Welcome to the big time, Andre Ward…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Wasn’t sure if he was ready. Nothing I had seen in his previous 20 fights led me to believe it was possible.
But once again, what do I know? An outstanding display of ‘power boxing’ by Andre Ward has given him the first world title of his career.
Ward battered super middleweight Mikkel Kessler with lefts, rights (and a few heads) en route to an 11th-round technical decision Saturday night in the final fight of the first stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
For the record, I had Ward up 9 rounds to 2 at the time of the stoppage.
Ward won this fight early with his determination. In the first round, he was boxing from the outside, and it looked like it would be another fight where the European champion was going to stalk the American challenger.
But something changed as Ward decided he needed to earn Kessler’s respect. He fought on the inside and Kessler just wasn’t expecting it.
Ward held a little and led with the head a little, but Kessler had every opportunity to stop that from happening had he decided he wanted to fight on the inside.
On this night, he decided not to.
Ward was electric in his first title fight. Great rhythm, going in and out. I was diggin’ the jab to the body the most. It really stopped Kessler’s rhythm.
I was waiting for Kessler to get going, but he never really did. He was in slow motion for the first six, seven rounds. It wasn’t until he got cut up did it really feel like he realized he was in a fight.
On an accidental butt in the eighth round, Ward busted up Kessler. On a bull rush in the 10th, he cut the other eye. The writing was on the wall.
Kessler blamed the butts and the holding. I’ll give him that for the heat of the moment. But I’m not backing down on the fact that had he decided Ward couldn’t just bull rush him and hold, it would have been a different fight.
If Kessler would have stood his ground, Ward would have had to change up his plan of attack. But Kessler was more than cooperative in deciding he didn’t want to fight inside.
As is, give Ward a huge amount of credit for the way he fought. It was dang near close to being a perfect fight. The cuts were really bad for Kessler, so he may need a little more time before moving on.
So after the first stage, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Ward are your leaders. The second stage features Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler, Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell and Ward vs. Jermain Taylor. All fights will happen sometime in 2010.
Happy Birthday, Jamie Lee Curtis
Nov. 22, 2009 — Jamie Lee Curtis,
who played Hannah Miller on “Anything But Love” (1989-92), turns 51 today.
She played Lt. Barbara Duran on “Operation Petticoat” (1977-78).
Her first acting role was as Girl in Dressing Room in a 1977 episode of “Quincy M.E.” She was 19.
Best wishes to Jamie Lee and everybody who shares this special day with her (including The Oklahoman’s Assistant Features Editor Renee Lawrence).
–Penny TV
Pictured above: Jamie Lee Curtis arrives at the Children Affected by Aids Foundation’s 16th Annual Dream Halloween in the Barker Hangar Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Alaric Lambert)
More from the NFL Q&A: Jacob Lacey
Jacob Lacey is making quite a splash in the NFL. Undrafted last spring, the former Oklahoma State cornerback has started the last two games for the Indianapolis Colts. He even had seven tackles a week ago against New England.
He still keeps a close eye, though, on his alma mater.
Jenni Carlson: Bedlam’s coming up, so who you got?
Jacob Lacey: That ain’t even a question. I’m rolling with the ‘Boys all the way.
JC: I figured as much. What do you think about your alma mater and how its playing this season?
JL: I think they’re doing good. I feel like Dez (Bryant) got screwed, but I talked to him about that. He said he wasn’t going to let it bother him, try to move forward. But I think they’re doing well.
JC: Several weeks into the season, you got your first career start in the NFL. What was that like?
JL: It was a little nerve wracking. You get kind of nervous. But after the first couple plays, like any game, you get settled down, you get comfortable, and I was just playing from then on out.
JC: Do you feel like you’ve settled in as an NFL rookie?
JL: Things definitely start to smooth out once you get in and get a feel for the system, you get in and get a feel for the games. How we prepare each week. How you handle different situations. It’s a learning process, so once you go through that for a couple weeks and see how things go, you kind of fall into your own routine.
