Super Bowl: OU redux & Queen Latifah
Super Bowl thoughts:
* Same stadium. Same end zone. Same general point in the game. Same initial result. Different long-term result. New Orleans-Indianapolis Super Bowl. Oklahoma-Florida title game. Fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Saints coach Sean Payton went for the touchdown. Two minutes left in the first half, New Orleans down 10-3, facing third-and-goal at the Colt 1-yard line. Payton ran Mike Bell off tackle. No gain. Timeout, 1:55 left. Fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Payton disdains the field goal.
Bob Stoops went for the touchdown, too. Six minutes left in the first half. OU is tied 7-7, facing third-and-goal at the Florida 1-yard line. The Sooners ran Chris Brown off tackle. No gain. Fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Stoops disdains the field goal.
The same fate hit both teams. Both teams ran off tackle again. The Colts’ Gary Brackett and Clint Session stopped tailback stuffed Pierre Thomas for no gain. The Gators’ Torrey Davis nailed Brown for a 2-yard loss.
But the same fate did not extend to the Saints that befell the Sooners. And here’s why. The Colts took over and promptly ran three plays and punted. A first down there would have been huge. Would have allowed Indy to run out the clock. Instead, the Saints got the ball back and kicked a field goal on the final play of the half to cut their deficit to 10-6.
When Florida took over at its 3-yard line, Percy Harvin reeled off a 46-yard run. The field position was turned. The positive effects of even failing on a fourth-and-goal try — keeping the opponent backed up — were gone. Florida eventually punted, backing up the Sooners, and though Sam Bradford took OU on a hurryup drive that went deep into Gator territory but ended on a hurried interception at the Florida 3-yard line with three seconds left in the half.
Going for the touchdown was the right call in both situations. But failing to maintain the field position was the difference.
* The Super Bowl turned on a couple of huge plays. Payton’s onside kick and Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown.
But here’s my vote for the game’s biggest play. Second quarter. Colts lead 10-3. Indy has third down in its territory. Peyton Manning throws over the middle to Pierre Garcon, who is wide open with lots of room to keep running. Garcon dropped the ball. Make that catch, and the Colts are driving toward a 17-3 lead. Instead, the Colts punted, the Saints realized they still were in there punching and eventually the game turned.
* Watching the Super Bowl pregame Sunday night, with Queen Latifah singing “America the Beautiful” and Carrie Underwood handling the national anthem, I thought of the 2006 NBA All-Star Game. That’s the last time — only time — I saw those two ladies in the same locale.
And I came away from the Super Bowl with the same feelings I took from the All-Star Game. Thumbs up on Queen Latifah, thumbs down on Carrie Underwood.
Queen Latifah had a big advantage. “America the Beautiful” is such a glorious song. Easy to sing. Easy to listen to. Congress’ idiocy never has been more on display than when it anointed “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem. Underwood had the much more difficult assignment. And she whiffed. Underwood sang poorly. Missed some notes. Butchered the end. Queen Latifah came across much better.
Same down in Houston during the ‘06 All-Star Game. In real life, Queen Latifah looks much better than you think. Carrie Underwood much worse. Queen Latifah has as much natural beauty as any celebrity I’ve ever seen. Carrie Underwood, frankly, was painted up like a Long Branch saloon girl. You couldn’t tell what she looked like.
Underwood, of course, is an Oklahoma icon and a national superstar. Her career soars. But live or on television, Queen Latifah trumps her.
* If you’d never seen or heard of Jeremy Shockey, then watched the Super Bowl, would say this. Tough guy. Good player. Seems to have fun but isn’t a knucklehead. Shockey caught the game-winning touchdown pass — the TD that puts a team ahead for good is the game-winning score — and celebrated, but not excessively.
And after the game, CBS shows a shot of the celebrating Saints, and there’s Shockey, with his mother. Hard to cheer against the Saints. Amid the post-game revelry were Drew Brees with his baby son and bad-boy Jeremy Shockey with his mom.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Super Bowl pick: Colts
Time was, the Super Bowl was more of a parade than a game. We pretty well knew who was going to win. We once had these scores in five straight Super Bowls: 38-9, 38-16, 46-10, 39-20, 42-10. The game was known as the Super Bore.
