Two of my favorite movies are Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men.
I can relate to both movies.
If I had to choose which of the grumps I most resemble, it would be Jack Lemmon’s John Gustafson.
Gustafson, who marries Ann Margaret’s Ariel Traux, is a mostly happy man. However, a major retail change occurs near his favorite fishing spot, when a bait shop is replaced by a fancy Italian restaurant.
John Gustafson hates change.
Kevin Horn, a happily married man of 32 years, is grumpy over University of Nebraska sports’ slow evolvement from pleasing the Baby Boomers to catering to the Millennials and Generation Z.
The changes?
Cashless purchases at Memorial Stadium and other sports venues.
So much for asking Santa for tens and twenties this Christmas.
The boom, boom, boom, music played at an ear drum breaking level on loudspeakers at all venues.
I wanna hear the band!
No more printed media guides. They now must be viewed on the internet.
The discontinuation of the printed guides really ruffles my aging feathers. I have collected every football guide since 1963 and every men’s basketball guide since 1966. I also have obtained several guides possessing every detail imaginable of women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball.
I’m praying that printed game programs are not scheduled for the chopping block.
I also despise football’s alternate jerseys.
The Big Red’s colors are scarlet and cream. Period.
When NU hosts USC on November 1, the Huskers will don all black uniforms.
Go Big Black?!?!?
Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!
Hey, I didn’t get a harrumph out of that guy.
“Give the grumpy old Cornhusker a harrumph!”
Harrumph!
You watch your Big Red bottom!
Nebraska last donned all black uniforms in 2020, a 41-23 loss to Illinois. Prior to that it was during a 30-28 loss to Northwestern in 2015.
NU wore black jerseys and white pants in a 41-21 loss to UCLA in 2013 and again in 2019 when NU was beaten by Indiana, 38-31.
As one NU fan shared on facebook, “It’s like wearing black at your own funeral.”
Now, on to another grumpy subject.
Apart from a bowl game or Thanksgiving weekend, I am not a fan of college football games being played on any day except Saturday.
So, while I am calmly enthused that NU starts another season this Thursday, I’d be overwrought with excitement if it were on a Saturday.
Preferably, a Saturday in September!
Yeah, grumpy old Cornhuskers are not high on football games played in August.
We also don’t need to have every game on television.
Big Red grumps are fine with radio.
On that note, all the best to new NU football play by play announcer Kyle Crooks.
Also, good luck to KCOW’s Jacob Schrantz, who will announce his first Alliance Bulldog football game this Friday night at Gordon.
Here’s hoping that Kyle and Jacob be cemented in their jobs until they, too, are Grumpy Old Cornhuskers!