JC: I’ve got to ask about your interception return for a touchdown against St. Louis. You had some fun celebrating it. Was that planned or impromptu?
JL: I had it planned out, what I was doing. I knew I was going to fly in the air.
JC: You didn’t get to repeat that last weekend against New England, but you still had seven tackles. What was it like to be in the middle of that rivalry?
JL: It was similar to being in the OSU-OU game. There’s a lot of emotions. It’s a big-time rivalry, big stage. You’ve just got to make sure you go out there and prepare so you can perform well.
JC: Had to be pretty satisfying for your defense to get that big fourth-down stop at the end of the game.
JL: That was great. They took a chance, and we stepped up.
OSU looks like Cotton Bowl at worst; OU looks like Sun Bowl at best
The Big 12’s bowl lineup still is two weeks shy of being set, but we know a lot more now after Week 12. Best guess: Oklahoma State can do no worse than the Cotton Bowl, and Oklahoma can do no better than the Sun Bowl. Here’s why:
If OSU wins Bedlam, most agree the Fiesta Bowl will select the Cowboys, who figure to be ranked about 11th in the BCS come Sunday afternoon. It’s possible OSU could get bypassed for Boise State but not likely. Two other scenarios that could knock OSU, even at 10-2, out of the Fiesta. If Texas A&M upsets Texas on Thanksgiving night, the Longhorns probably would miss the national title game and instead would go to the Fiesta itself, provided it beats Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. Or if the Huskers upset Texas in that title game, Nebraska would go to the Fiesta Bowl.
Should the Cowboys get bypassed, or should they lose to OU, the Cotton Bowl almost surely will call. Nebraska is the other chief Cotton contender. The Huskers are 8-3 and Saturday night cinched a berth in the Big 12 title game. But if Nebraska loses to Texas in Arlington, the Huskers would be 9-4, a slightly worse record than OSU’s 9-3 or 10-2, plus the Huskers and their legions of fans will have just been to a Dallas trip (the Big 12 title game).
On top of that, Ole Miss’ victory over LSU on Saturday probably puts LSU in the Cotton Bowl. An OSU-LSU game, Mike Gundy vs. Les Miles, is too rich to pass up. So it looks like the Fiesta or the Cotton for OSU.
Meanwhile, OU’s 41-13 loss to Texas Tech means the Sooners likely will fall below the Alamo Bowl, even with a Bedlam victory. Tech can finish 8-4 with a victory over Baylor next weekend in Arlington, and the Alamo Bowl likely would take the Red Raiders over a 7-5 Oklahoma team.
If Nebraska wins the Big 12, that could lift the Sooners back into Alamo contention, but no other path seems to available for OU to make it to San Antonio.
That means the Sun Bowl or Insight Bowl is the likely spot for OU. If the Sooners win Bedlam, the Sun Bowl would have a pick between 7-5 Oklahoma or Missouri, which is 7-4 going into a game against Kansas this Saturday. If the Sooners lose Bedlam, the Sun probably would jump on Mizzou, leaving the Insight to take OU.
The Insight is doomed to get a mediocre Big Ten team, with little name recognition. Michigan State or Minnesota. The Insight will need a big name from the Big 12, even a 6-6 OU.
Recapturing the moment when the world was amazing
Let scenes like this spark your imagination.
Try to think of those things that fired up your imagination when you were young. What did it for you?
I asked my wife this question. Music always moved her, be it classical or otherwise. And she loved those old Kung Fu movies she watched with her dad.
For me, it was a little different. What kicked my mind into overdrive was the house where I grew up. Or more to the point, that home’s back yard.
This place was awesome. A line of poplars hedged in the back fenceline. On either side, thick hedges. Large trees dotted what was otherwise an average-sized suburban yard. Birds and squirrels partied down here. With so many years gone by, my memories of that yard built up an almost Rivendell-like image straight out of a Tolkien novel.
My parents later bought a simple, inexpensive A-frame cabin in the Front Range of the Rockies not far from Bailey, Colo. Again, natural beauty abounded. We went exploring one day, tromping around the woods, and I can remember walking up to a faintly sunlit grove of pine and aspen that contained nearly every hue of green imaginable. If I found that spot today, I’d half expect the entire animated cast of “Bambi” to emerge.
