Talk » to lyrics written to the old standard Because of You

Picture it: Papillion, Nebraska, August 1994. Mark and Teresa Rolfzen had known each other since high school. Both played basketball, graduated from Nebraska-Kearney, had a young son. Late that month, their golden girls -- Kadie and Amber -- would be born to complete the family.We really didnt read any books about raising twins, but we knew we wanted to go out of our way to treat them as two different individuals, Mark Rolfzen said. Not force them to do things together. But that part worked itself out, because they always wanted to play whatever sport was in season. And they always have gotten along really well, and been each others best friend.Eventually, volleyball became the twins primary passion. Which was just perfect in a state where that sport is wildly popular.Kadie and I have talked about that, Amber said of how meant to be it all seems. It is really cool to think you were born into the Nebraska volleyball spirit.They are seniors at Nebraska now, playing in their second consecutive final four. They helped the Huskers win the national championship last season in Omaha, close to where they grew up in the suburb of Papillion. You cant help but mention to them that their lives could be a Disney movie.They already made one like that, Amber said.Shes referring to Double-Teamed, a 2002 film about basketball-playing twins Heather and Heidi Burge, who went to three final fours while at Virginia in the early 1990s.Oh, they were real? Amber said. I didnt know that.Indeed, Heather and Heidi are as flesh-and-blood as Amber and Kadie, just a couple of decades older. There have been several other twin sisters whove competed at a high level in Division I athletics, including Minnesotas Hannah and Paige Tapp, who also are playing in volleyballs final four for the second year in a row.Part of what makes the Rolfzens particularly compelling, though, is just how thoroughly and completely Nebraska they are; they committed to the Huskers before they were even in high school.Whats it going to be like when we come back in January, and theyre not here? Nebraska coach John Cook said, dreading the spring semester when the Rolfzens -- who graduate this month -- are likely to be playing professionally somewhere far from Lincoln. Its like theyve been part of this program forever.Theyre not gone yet, though. They have at least one match left -- theyll face Texas in Thursdays semifinals in Columbus, Ohio -- and Teresa probably wont eat anything. She typically battles anxiety on game days. She jokes with her friends, You want to know what a diet is for me? Its August to December.But some nerve-induced nausea has been a small price to pay for watching two dreams come true, side-by-side.***Picture it: Grand Island, Nebraska, November 2010. Amber and Kadie lead Papillion-La Vista South High School to the Class A championship in a 41-0 season. Its one of three state titles they would win. As 6-foot-3 teens, they were dominating the prep volleyball court.Practically every kid in the state wants to be a Husker, and Kadie and Amber, at age 16, already had been committed to Nebraska for two years. How easy would it be for their egos to swell? Impossible, as it turns out.Their parents always reminded them to stay grounded: Just do your thing and dont crow about it.But the twins had no desire to show up anybody. They competed in other sports in high school, including basketball and track, did their homework, and got to bed on time. They remain good eggs. After a recent match, Kadie told Amber to call Grandma.Their attitude was, This is what God gave me, and what Im going to work with. And this is how Im going to handle it, Teresa said.It actually took a while for their parents to even believe Kadie and Amber were that good at volleyball. Mark and Teresa were athletes, too. But if you ask which one may have passed on the most ability to their daughters, rather than playfully brag, they stress they never competed at the twins level.Both of us are kind of perplexed about where exactly they got it, Mark said.Which is why the parents were quite surprised when their 14-year-olds returned from a volleyball camp at Nebraska and matter-of-factly mentioned they had scholarships to become Huskers. Surely, Mark and Teresa thought, theyre confused.Quite honestly, their mother and I didnt really believe it, Mark said. I actually had to call Coach Cook the next day to find out what happened, and sure enough he did offer them scholarships.Cook knew, even when they were that young, that he wanted them at Nebraska as much as they knew they wanted to be there. The twins were in total agreement that there was no sense looking around when Nirvana was right up the road and had already opened the gates.That said, Kadie and Amber do not agree on everything; each is very clearly her own person. They banter over what they both call stupid stuff. On those rare occasions when a squabble does happen, whos the first to ease the tension?Both of us, Kadie said. Its like we might argue or whatever, and five minutes later, Ill walk into her room and say, Hey, you want to go to dinner? Shell say, Sure, OK! and its like nothing happened.Of course, theyve rarely been apart, and have shared almost everything, including their SUV. But who is usually in the drivers seat? In perfect twin logic, I usually drive to places, Kadie said, And she usually drives from them. Although sometimes its different.