Sometimes, people should just keep their mouths shut.

Some people might also say I'm one of those people, but until you pry the keyboard from my cold, dead hands, it's probably not going to happen.

In the hours leading up to the Nebraska-Virginia Tech game, I ran across the following from what I thought was going to be a pre-game article entitled "Faded Nebraska Could Be Easy Prey For Hokies."

When I clicked the link to the article (http://hamptonroads.com/2008/09/faded-nebraska-c
ould-be-easy-prey-hokies), this is all I found:

"Cross country: Virginia Tech took a long plane ride to reach tonight's game in Lincoln, Neb., but the Hokies would need to board a time machine and travel back to another decade to face a Cornhusker team that was still worthy of the Nebraska name and reputation. There's no reason Tech shouldn't win this game."

There's a page of random thoughts that have nothing to do with the title, but that's all Bob Molinaro had to say about the game. And in that short paragraph, he managed to both insult my beloved Cornhuskers, and showcase what is wrong with sports fans today.

To the outside world (basically, anywhere but Nebraska), winning a lot of games, and playing in a major bowl game defined our football team for years. What they don't understand, though, is who was winning those games, and how they were won.

Nebraska football teams have traditionally been composed of players recruited from other states for their exceptional talent, and hometown kids who just want the chance to put on a red jersey.

While, obviously, the gifted recruits play a major role in winning football games, it is the hometown guys, the walk-ons, who are the heart and soul of Nebraska football. They give up scholarships to other schools to walk on at NU. Some of them never see a second of playing time their entire college career. They fight tooth and nail every practice to claw their way up the depth chart. Most of them will never put on a uniform again after they graduate college. They motivate their teammates, and make sure they know who and what they're playing for. Not for the praise from sports analysts, but for the pride.

Not to say the in-state guys lack talent, but simple laws of probability say a state with a small population (like Nebraska) isn't going to breed as many college-level football players as a more heavily poulated state (Texas, Florida, California, etc.). I digress.

In Nebraska, sucess isn't defined by the number in the "W" column. It's defined by the way the game was played.

If every player gives everything they have, plays with passion and attitude and is relentless, during games AND in practice, they have earned the "N" on the helmet. They have earned the right to wear the red jersey with pride. You can't ask for more than everything. You just can't. If those players give everything they have, they are winners. It may not be reflected on the score board, but I would rather see my team play with heart and come up a few points short than to see an extremely talented team give 85% and beat their opponent by 30 points.

Fans of the game have become so obsessed with the final score, it seems, that they often forget what really matters.

We need to go back in time?

Fair enough. Nebraska is not the football dynasty they were a decade ago. In the last few years, there has been a lack of passion that can't be blamed entirely on the players. They played for a program led by people who didn't understand that a big heart will trump a big playbook every time. They were more interested in transforming the family atmosphere fostered over the last 40 years into a bright and shiny NFL recruit factory than they were in inspiring young men to play with passion. Players who fought the system saw playing time cut, and the entire program suffered because of big egos.

To say, though, that the current players don't deserve to call themselves Cornhuskers because they don't win as much as the teams in the 1990's reflects more on the individual making the accusation than the players themselves. Maybe you need to get your priorities straight, Bob.

Oh, and for the record, maybe you should ask those Hokies if this was an easy win.

Before anyone decides to accuse me of plagiarism, I will give Hillary Clinton credit for inspiring the title of this blog.

Sarcasm aside, I just have to ask, what is wrong with people today? By "people," I'm referring to a few young men (a term being used loosely) in Lincoln, Nebraska, who apparently have no concept of consequences. Because I'm the most offended by his actions, I'm going to start with Andy Christensen.

Now, I get that he's innocent until proven guilty, and being a promising athlete could make him a potential "target" for some manipulative people. That being said, I've been to the Brass Rail, and I know it can be crowded in there. I understand that maneuvering through a crowded bar can cause complete strangers to find themselves in compromising positions, but never in my 4 years as a "legal" adult has a stranger's hand "accidentally" found its way up my skirt.

If Mr. Christensen is indeed found guilty, I'd just like to let him know he's a lucky man. If he was groping me in a bar, he wouldn't just need a lawyer. He'd need a surgeon to remove the 4-inch stiletto from his foot.

A side note to all the little boys in bars across the country who just can't keep their hands to themselves: I don't care what she's wearing or how drunk she is. Unless she comes up to you and makes an offer, she's not asking for anything and you need to put your hands in your pockets and go home to your bottle of Jergens.

Besides our friend, Andy, there are a 4 other guys asking for trouble. Word to the wise: if you're a college football player with a real shot at the NFL, and you're already on probation for #### you pulled last summer, KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN. This means, don't have loud parties. Keep the booze to a minimum. Oh, and if you can't stick to the first two, don't drink with minors, you idiots.

I know this will delight all of the Nebraska-haters out there, but I KNOW there isn't a whole lot else to do. I've been to my fair share of parties. I've left as the police were arriving. When you're young and in a place where there isn't much else to do after 10 pm, you will probably have that experience at some point in your life.