Those days are gone. In this decade, we’ve had more great games than any kind of other game put together. Rams 23, Titans 16, with that great game-ending tackle by Mike Jones on the goal line. Patriots 20, Rams 17 with the game-ending field goal. Patriots 32, Panthers 29 and Patriots 24, Eagles 21. Bill Belichick’s dynasty was built on three wins by three points each. New England also had a three-point loss, 17-14 to the Giants in that wonderful Super Bowl two years ago. Then of course the Pittsburgh-Arizona wild affair a year ago, won 27-23 by the Steelers.
Will we get the same kind of game tonight? Depends on the Colt defense. If Indianapolis’ defense gets some stops, the Colts will win easily. I don’t see New Orleans slowing Peyton Manning. The Colt offense is ahead of the game. Very difficult to stop at all, much less over four four quarters.
I think Indy will score at about 60 percent efficiency, which means, the equivalent of six touchdowns per 10 possessions. Some of that may be field goals (which are worth half the value in this system). But if the Colts get 10 possessions, I think that’s 41, 42 points. I don’t think the Colts will get 10 possessions. I think it will be more like eight. So that’s about 33, 34 points. That sounds right to me.
For the Saints to keep up, they’ve got to score touchdowns and a bunch of them. I think Indy’s defense is up to that challenge, even if Dwight Freeney doesn’t play. The Colt defense has been solid. I say it gets enough stops, and Peyton Manning gets Super Bowl No. 2.
Indianapolis 34, New Orleans 24.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Emails in on Wilt, Gundy & Scott Hill
The new emails are in, and there’s talk about the NBA, recruiting and Mike Gundy.
Gary wrote about a passing reference to Wilt Chamberlain that I made on the radio: “I am old enough to remember the NBA when Wilt and Russell played each other. At that time, Russell was considered the better basketball player. How did the passage of time change that?”
Well, several things. First, I have no idea what people in 1962 thought. I was one year old. But I know what happened back then. Wilt always was considered sort of a villain. Bigger than everybody, so sort of a bully. A guy who left college early, which just wasn’t done in that time, to play for the Globetrotters. Then he didn’t win nearly as often as Russell did, though Russell played on epic teams. But Wilt’s numbers, in retrospect, are so outrageous, that it seems obvious that people at the time just didn’t know how to deal with them. So they were dismissed. Look at 1961-62. Russell’s Celtics went 60-20. Russell averaged 18.9 points, 23.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and no doubt blocked a ton of shots, though it wasn’t yet an official stat. Russell’s field-goal percentage was 45.7; he averaged 45.2 minutes per game, which is amazing. Tommy Heinsohn actually led Boston in scoring, 22.1. But that team also had Sam Jones at shooting guard and 33-year-old Bob Cousy at the point, where he still was an effective player. Frank Ramsey, 30 years old, averaged 15.3 points a game. K.C. Jones, 29 years old, was the backup point guard. Boston’s top six players, all but Cousy in their prime, made the Hall of Fame. Wilt’s Warriors went 49-31. Wilt averaged 50.4 points, 25.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists. He shot 50.6 percent from the field and averaged 48.5 minutes per game. On his team were two future Hall of Famers. Tom Gola, 29, and Paul Arizin, 33, who were both solid players at that time. Gola made the Hall of Fame primarily as a collegian. Arizin was a legit star, though nearing the end of his career. 1961-62 was his final season. Russell was voted MVP. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the home team won each of the first six games, setting up Game 7. The Warriors trailed 107-104 with 20 seconds left. Wilt made a 3-point play off Russell to tie it. With two seconds left, Sam Jones sank the game-winner to give Boston a 109-107 victory. That was Wilt’s burden to bear. He was the most dominant player the game ever has known. But he played against basketball’s Yankees, a team so full of talent (including the great Russell) that Hall of Famers came off the bench.
