The Huskers are apparently 7-point favorites to win this week’s game on the road against the Illini, and I’m sure that the Walmart in Beatrice will be deserted for a few hours after 3pm while the game is underway. Judging by the three nail-biting finishes out of the four games played so far, there may well be a rush just before game time as Big Red fans stock up on over-the-counter tranquilizers and other such products to have on hand to calm their nerves as the game heads into the fourth quarter. In other local news, the 4-1 Beatrice Orangemen travel to Omaha tomorrow night to try to extend their winning streak.
But on Saturday my wife and I will watch the Huskers game at another of the many sites around the country where Nebraskan exiles gather to watch their boys do battle on the field. We look forward to meeting more Huskers fans and hearing about their memories of the State and its football team. Another benefit that I have enjoyed from being among fellow Big Red fans is the sheer quantity and diversity of team shirts that I have seen. Here in Dallas, at a Cowboys game you would see no more than about 10 different Cowboys shirts. By contrast, in Lincoln and other places I must have already seen at least 100 different shirts and I’m sure I’ll see more on Saturday. My favorite from last week in Lincoln featured a picture of that famous Cornhusker character on the front, and the words “Talk Herbie to me!” on the back.
However this week’s game also brings up another memory of my wife’s father Tom. From time to time at family gatherings, after dinner I would play the guitar while my brother-in-law and I sang the Eagles song “Lyin’ Eyes” (yes, there was usually beer involved just in case you were wondering). This particular song was a favorite of ours, but the Eagles and their repertoire of songs with their tight 5-part harmonies had somehow escaped my father-in-law’s musical interests which leaned more towards Sinatra and Martin (Dean, not Ricky). As a result, while the pair of we younger ones were torturing those family members not wise enough to leave the room when the guitar came out, Tom always seemed to have a puzzled look on his face.
After having heard our painful rendition several times over the years, one evening he spoke up and asked “Why are you two singing about the Illinois College team?” Now it was our turn to look confused until he asked once more “Who is it that’s trying to hide the Illini?” Now we understood that the puzzlement on his face while listening to our song was caused largely by the fact that he thought we were singing the refrain “You can’t hide your Illini” when we were actually singing “You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes”.
I wouldn’t blame him if there were times when he wished that his daughter would hide my guitar.