A little whine with your corn

■ More important than the Huskers (and less whiney):
NCAA set to add week to schedule (Rivals.com):

The NCAA Board of Directors voted Thursday to extend the regular season to 14 weeks by adding a week to the beginning of the season starting in 2010.

Opponents of the measure asked the board to add the extra week at the end of the schedule. The NCAA, however, said that wasn’t possible.

“We wanted to add the week on the front end of the schedule because that’s what our programs are familiar with from the earlier days,” NCAA Division I Vice President David Berst said. “If we had moved the week to the back end of the season, that would’ve made too much of an impact on our championship schedule.”

■ And also more important than the Huskers:
Missouri catcher Coleman out with injury (Columbia Misosurian):

Missouri catcher Trevor Coleman suffered an injury to his throwing hand that required surgery Thursday.

According to Missouri baseball spokesman Josh Murray, Coleman will be available for limited duty such as pinch running. If the Tigers make the NCAA Tournament, it is possible that Coleman could return to action then.

■ And now, about those miserable Huskers:
Anderson says system led to Husker collapse (Grand Island Independent):

Nebraska baseball coach Mike Anderson attributes his own “honesty and integrity” for a month-long skid that leaves the Huskers on track for their worst season in more than a decade.

“People just look and say, ‘They’re not good this year,” Anderson said. “The reality is, there’s a reason.”The Huskers (18-21-1, 4-14 Big 12) have lost 10 straight conference games and 15 of 19 overall as they open a three-game series Friday at Kansas (27-14, 8-7). According to Anderson, NU reached this place after his refusal to “oversign” recruits last year when the program was hit hard for a second straight season by the professional draft.
. . .
“There’s nobody in the Big 12 who’s endured what we have in the last two years in terms of the draft,” Anderson said. “Nobody. Not even close.”Anderson, by recruiting more players than he had scholarships available, could have covered himself in case of an exodus to professional baseball. It’s a common practice, he said.

■ Despite losses, Huskers still have bounce (HuskerExtra.com):

Anderson called a team meeting before Tuesday’s game. He spelled out exactly what the Huskers need to do to sneak into the Big 12 Tournament. It actually was a light-hearted session, Bird said. For instance, Anderson handed out photos of himself as a 10-year-old.

“Probably because he looked funny,” Bird said.

One other thing about the meeting: Anderson, who forever cultivates a clean-cutimage, gave his players an incentive.

“He said as long as we keep winning, we can grow our beards out,” Bird said.

You know what they say about desperate times.