Leonard also wrote about the old days of the NBA: “Thinking about the old-time centers. Remember Zelmo Beaty? Long time ago, I talked with an ABA player by the melodious name of Lavern Tart at SMU’s Moody Coliseum. He played for the Nets from ‘67-71. On the way out to the parking lot (no limos back then), I asked who was the toughest big man he played against. He told me he played with or against most of them either formally or informally. He said Nate Thurmond was the toughest. There were some great names and players who came through the ABA (and through Dallas fans) back then. Rick Barry, Lou Dampier, Dan Issel, Connie Hawkins, Dr. J, Iceman, Doug Moe, Larry Brown (saw him play as an older guy).”
Zelmo Beaty is a great history lesson for the younger crowd. He was a 6-foot-9 center out of Prairie View who joined the St. Louis Hawks in 1962-63 and played seven years before jumping to the ABA. In Beaty’s last two years with the Hawks, he averaged 21.1 and 22.9 points, and 11.7 and 11.1 rebounds. The NBA of 1969 was not the NBA of 1962; nobody was averaging 50 points a game. But Beaty is a great example of what Wilt went against during his prime. Almost every team had a quality center. Today, you see a quality center about once every five games. Teams are piecing it together with Nenad Krstic or Erick Dampier or Channing Frye. The NBA for the majority of the 1960s was a nine-team league. Which meant when Wilt played against Boston, he saw Bill Russell. When Wilt played St. Louis, it was Beaty. When Wilt played Cincinnati, it was Jerry Lucas, undersized but a ferocious rebounder. Lucas in 1966 averaged 21.5 points and 21.1 rebounds; Bobby Knight called his former Ohio State teammate the greatest player he ever saw. When Wilt played Baltimore, Walt Bellamy awaited. When Wilt played the Knickerbockers, there was Willis Reed. When Wilt played San Francisco (after his trade to the 76ers), there was Nate Thurmond. And in the late ’60s, Detroit had gotten Bellamy while Baltimore added the great Wes Unseld, a bull if ever basketball had one. Think about that. In 1966, the NBA had nine teams; six of the teams had centers who eventually made the Hall of Fame, and that’s not counting Zelmo Beaty. 77 percent of the league had quality centers, and that’s with a very high standard of quality. If Wilt Chamberlain came along today, it would take him 15 seconds to drop Dwight Howard to Jimmy Olson status.
John wrote about Dana Holgorsen: “Nice article on Gundy’s hiring of an offensive coordinator. I agree that this is the most important recruit for OSU this year. OSU is not going to pound the ball on the ground and be in a competitive game with OU or Texas or any of the big-time programs. Sure, if they had another Barry Sanders or OU or Texas was in a down year, then OSU could possibly control the line of scrimmage, but how often does that happen? Texas Tech has had much better success with OU, Texas and Texas A&M than OSU has had, so maybe by spreading the field OSU can be more competitive. It also wouldn’t hurt if their quarterback was not counted on to run so much, which lends itself to injuries. It was interesting that Bob Stoops said much the same thing yesterday in regard to preferring to keeping the OU quarterbacks from running so much.”
You know what is left unsaid, by me or anyone else? What Gundy really is saying is this: he’s changed his mind. He once thought this and now he thinks that. He once thought the best way to win was the no-huddle, spread, multiple offense of Larry Fedora. Now he thinks the best way to win is the no-huddle, spread, short passing game of Mike Leach. And there’s nothing wrong with that. All kinds of great coaches have made philosophical turns, because of trends or personnel or just realizing something might be better. Bob Stoops changed his offense in 2002, without really saying so. Bill McCartney changed his offense in the early ’90s with a dramatic decision to change it for the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl. Chuck Fairbanks changed his offense in 1970 during an off week.
Greg, a big OU fan, wrote about OSU, too: “Good article on Gundy’s best recruit. A great move to improve on a segment of the team which is not exactly broken to begin with. I truly want Gundy to be very successful. Certainly, if OU is not to win the conference championship and go to the BCS national title game, I want this plum for Mike and OSU. The best thing I see for OSU right now, they have not had in my lifetime a head football coach who sees OSU as the last stop/New York Yankees managing job.”
