The View From Here March 2, 2003 NU'S BIG DAY After months of gloom, Husker fans had reason to smile on statehood day By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com Editor On my way out to get groceries, I brought a paper towel with me to give the silver frame of my Nebraska license plate holder a quick buff. The salt from our pothole-laden streets has caused the silver sparkle to turn into a murky, salty film. Now it looks shiny new once again. After months of feeling down-in-the-dumps about just about every aspect of Nebraska sports, along came Nebraska’s 136th birthday. March 1, 2003 will go down as a day to remember in Nebraska sports. There were small victories and large ones. Headline grabbers. Husker fan morale boosters. The Nebraska baseball team, ranked number 16 by a national poll won its second straight in the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic in Minneapolis. On Friday, the Huskers defeated nationally ranked Notre Dame 7-1, then on Saturday the Big Red thumped #7 Wake Forest 6-0. In Track & Field, the Nebraska men won the Big 12 championship for the fourth consecutive year. The championships were held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Nebraska women’s track and field team took second place in the conference behind Texas. Both the men and women from Nebraska should be honored for their efforts. Word is the Nebraska softball team is ranked #3 in the new ESPN Poll. A great rating and in the national spotlight already. A small victory too. The Nebraska men’s basketball team won its second straight game. Even though the Huskers are 11-16 (3-11), it felt so nice to get just a bit of a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. The end of the tunnel being next season. Most likely, that Husker Hoops winning feeling will be quickly snuffed out when the Huskers head to Norman on Tuesday to play Oklahoma. Even so, after a 7-7 football season and struggling men’s and women’s basketball seasons, Nebraska fans needed some good news. We got it on March 1. Whether it’s a birthday gift on Nebraska’s day of statehood or just a silly coincidence, it was nice to see that the University of Nebraska is far from falling off the college sports powers list. Feedback