Memories like these still affect me today. It’s one of the reasons I head outdoors so much. When I’m lucky, I get to immerse myself in some pretty amazing natural environments. But even those quick hour-long lunchtime workouts outside rejuvenate me, even if the elements aren’t the best.
I’m not going to go all preachy now, but it seems like many of us have lost that childlike wonder of the world around us. Plenty of folks love nature shows, so why not go outside and really see nature?
I remember having a conversation with a co-worker about where our lives had gone and where we were going. I bemoaned the fact that I wasted so much of my 20s. My wake-up call occurred at age 27, hiking with a church youth group up Elk Mountain in the Wichitas. I’d become so conditioned to the couch and the office chair that my body just couldn’t handle the rigors of what should have been an easy hike to Elk’s summit and a leisurely scramble down the boulders on the other side.
Several years later, I went on a summer vacation with my lovely bride in Red River, N.M. One morning, I looked at the ski mountain and decided I needed to hike to its summit. It took me awhile, but I got there and decided next year, a bigger prize was needed. So I set my sights on Wheeler Peak — the first of (so far) 10 4,000-meter ascents in what has become a growing obsession of mine.
So many sights up Wheeler’s East Fork Trail harkened back to childhood memories of other natural settings. I’ve enjoyed every hike and climb I’ve done (except Mount Yale, but that’s another story), but I doubt any of them have moved me as much as that 2003 slog up Wheeler. It resonated in ways that are hard to describe. People glibly talk about “going to church in God’s creation,” but I can tell you that there were times on that trip when my thoughts and emotions were heavily spiritual.
There’s a lot of things that try to pull us down and make us lose touch with the natural world. Careers, family obligations, man-made entertainment, or whatever. I’ve been there. And to be loosed from that, even for brief interlude, is liberating. Healing. Wondrously fun. Like those times when you were young, and the whole world was amazing.
Bob Doucette
bdoucette@opubco.com
Rosholt taps out to Grove…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Coming off his best victory in his young career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship back in August, former Oklahoma State wrestler Jake Rosholt couldn’t follow up on it.
Rosholt tapped out to a triangle choke in round one against Kendall Grove at UFC 106 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Rosholt scored a takedown and was able to get into the mount position, but Grove maneuvered his way out of trouble. Not too long after, Grove was in control and forced the submission with 1:01 left in the first round.
With the loss, Rosholt is now 6-2 in his Mixed Martial Arts career and 1-2 in the UFC.
***
This loss hurts as Rosholt was really gaining some momentum after his win vs. Chris Leben. Now it’s back to the drawing board.
He should get another shot, but the road just became that much tougher for the former OSU star. Friend and Team Takdedown member Johny Hendricks fights at UFC 107 in Memphis.
***
Getting ready for a bevy of goodies right now. We have UFC 106 in 35 minutes with Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin as well as Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler in the Super Six super middleweight boxing classic on Showtime. Fun time to be a fight fan. Back later tonight or early Sunday.
The Boneman Curse…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I thought it was a myth, an urban legend. No, it’s real, my friends. If you want to win, don’t have me cover your playoff game right now.
With the zone strategy, we’ve basically been picking teams from our zones to cover for the playoffs and that’s led to bad news for Edmond and private school clubs when they see me in the parking lot.
I’ve driven a long ways in back-to-back weeks to basically write “team wrapup” stories.
First was Edmond North and the 90-mile trek to Lawton where the Wolverines wore down the Huskies in the second half of a 34-16 win.
But Friday takes the cake. Making my first trip to Sallisaw and driving 180 miles (or six hours roundtrip) to see Bishop McGuinness get off to a bad start and Sallisaw earn a huge 20-14 victory.
Who’s next on my hit list: Heritage Hall. Yep, I’m making the 140-mile trip to Pawhuska on Friday for that one. Beware, Charger fans, the Boneman is coming.