You know what would be interesting? If Gundy was put to the test. Let’s say OSU ran off some really outstanding years. Let’s say a four-year run of 11-2, 10-3, 12-1 with a Big 12 title, 10-3. Maybe another South Division championship in there somewhere. And let’s say Georgia or Alabama came calling. Offered him the job. Would he take it? I don’t know. Everyone at OSU would say no, and they might be right. But it’s easy to say this is your Yankees job when it’s pretty clear the Yankees aren’t going to offer you their job. By the way, I guess we can thank Joe Torre for the whole “Yankees job” term. Not too long ago, the last job in the world you wanted was the Yankees job. A Yankees job reference meant you had NO job security. From Ralph Houck’s 1973 retirement until Buck Showalter’s 1992 hiring, the Yankees made 18 managerial changes. That’s one a year. Billy Martin was hired FIVE times in that stretch. I am not making that up. Finally, Joe Torre arrived in 1996 and turned it into a Yankees job, staying a dozen years. The Dodgers aren’t as bad as the Yankees – who is? – but those franchises have sort of reversed. The Dodgers in Brooklyn had seven managerial changes from 1946 through 1954. Jackie Robinson must have wondered what he had gotten himself into. But in ‘54, the Dodgers hired Walt Alston, and the revolving door stopped. Alston managed into 1976, an amazing 23-year run, and turned over the job to Tommy Lasorda, who held it 20 years. That two’s managers from 1954 until 1996. Since then, of course, LA has become just another franchise. Bill Russell, Glenn Hoffman, Davey Johnson, Jim Tracy and Grady Little all managed the Dodgers until 2008, when LA hired Joe Torre. Maybe Torre will do for the Dodgers what he did for the Yankees.
Don: “This is the FIRST TIME I have ever read a blog. The term itself is annoying. Can you tell I may be a senior citizen? I enjoy your stories and comments. I would prefer to read them in the paper. It is difficult holding this computer screen in my lap and reading it while I have my morning coffee.”
I have a suggestion. Use a table.
I had several emails about Scott Hill, after writing about the recruiting trip he took me on 25 years ago. Dan: “Thanks for the memory. I was an acquaintance of Scott during those times. Can you tell me what he is doing today?”
Scott is doing well. He’s in private business in OKC. Involved in some athletic endeavors, too. Same personable guy he always was.
Gary: “Nice yarn about Scotty. He was in my journalism classes at OU. I’m now a reporter here in Florida. Didn’t realize Scotty was that highly thought of, to be the next head coach. Like everyone, I was stunned about the recruiting violations (over nothing, or so it seemed at the time). But whatever happened to Scott? Is he OK today? I still remember our photography professor, Ned Hockman, who embarrassed Scott by introducing him to the class as the man who put the greatest hit ever delivered in an OU game. Scott turned so red, you could have lit a cigarette off his face. Remember when he went virtually parallel and nearly wiped out Tony Dorsett vs. Pitt in 1975? It was the smack heard ’round the football world. I think Dorsett was so shook up, he only gained about 20 yards in the game.”
Dorsett had either 17 yards on 12 carries, or 12 yards on 17 carries, I forget which. Hill told me that years later, someone set him up with a lunch meeting in Dallas with Dorsett. Dorsett said he never knew Hill’s name, but he never forgot his number.
Mike: “Interesting article. It would be nice to get a chance to do that in these times. Probably only get to see it when coaches write their memoirs years after we care.”
Here’s what I’d like. I’d like to follow Bob Stoops around for a week. I don’t really care about the recruiting. I’d just like to follow Bob around and see what he’s really like, because the side he shows the public is so different from the side he shows in private, from what friends say. Maybe they’re right. I’d like to find out.
Jim: “Loved the recruiting story. I recall Switzer was trying to recruit a kid in Illinois, and they talked into the evening, and when it was bedtime, Barry just kicked off his shoes and went to sleep on their couch. The guy could recruit.”
