraska, but country music is not the only music people enjoy in Nebraska. So, the proposed arena is going to be competing with the Mid-America Center for the most part, which is not even in Nebraska. Why would we want to keep pushing events across the river?

Lincoln seems to want to keep its “big city with small town charm”, but does that mean we need to prevent all growth? Taxes are required and they are not going away. I would be interested in seeing the projected taxes if we opted to find a different location for the arena. I understand the appeal of the Hay Market but spending $350 million to move the railroad tracks seems like an unneeded expense when so many areas of Lincoln are growing. I assume that area seems like a good place for the city so they can opt to charge for parking versus free parking. I also assume the University wants the arena as close to home as possible. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am sure many people disagree with my opinion. I am just hopefully for a positive outcome and a new arena, especially if it draws better events to Lincoln.