Lawton winning wasn’t a shock. Sallisaw fought for that one and definitely deserved it even though I LOCKed the Irish last week. But I tell ya, starting to wonder if this curse thing is legit. And for those wondering, headed to Douglass and Weatherford on Saturday at Yukon.
The Boneman Curse…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I thought it was a myth, an urban legend. No, it’s real, my friends. If you want to win, don’t have me cover your playoff game right now.
With the zone strategy, we’ve basically been picking teams from our zones to cover for the playoffs and that’s led to bad news for Edmond and private school clubs when they see me in the parking lot.
I’ve driven a long ways in back-to-back weeks to basically write “team wrapup” stories.
First was Edmond North and the 90-mile trek to Lawton where the Wolverines wore down the Huskies in the second half of a 34-16 win.
But Friday takes the cake. Making my first trip to Sallisaw and driving 180 miles (or six hours roundtrip) to see Bishop McGuinness get off to a bad start and Sallisaw earn a huge 20-14 victory.
Who’s next on my hit list: Heritage Hall. Yep, I’m making the 140-mile trip to Pawhuska on Friday for that one. Beware, Charger fans, the Boneman is coming.
Lawton winning wasn’t a shock. Sallisaw fought for that one and definitely deserved it even though I LOCKed the Irish last week. But I tell ya, starting to wonder if this curse thing is legit. And for those wondering, headed to Douglass and Weatherford on Saturday at Yukon.
Video: Carl Albert pulls off win over Tulsa Kelley
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
I was able to get some video of the overtime periods last night at Tulsa Kelley, including J.T. Realmuto’s TD run to end it. The first two plays are the scores in the first overtime and the final one, obviously, is the game winner.
Like you’ll hear Realmuto say in the video, the play call there (on third and goal from the 1) was the same play that the Titans ran against Shawnee on a fourth down that they wound up being stopped on.
SMQ: Irish vs. Sallisaw…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
From talking to Matt Oberste following the game, the Collinsville last-second victory was almost as instrumental in beating Bishop McGuinness as anything else.
Sallisaw was battle-tested in a tough district and Oberste was hungry. Well, the whole team was hungry, but especially Oberste because of his late-season injury.
Sallisaw 20, Bishop McGuinness 14 – Final
The Black Diamonds got off to a fantastic start. Jeremy Davenport didn’t end up with that many yards, but he did find the end zone twice.
As much as I was impressed with Oberste (and I was), nobody impressed me more than Trey Wiley. Oberste is so good because he can just throw it up to Wiley, and Wiley will make a play.
Wiley had seven receptions for 102 yards and set the single-season school record in the process for yards in a single season. Wiley has the height (6-3), but he’s not very big (listed at 175). I tend to not care about that at all. If you pass the Boneman’s eye test, that’s good enough for me.
It was basically Wiley on one side against LaRone Richardson on the other. Wow. A huge game by the Irish junior RB. He was dominant. I had seen him against Weatherford where the Eagles just keyed in on him the entire game, so it was good to see just what Richardson is all about.
After looking like a track meet, it really settled down into a defensive struggle. The Irish made great second-half adjustments after being down 20-7. Sallisaw never gave Camden Tharp any time at all during the game to find an open receiver.
The big run by Oberste clinched the game or else we might have have seen another dramatic finish like last year’s battle.
Sallisaw takes on Star Spencer on Saturday at Sapulpa. Fellow chum Ryan Aber will be there.
Here’s a link to Saturday’s story on the game.
It was a weird season for McGuinness. In the early part, I was thinking it was going to be a 7-3, 6-4 season. But after stellar showings in all the top games, viewed them as favorites.
Injuries definitely hurt this team. The defense is going to take a big hit, but the offense should be even more explosive this next season.
The Irish finish 9-3 with a one-point loss at Bishop Kelley and Weatherford to go with the six-point loss Friday night.
Coach Kenny Young got the most out of his talent this season and this may have been his best coaching job yet. The talent wasn’t supposed to be there, but the Irish made it work.