The halfback you’re talking about was Alvin Ross, from Aurora, Ill. Not a bad ballplayer.
Jeff wrote about the NFL: “I have heard a lot of talk about John Elway and Bradshaw and Manning and even some on Brady being the best QB of all time. I may be out in left field on this, but the No. 1 guy on my list is Joe Montana. Montana won four Super Bowls. Now, it did help he had the greatest receiver ever for three of those, but he was undefeated in Super Bowls. Elway was not. I think if Peyton Manning wins this one, he has to be included in the discussion. Manning and Montana both are just calm, cool and collected in the pocket. Montana could put the ball between three defenders and right in his receiver’s hands like no one else could. They both manage the game in similar fashion. Montana beat Elway. Elway had chances to win some more Super Bowls but could not get it done. I do think that once Montana went to the Chiefs that he was past his peak. Tell me if I am crazy. Here is my list of the top five all time, based on championships, touchdowns, yards, big games won, manager of the field. 1. Montana. 2. Manning. 3. Brady. 4. Bradshaw. 5. Elway. What do you think?
I think you’re crazy. Oh, I didn’t mean that. You’re not crazy. But I disagree. No way would I put Montana ahead of Elway, for the best of reasons. Primary source. I saw them play. Elway was better. Throw better, lead a comeback better, scramble better. I think Elway was the greatest quarterback of all time, and it’s a little bit of the Chamberlain argument. If we’re going to let team success dictate the greatest individuals, then the discussion is over. And Ben Roethlisberger is better than Brett Favre, Bob Griese is better than Jim Kelly and Joe Theismann is better than Dan Marino. I choose to keep the debate alive and not let Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh decide for me.
Bill wrote about baseball: “How did some of the old time pitchers keep from throwing out their arms, especially Walter Johnson or Cy Young? I’ve seen two short clips of Walter Johnson throwing, and it makes me wonder how he lasted. Did they have the conditioning that they have now? I had seen the stats of a pitcher called Silver King who pitches in the 1880s. He had four fantastic years, then he was pretty much through. I don’t know how they did it.”
This one is easy. Pitchers didn’t throw as hard. Bill James has written about this, how old-time pitchers didn’t unleash on every pitch. They held back. Played sort of an inside game. Everyone sort of had an unspoken agreement. We’ll play it easy until crunch time. Hitters didn’t swing big on every swing. Then one guy changed everything. Babe Ruth. He came along and said, I think I’ll just hit the ball over the fence every time, and soon enough everyone was pitching hard and swinging hard.
Cindy wrote about OSU basketball: “I’m writing to vent about Mike Holder. I can not believe he would not open up Gallagher-Iba to the students for a small price to fill the basketball arena up! A lady sitting next to me told me about some friends that are season ticket holders calling that afternoon to the ticket office for additional tickets, only to be told they were sold out for Big Monday. Bull! There were so many seats still available, and it is embarrassing to be on national TV and the place is nowhere near sold out or full. I understand there are people that hold tickets and don’t always come, but after some time during the course of the game, you can see they are a no show and let the students in. We could have used their enthusiasm in the second half. And I understand Holder has stated he will not open up to the students for three other games which have to be the OU, Kansas and Nebraska. I think he is the one single person trying to destroy the basketball program. Travis Ford is on the right track, but apparently Holder jumped off! Honestly, what would it have hurt to have opened the doors later in the game to the students, and if they have to charge a fee, then do so but at a much cheaper price. Maybe I’m wrong, but I still find it embarrassing we can’t fill up for the games when in the past it has always been filled to capacity.”
I’m all for criticizing Mike Holder for a variety of things. The financial gambles he took were disastrous. This life insurance deal is the just latest, and it’s all Boone Pickens’ call, well, that doesn’t speak very well of the AD, either. But no way can Holder be jumped for not letting in students after the game starts. Are there students who want to come to the game after it starts? Is there a clamor by students for extra seats or lower prices? I haven’t heard much of it. The problem Monday night is the same problem all year. Ticket holders aren’t using their seats. That’s the answer to OSU’s problem. Get people who already have shelled out the money to use the tickets. Ticket prices might be the problem, and that’s a Holder deal, but telling students to wait outside to see if other fans show up, then you can come in at a reduced rate, that doesn’t sound like much of an option to me.