The thing is, though, that you have a lot more to lose than the average college student. If you're a scolarship athlete, and you get kicked off the team, bye, bye scolarship. Hello, student loans or community college transfer.

Aside from the obvious, immediate consequences (suspensions, tickets, court dates, missed games, etc.), you also have to realize you're a role model. Like it or not, the second you put on that jersey, there are thousands of little boys watching you every Saturday with their dads, hoping someday they can be just like you. They beg their parents to spend ridiculous amounts of money on replica jerseys with your number and they follow your every move. That one arrest has the potential to undermine everything his parents taught him about using his words instead of hitting people or respecting women.

Those little boys aren't the only ones watching you, either. There are scouts everywhere that could make or break your dream of playing in the pros. You now represent your coaches, your team, your University, the entire student body and the population of this state, and your hometown. THOUSANDS of people have to behave exceptionally well to counteract the harm you've done to our reputations.

Come on, guys. Get it together.

**UPDATE**

A couple of readers have pointed out that I was quick to judge, and Mr. Christensen was found not guilty of sexual assault. I am taking this moment to apologize for any judgement passed about THAT aspect of the case. I will point out that he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and resisting arrest, and kicking police officers when they bust you for something doesn't exactly set a good example. That being said, I think you both missed the overall point of the blog.

The point I was trying to make in all of this is that in trying out for the football team, Andy Christensen accepted that he would be in the spotlight, and should have known he would be considered a role-model to young children and fellow students, like it or not. The fact that there was an alleged altercation with 2 bartenders and that he kicked the police vehicle hard enough to leave a dent don't exactly make him look like a model citizen.

Football players are representatives for the school, the team, the state population, etc., and they represent us all for the rest of their lives. Lawrence Phillips will always be known as "Former Nebraska Running Back Lawrence Phillips," no matter how long he has been gone, and despite the fact that not all of his troubles occurred in Lincoln. In recent news, Thunder Collins left the team in 2002, but will forever be known as a former Husker.

Maybe I shouldn't have jumped on Andy for that one issue, but he's still no angel.

The roller-coaster of a season that was 2007 started out with plenty of hope, but the hopes of the Big Red faithful were soon dashed, and we were soon longing for the days when winning 9 games was a tough year, and it was really sad if we finished the season at #4.

Frank Solich really had it rough his few years as our Head Coach. He had to try to fill the shoes of a living legend, and just when it looked like he'd assembled a staff capable to taking NU back to the college football elite, he was fired suddenly.

An embarrasingly long coaching search (overseen by an embarrasingly egotistical Athletic Director) brought us Bill Callahan. I was never a fan of BC's coaching style, but the man was coaching my team, so I figured I'd give him a shot.

It was around that time that Lincoln became a whole new world. The warm, homey feeling of dear old NU gave way to a slick, corporate culture. Press conferences went from a short, sweet "We just gave it our best, and I guess that was good enough today." to 45 minutes of "We're really disappointed about how things turned out today. You win some you lose some, but I can't explain it to you because it's too technical. I still think this entire staff is doing an excellent job in all areas. I will only talk about the players who did well today, because I cannot be held accountable for my inability to motivate the rest of them. The good ones, though, are all products of my infallable system."

The team was losing badly, no one seemed to have a desire to win, and everything seemed to be all about the business, the money, and the egos. The Athletic Department seemed ready to implode.

Then, long story short, Dr. Tom came back to save the day, and he brought back Nebraska's adopted son, Bo Pelini, to lead our Cornhuskers back to the glory days.

I'm not going to bother making my predictions for next season. I think we've all done plenty of predicting.

I want to talk about the atmosphere in Lincoln.

Since Bo came back, there's a feeling. It's indescribable. Watching the football staff interact, you would think they were preparing for a party, not a football season. They're having that much fun.

Don't let the fun fool you, though. These guys want to win. Now. Not in a few years. Not once the "system" is installed. Now.

And they WANT to win. There's no "you win some, you lose some" here.

The thing that impresses me most about Bo Pelini as our head coach is the hands-on method he's already using. Bo was walking around campus before his contract was signed, checking to make sure all of his players were in class. The one who was busted got to go for a 5 mile run at 6:30 a.m. with his new coach. There was no agent present when Coach Pelini signed his contract. After making sure his assistants would all be taken care of, he signed a 5-year, $1.1 million dollar contract. He will be the 8th highest paid coach in the Big XII conference.

I'm a big believer in the idea that actions speak louder than words. In this case, Bo's actions are telling me he wants to be at Nebraska. His assistants want to be here. They're turning down interviews with Nick Saban and the probability of a 150% raise. He wants to earn his pay as a coach. He didn't need a money-grubbing agent to settle the deal. A handshake with Dr. Tom was all it took to seal the deal in November. The rest was just details.

Yes, it feels like that warm, fuzzy feeling is finally coming back to Nebraska.

It's about freakin' time.