Tuesday evening, Nebraska added another commitment to it's 2018 recruiting class.
#committed pic.twitter.com/1MAdnHBoQ0
— Barret Pickering (@PickeringBarret) May 3, 2017
Pickering is a place kicker, and not just any old place kicker. According to Kohl's Kicking Camp, an outfit that ranks specialist prospects, Pickering is the #2 rated place kicker in the country for the 2018 class.
Nebraska beat out Vanderbilt for his services, although Texas and Florida also showed interest, per 247Sports.com.
It's a much needed (and very solid) get for Mike Riley, yet I've been blown away by how many fans seem to be upset that Nebraska would dare use a scholarship on a kicker.
Here's the bottom line: while kickers, punters, and long snappers may not be the sexiest positions on the field, watch how quickly everything falls to pieces when they fail to execute consistently.
There might not be anything more frustrating in college football than having a terrible kicker.
A drive stalls at the 20-yard line, fans and coaches are resigned to the fact that they'll have to settle for three, and the kicker can't execute.
Kickoffs out of bounds. Missed extra points. Having to punt from your opponent's 25-yard line. All brutal scenarios, and all things teams without legitimate options at kicker have to deal with.
Perhaps its something bitter Nebraska fans take for granted, given the long run of success the Huskers have had at the position.
It's also worth noting that the two other 5-star scholarship kickers, per Kohl's, are committed to SEC schools.
Hate on offering scholarships to kickers all you want, but if you happen to be a fan that enjoys winning, you might want to slow your roll.
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This whole nonsense with Manny Machado and the Boston Red Sox needs to stop.
Look, Machado is a magnet for this kind of stuff because of the way he plays the game. That's probably never going to change. He is who he is, and this kind of trouble will always find him.
That said, he did make a good point in his Tuesday night profanity-laced post game rant: If you're going to plunk him for the slide on Dustin Pedroia, then just plunk him and get it over with. Enough with the throwing behind him garbage.
It's part of how baseball has always worked: Guy makes play that Team X doesn't like. Team X plunks said player. Benches empty. Bruh-haha ensues. A couple guys get suspended. Game goes on.
We don't need the commissioner's office to get involved to sort out problems like this. Let traditional baseball justice take it's course already.
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Something random I'm into right now (I really need a better title for this...)
I've always been a huge fan of the classic Anchor Steam beer and their Liberty Ale. This is a slight twist on the latter, and boy is it tasty.
I just had it for the first time last week, and it's well worth a try. It's a more modern version of the Liberty Ale, which has been Anchor's traditional IPA. Not too strong, not too bitter, it's just right.