Jeff: “I was watching SportsCenter recently, and Neil Everett was one of the anchors that day. The highlights for the Thunder game came up and Neil never said Oklahoma City, he referred to the team as ‘the team formally known as the Sonics.’ I didn’t think much of it, but then I was watching on another occasion and noticed he did it again. I went to the ESPN web site, and Mr. Everett is from Washington state. My issue is that Mr. Everett needs to get over it. The city of Seattle had their chance to keep this team, but refused to do anything to keep them. I don’t appreciate the ESPN management allowing this guy to do this on the air. He can keep his personal opinions to himself while he is on the air. Maybe the state of Oklahoma needs to stop watching ESPN for a week and write to program management and give their opinions about Mr. Everett.
Or how about this for a solution. Just laugh when the guy says it, knowing in April and May, if not this year but certainly next season, he gets to talk that nonsense during a playoff series when the rest of the country is wowing at Kevin Durant and wondering why this guy has a 2×4 stuck up his kiester. I guess I’m wired funny. I don’t understand all this need for validation from national media. Who cares what some jokester in Bristol, Conn., says? There’s a good chance he’s never been to Oklahoma and there’s a good chance he’s never had to make a payroll, so what the heck does he know? If he talked glowingly about OKC, would that make everyone feel better? He wouldn’t be any less of a fool.
John wants schools prepared should the Big 12 crumble: “If all those numbers of payouts are correct with Texas and Oklahoma dominating the game, I just hope the Big 12 has a plan to put in place immediately. If even one shoe drops like Colorado going to the Pac 10, I would bet Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa State will make a super conference in the rust belt. Forget trying to preserve the Big 12. OSU, OU, Texas A&M and UT all need to make the play for SEC membership. It fits with the SEC’s east/west axis theory. They would have South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Georgia in the East; OU, OSU, UT, A&M, Arkansas, LSU, Vandy in the West. Ten conference games. Three games out of division each year. Frankly, you can keep the tradition of playing Nebraska and put it where the sun doesn’t shine. It is cold there all the time. They’re recruiting in a new area, not having any conference games in Texas, as will also affect Missouri. Great. The pie gets cut fewer directions. See how fast the Missouri and Nebraska programs, not to mention Colorado, fall when the main focus of their recruiting dries up. For this fan who loves going to the away games from the FLORIDA panhandle, comparing campus environs in the SEC with the current array of Big 12 is terrible. No more Lubbock, no more altitude nightmares in Boulder, no more cold weather in Lincoln or Ames, or for that matter, Boulder or Columbia. Let those mothers freeze their ass off in State College or Heinz Field in November. I lived in Pittsburgh. If someone in Ames or Lincoln thinks they would have a climate advantage now, all of those teams play in that mess all the time, and most important, no Texas opponents. Their ability to recruit in Texas will drop through the floor. And that is just fine. Maybe Nebraska thinks they can outrecruit Ohio State, Michigan, Pitt and Penn State in Ohio, Michigan or Pennsylvania.”
It’s fun to think about, but not going to happen. The SEC is not going to admit OSU. Probably not going to admit anyone, but especially not a school that doesn’t increase the TV market. That’s what makes it tough on OU, OSU, Texas and A&M. If OU or Texas wanted to bolt, legislative pressure would likely force them to make a package deal for their in-state school. I could see the SEC taking both Texas and A&M at some point in the future, but not OU and OSU.
Jim wrote about a Sunday of sports television: “Watched most of the PGA from Torrey Pines. Who are these guys and who cares? Mickelson does not cut it. The tour needs Tiger, love him or hate him. Attendance looked way down for this tournament. Also, I did not watch any of the Pro Bowl, where they are playing touch football, from what I read. They might as well have a punt, pass and kick contest. They must have given away 70,000 tickets. Who would be foolish enough to pay to see that game? The Pro Bowl has never been very good. Maybe they should have it as the first game of the season or not have it at all if they are afraid to get hurt playing the game.”