***Picture it: Omaha, Nebraska, December 2015. The Rolfzens had come to the Huskers with the highest of goals. Nebraska was a good team their first two seasons, but fell short of the final four.You go back to 2013, their first year, we were playing Texas here [in the regional final], and they imploded, Cook said. They melted down. Part of that was the expectations they had on them. They were freshmen, and werent able to handle all of it. Their growth since then has been incredible; they worked really hard on it.Nebraska lost again in the elite eight in 2014, this time to BYU. But the next year, the stakes were at their highest: the final four was in Omaha. As 12-year-olds, the Rolfzens had watched the Huskers and one particular hero, Jordan Larson, win the 2006 NCAA title in Omaha. Now was supposed to be their turn.But would the Huskers make it? The twins switched positions at the start of their junior year, with Kadie going to the right side and Amber becoming a middle blocker. The moves benefited both of them -- providing each with a more distinct on-court identity from the other -- and the team.However, in October, the Huskers lost back-to-back matches at home to Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin. Stress built up a little more.Until you walk in their shoes, you dont know how much pressure it was about making it to Omaha, Cook said.Indeed, people would come up to the Rolfzens all the time and say, Hey, I got my tickets to Omaha, as if it were a given that Nebraska would be playing there. But a maturity factor kicked in.Youre going to have people say all these things, Amber said, but it gets to the point where you block out all those expectations. You just focus on the team and what you can do to improve yourself.Those losses to the Gophers and Badgers were Nebraskas last of the season. They got on a victory streak that went all the way through the NCAA final. Amber had 10 kills and four blocks in beating Texas, while Kadie had four kills and 10 digs.They just had so much put on them, but they also wanted that, Cook said. That was what was so cool about going to Omaha and winning it.***Picture it: Lincoln, Nebraska, December 2016. The Rolfzens Husker careers looked over on a Friday afternoon, on their home court, at the hands of an archrival having somewhat of a down season.It couldnt actually end like this, could it?Penn State was up 2-0, and the score tied 22-22 in the third set of their regional semifinal. The music that accompanies the end of time outs/return to action at the Devaney Center is off a random set list, yet it seemed ominously appropriate.The chimes of AC/DCs Hells Bells sounded like a signal that time was up for the Huskers.That led into a riff from Metallicas Enter Sandman. Remember, its a song about nightmares.Thats what this felt like to Nebraska fans: A nightmare in the middle of a day when so many took off from work or school to make sure the arena was packed as usual. Among the red-clad faithful, you saw pinched faces, gritted teeth, hands wringing.But Kadie, Amber, and their Nebraska teammates were in their own world, one theyd been trying to maintain all season. Dont look ahead; dont look back. Stay in the moment, point by point.It was going to get worse before it got better, though.Penn State would win the next two points, making it five in a row, and the Huskers were right at the edge of the cliff, one foot in the air. Down two match points against a team they seemingly couldnt stop.It flashed through Ambers mind: This could be it. But the enormity of that didnt paralyze her. The opposite happened, in fact. Be aggressive, she thought. Dont get timid now.And if the Rolfzens story actually were a movie, this is the part that would really have the critics rolling their eyes.Because Nebraska climbed out of that enormous hole, with Amber getting a kill and a block to save the two match points. The twins combined for 29 kills and eight block assists, with Kadie also getting 18 digs.The next day, playing with the lightness of a new life, the Huskers demolished Washington and earned the programs 13th trip to the final four.Kadie and Amber lingered after the regional final, sitting in the stands near their parents, wearing their Huskers jackets and knit caps. Theyve played the last of their matches on their home court, where theyd gone 63-11, losing just once there as seniors. They were headed to Columbus, and could say goodbye to the Devaney Center with smile... if a bit wistfully.Amber was asked about the semifinal escape. As steely-eyed as she was in the moment, she said, I cant watch the last four points in the third set, even though I know the outcome. I get nervous, and its like a What if? thing goes through your head.Whatever happens at the final four, their story is a smashing success. This week, Kadie was named an AVCA first-team All-American for the second year in a row. Amber made the third team, and was second team last season.There have been -- and will continue to be -- many very good players from Nebraska who daydream of playing for the Huskers, and then actually do it. There have been sisters whove done it, too. The state is a volleyball factory.But twins? Who are this talented, this low-maintenance, and this high-character? Who are, as they put it, each others No. 1 fan? It cant get more special than that.I have a very strong connection with both of them, Cook said. There are challenges to coaching twins, and Ive learned a lot about it from them.Theyre two incredible young women. It feels like when my own daughter graduated from here, like theres going to be this big void. But theres two of them to miss, not just one. Ua Commit Shoes Outlet . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Curry 2 Outlet Store . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.outletunderarmourstore.com/cheap-ua-scorpio-online.html . