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The N-Sider Blog thanks Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal-Star, Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald and Husker Dan, who writes for HuskerMax, for three "good reads" we recommend for Big Red fans everywhere. Since all three stories come from outside the Huskers.com sphere of influence, we add three more in-house recommendations, giving us a Pick 6 Monday - a perfect split from inside and outside. It's an online blend we hope to see more often this summer. Let's begin with Christopherson's feature on the front page of the Sunday Journal-Star, where Tom Osborne discusses Nebraska's first year in the Big Ten. It's a timely, informative read that covers ample ground, and somehow we just knew what one of the last questions would be: "Do you get tired, or perhaps amused, at the guessing game of when you might leave and who your successor will be?" Nebraska's athletic director answered that question with a Bob Devaney-like quip. "Well, yeah, it's a little bit like being invited to an Irish wake or something, and you're supposed to be the body but you're still walking around," Osborne said. "Sometimes you wonder if people are mad that you're not dead yet because they'd like to celebrate your demise. So it is odd. And I guess it goes with being 75. Obviously, I'm not going to go forever. I'm sensitive to the fact that you can outstay your usefulness, outwear your welcome. To some people, I may already have done so, I don't know. But there are certain things I wanted to get done, so those are things I'd like to see through."
McKeown's Saturday feature focused on Craig Bohl hitting the highs after the low point of his NU career - his firing as Nebraska's defensive coordinator. The football part of this feature was interesting, but so, too, was Osborne's decision to contact Bohl in his pursuit of a new head basketball coach before hiring Tim Miles, who coached at North Dakota State for six years while Bohl was there. Even though Bohl is a celebrity in Fargo after winning a national title and beating both Kansas and Minnesota on the road the past two seasons, Miles offered an intriguing perspective. Miles said Bohl "has such confidence and such vision" that he can't help but say: "I don't know that anybody could have handled that (firing) better than Craig Bohl."
Our third "outside" recommendation is a story about how the annual Salute the Troops needs supporters like you to make this year's annual event as powerful as last year's, which drew more than 500 military men and women and their families to Lincoln. As a thank you for their service to our country, all attendees are underwritten for a weekend that begins on Saturday, Oct. 20, with 1) a morning tour of the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex ; 2) a Tunnel Walk ceremony at Memorial Stadium and 3) a Football Watch Party at the Cornhusker Hotel in downtown Lincoln. The Watch Party will be the Nebraska at Northwestern football game in Evanston. Former Husker football greats will be part of the tour, and all food and beverages are complimentary. On Sunday, Oct. 21, the 10 a.m. awards brunch will feature a special military Color Guard ceremony. The brunch is free, and the event's sponsors will provide 100 rooms at no charge for registrants. "In order for us to continue honoring our military heroes, we really need the help of Husker fans," Husker Dan wrote. "Now is the chance for you to show your support for our troops, veterans and their families. The brave men and women of the Armed Services have given so much to all of us, yet don't ask for much in return. By donating to this, we're telling them that we appreciate all they've done for our country."
As promised, to complement those three outside views, we recommend that Husker fans also read the following three recent N-Sider columns about American Olympian Jordan Burroughs becoming the new face of USA Wrestling; Husker NCAA discus champion Chad Wright setting his sights on London; and how Kansas City keeps its foothold intact with track star Lexie Oak coming to Lincoln fresh off her being named the Kansas City Star 2012 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
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