I like the latter suggestion. But fans keep coming and watching. I know people who hurried home Sunday evening to catch the Pro Bowl. I don’t know anyone – except maybe my brother-in-law – who hurried home to watch a Tigerless golf tournament.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Projecting March Madness for Thunder & Bedlam rivals
We’re 24 days from March Madness, which in the olden days in Oklahoma meant NCAA Tournament but now has the icing on top — a month of NBA playoff races. Time to examine the status and hopes of the five teams that people care about most in the Oklahoma City metro. Thunder and the Bedlam rivals, women and men.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO MAKE THE POST-SEASON
1. OSU women: The Cowgirls are 18-4, 6-2 in the Big 12. The only way OSU could miss out on the NCAA Tournament would be to go something like 1-7 down the stretch. That’s not going to happen. The Cowgirls are headed for something like a No. 3 seed in the NCAAs. Their Big 12 title hopes are gone — Nebraska is running away with the league title — but the Cowgirls should be in prime position for March Madness.
2. OU women: The Sooner women are going to make it, too, barring a total collapse. OU is 15-6, 5-3. OU’s schedule is tougher down the stretch. The Sooners have only one certain win the rest of the way, home against Colorado. And OU hasn’t played as well on the road as has OSU.
3. Thunder: The Boomers are in right now, as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. But that changes almost daily. The Thunder finally has put a little distance between itself and the abyss; it is 11/2 games ahead of ninth-place Houston and Memphis. The Thunder also is just three games out of third place. But it won’t be easy making the playoffs. The Thunder is about to hit an easy stretch of games. From Feb. 20 through March 12, the Thunder plays 12 games and might be favored in 10 of them: at New York, at Minnesota, Phoenix, at San Antonio, Minnesota, Toronto, Sacramento, at Denver, at the Clippers, at Sacramento, New Orleans and New Jersey. Thunder might be underdogs only in the games at San Antonio and Denver. But 12 of the Thunder’s final 18 games are against teams currently above the playoff line.
4. OSU men. The Cowboys are 16-6, 4-4 in the Big 12. The Cowboys have some winnable road games coming up. At Texas Tech, at Iowa State. But OSU also has some losable home games. Baylor, Kansas. The Cowboys’ mission seems clear to me. Get to 9-7 in the conference, they’re in the NCAA field of 65. Go 8-8 in the Big 12, OSU is out. In Big 12 history, six teams have finished 8-8 in the conference standings. Only one of those six, Texas A&M in 2008, received a berth to the NCAAs. OSU’s non-conference schedule was void of marquee wins. The Cowboys have to get to 9-7.
5. OU men: The Sooners are 12-9, 3-4 in the Big 12. It’s going to be a struggle to finish with a winning record. The Sooners appear to have one certain win left. Home against Texas Tech. They appear to have at least three certain losses — at OSU, at Kansas, at Texas. Five games will be interesting. Home against Texas, Kansas State, Baylor and A&M, plus a road game at Colorado. Remarkably, the Sooners are unbeaten at home this season. But they haven’t played well. And the meat of their home schedule is coming up. OU, like OSU, has to get yo 9-7 to have a shot. I don’t see where six wins are coming from.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE POST-SEASON
1. OU women:The Sooners host first- and second-round games. Huge advantage. Instead of going to Iowa City or South Bend or some place, OU likely will be a four or five seed playing in Lloyd Noble Center, where their chances rise exponentially. The Sooners can get to the Sweet 16 without leaving home.
2. OSU women: The Cowgirls should be in great shape to reach the Sweet 16, but there’s a catch. All-American point guard Andrea Riley has to sit out the first-round game, because of that slugging incident two years ago against LSU. Can O-State get a good enough seed that it can, without Riley, overpower a foe in the first round? Probably. But it’s been four years since the Cowgirls played without the point guard who has the ball in her hands 80 percent of the time. That first-round game will be culture shock to OSU. The better OSU players down the stretch, the better seed it will get and the better chance to avoid a first-round calamity.