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Curry 5 Outlet . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Under Armour Shoes Clearance . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Ralph Brancas career was defined by that one high-and-inside fastball.The Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who gave up Bobby Thomsons famed Shot Heard `Round the World still echoing more than six decades later among the most hallowed home runs in baseball history, died Wednesday. He was 90.His son-in-law, former big league manager Bobby Valentine, said Branca died at a nursing home in Rye Brook, New York.Branca was a three-time All-Star and spent 12 seasons in the majors. Brought in from the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning during the deciding Game 3 of the National League pennant playoff on Oct. 3, 1951, he gave up a three-run homer to Thomson that gave the rival New York Giants a stunning 5-4 victory.The one-out line drive into the left field lower deck at the Polo Grounds prompted the frenetic call from announcer Russ Hodges, The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The team and its fans celebrated wildly as Thomson breezed around the bases while Branca, wearing his unlucky No. 13 jersey, trudged off the mound.You know, Branca told The Associated Press in 1990, If you kill somebody, they sentence you to life, you serve 20 years and you get paroled. ... Ive never been paroled.Thomson, who also homered off Branca in Game 1, capped a sensational comeback for the Giants, who trailed the Dodgers by more than a dozen games heading toward mid-August.For the next 50 years, Branca and Thomson often appeared together at card shows, corporate events and baseball functions, re-telling the story of the home run that grew into a sports legend. They always were friendly at the affairs, sometimes even teaming up to sing about the big moment.I was closer to Ralph than to any other Dodger, Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully said in a statement. He carried the cross of the Thomson home run with dignity and grace.It wasnt until many years later that it was revealed that the Giants had a little extra help.Thats when it came to light that the Giants employed a telescope-and-buzzer system that season to steal signs from opposing catchers. With that advantage, Giants hitters got a boost in their swings.And for years, the question remained: Did Thomson know the high-and-inside fastball from Branca was coming?Thomson firmly asserted that, no, he didnt get a sign in advance. A three-time All-Star himself, Thomson stuck to that claim until he died in 2010 at age 86.Branca, however, wasnt so sure about that.In 2001, the Giants sign-stealing operation was detailed in a story in The Wall Street Journal.A few days after that, Branca and Thomson saw each other for the first time at an event in Edison, New Jersey. They talked in private for five minutes, about a secret theyd both known about but never shared.Later, they sspoke about their discussion.ddddddddddddts been a cleansing for both of us, Branca said then. He knew that I knew. Its better this way.To me, it was a forbidden subject, the right-hander said. And I didnt want to demean Bobby or seem like I was a crybaby.Said Thomson: It was like getting something off my chest after all those years. Im not a criminal, although I may have felt like one at first.And then, hours later, Thomson and Branca appeared together in Manhattan at the New York baseball writers dinner. In front of a ballroom full of fans, they took turns singing about the fateful pitch and swing, to lyrics written to the old standard Because of You -- a reprise of the act they performed when the same dinner was held in January 1952.His matchup with Thomson was recounted by Don Delillo in a 1992 Harpers Magazine story Pafko at the Wall, included five years later in the novel Underworld.Yes. It is Branca coming through the dampish glow. Branca who is tall and stalwart but seems to carry his own hill and dale, he has the aura of a man encumbered. The drooping lids, clodhopper feet, the thick ridge across the brow. His face is set behind a somber nose, broad-bridged and looming.One of the last remaining Boys of Summer, Branca was 88-68 with a 3.79 ERA in his big league career. He spent the first 11 years with the Dodgers, then played for Detroit and the Yankees before returning to Brooklyn for a final game in 1956.Branca made his debut as a teen in 1944 and went 21-12 with 15 complete games during Jackie Robinsons first season in 1947. Branca added another win that year at Yankee Stadium in the World Series.Branca to me was a hero, former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda said in a statement. Ralph and I became very close, my family and his family. I always enjoyed being around him. He was a tough one in every way and I really admired him.Branca co-founded the Baseball Assistance Team, which aids members of the baseball family in need of financial, medical or psychological assistance, and served as its president for 17 years. He was a pallbearer at Robinsons funeral in 1972.Ralphs participation in the `Shot Heard `Round the World was eclipsed by the grace and sportsmanship he demonstrated following one of the games signature moments, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. He is better remembered for his dedication to the members of the baseball community. He was an inspiration to so many of us.Branca is survived by wife Ann and daughters Patti and Mary -- the latter the wife of Valentine.A funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye. ' ' '