Let's get right into things as I spend my Friday staying updated on Purdue/Minnesota baseball while preparing to cover Nebraska's baseball game at Penn State. That is a string of words I never thought I would type.
1. Talk about a kick in the groin.
was brutal for a lot of reasons — namely, getting walked off by the last-place team in the Big Ten in a game NU had control of, with a chance to control its own destiny for the league title.
But, the Huskers are still alive for their first championship. Bear with me:
Nebraska must win the next two against the Nittany Lions, today and tomorrow. That presents the most direct path to a championship, with the least amount of help needed.
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The Huskers must also have Purdue beat Minnesota in one of their two Friday games. The teams finished up Thursday night's game early Friday afternoon after a power outage stopped the game Thursday night in the seventh inning. Purdue won that game 5-2.
Minnesota needs to root for good weather. The Gophers must play all three games of their series to have a shot at the Big Ten title. That's why a doubleheader was scheduled for Friday: bad weather is expected in the Minneapolis area Saturday. That means the teams will play at least 20 innings of baseball Friday, weather permitting.
If Minnesota and Purdue somehow only get one game in, and Minnesota wins that game, Nebraska can win the league with two wins over Penn State. The Huskers would finish with a record of 16-7-1 for a winning percentage of .687, just .006 ahead of Minnesota (.681 with a 15-7 record).
One other thing to keep in mind: Maryland, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana are still alive for at least a share of the title. But, those teams need much more help than the Huskers and Gophers. It's essentially a two-horse race that could get crazy depending on Friday's results.
2. This came across my Twitter feed today, and it's still unbelievable. Kerry Wood threw one of the greatest games ever pitched: a 20-strikeout, 1-hitter in just his fifth Major League start, on May 5, 1998. He was only 20 years old. Injuries, of course, derailed Woods' career. But in my lifetime, I don't know if anyone has had a better day on the mound.
One Filthy Moment: 110 seconds of the day Kerry Wood was the nastiest pitcher of All Time.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja)
3. Chris Cornell's apparent suicide is another sad chapter in the tragic book of great grunge rockers who rose to fame in the 1990's only to have their lives cut short. Cornell's voice was a beautiful instrument, ranging from low growls to piercing screams, and he was always in complete control of that instrument. Cornell was also a tremendous songwriter, someone who had stood the test of time from the late 1980s through his death late Wednesday night in Detroit.
Unfortunately, now, he is just the latest in a long string of ultra-talented frontmen to die young, joining the likes of Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain, Andrew Wood and Scott Weiland.
I don't profess to be any kind of music aficionado, but the music of bands such as Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam is what I grew up on. For me, Cornell was at the top of the heap in an era of rockers that changed music and how we listen to it.
So here are a couple of my favorite tracks. One from Cornell's Soundgarden days and another from Audioslave. Here's to a monumental talent gone too soon.
4. With state track this weekend, here's a look back at maybe the best high school track performance ever: Jim Ryun's 3:58.3 mile at the Kansas State track meet in 1965. To this day, it remains the only sub-4-minute mile in high school only competition. You can watch a video of the run at the link in the tweet below. I think it's fascinating, even with no sound.
in 1965, Jim Ryun’s 3:58.3 Mile @ Kansas State Meet, 1st sub-4 @ HS-only competition & State meet (still)
— Bring Back the Mile (@themile)
5. Your golf shot of the week: Patrick Reed makes a 3 where most of us would make a 7:
A rough tee shot
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
an incredible recovery
a magnificent birdie
It was a rollercoaster with on No. 6
6. , including a really good discussion of Chris Cornell, and how our lives are more and more being consumed by social media. One of our best efforts, I think. Give it a listen. We've somehow made it to 20 episodes without being asked to stop.