3. OSU men: Travis Ford showed last year he’s a good March coach. The Cowboys upset OU in the Big 12 quarterfinals, then knocked off Tennessee in a great first-round NCAA game matching 8-9 seeds. OSU finally lost to top-seeded Pitt in a superb regional quarterfinal, but the Cowboys showed they were tournament tough. Can they do it again? Eddie Sutton teams always seemed rejuvenated by leaving the shackles of Big 12 play. Maybe Ford’s team is the same and can produce a first-round win.
4. OU men: The Sooners aren’t going to make it, but if they miraculously do, they would have enough momentum to pull a surprise. Just don’t ask me how on either count.
5. Thunder: The Thunder has a very good chance of making the playoffs and no chance of advancing once it gets there. NBA teams making their first playoff appearance get drummed in the postseason. It’s in the rules.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO GO DEEP IN THE POST-SEASON
1. OSU women: I don’t see a Final Four in the Cowgirls’ future. But a regional final? That could happen. OSU, provided it survives Riley’s first-round absence, could win a regional semifinal. The Cowgirls might be a No. 2 seed. This is a tough team to play. Winning at Texas A&M last Sunday shows OSU can do a lot of things.
2. Thunder: I know, I know. I said OKC couldn’t get past the first round. But the teams have no shot at a deep run, no matter how much belief you suspend. Toss out the young-teams-must-pay-their-dues theory, and the Thunder would have a fighting chance. Look at their record. This team has been remarkably competitive. The Thunder is 28-21. Of those 21 defeats, only six have come by more than 10 points, and none of the six have come since Dec. 16. This team is growing up fast. Like I said, I believe the Thunder will get pulverized in the first round. But let me set up a scenario by which it could reach the Western Conference Finals. OKC finishes as the No. 6 seed. That’s possible. Denver comes in at No. 3. The Nuggets are playoff-tested, no doubt about it. But they are a little gimby. Carmelo is a little hurt. Birdman always is a candidate to crash. Chauncey Billups is a little old. Plus, isn’t Denver always a candidate to implode. George Karl teams can do that, especially teams with Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith on the roster. Let’s say Denver is both crippled and spatting. Maybe the Thunder could sneak an upset. That would set up Round 2 against who knows. But if a Portland or San Antonio could upset Dallas in the first round, the Thunder would be on a little more even footing. San Antonio is getting old fast; their playoff run will end sometime. Why not the middle of May 2010? And Portland isn’t much ahead of OKC in playoff experience. Portland was two years ahead of the Thunder in the rebuilding process, all on the same track. But if the Thunder makes the playoffs this year, they’ve jumped a year ahead. OKC-Portland in the Western Conference semifinals? The Blazers would be favored, but it wouldn’t be a huge upset if the Thunder won, having already won an earlier series.
3. OU women: The Sooners are very limited; lack of depth, lack of inside strength. However, if OU does the expected and wins two home games in the NCAAs, it would take only one game playing way over its head to reach the regional final. Not likely, but possible.
4. OSU men: If James Anderson somehow got on an incredible run, an historic run, a Carmelo Anthony-2003-run, maybe the Cowboys could fell some giants. I don’t think it’s possible, but I guess that’s a little better than saying it’s impossible.
5. OU men: If the Sooner men got incredibly hot, somehow pulled together the talent and the waywardness, somehow made March a month to remember, maybe won the Big 12 Tournament and miraculously won two games in the NCAAs, they would go to the regional semifinals and get 96-57, no matter who they played.
FIVE KEY STRETCHES AS THE SEASON NEARS CONCLUSION
1. Thunder April 6-14: Forget March Madness. This is Awesome April. The Thunder finishes the season with these six games — at Utah, Denver, Phoenix, at Golden State, at Portland, Memphis. Are you kidding me? Five games out of six against fellow playoff contenders, only one of which (Denver) seems to be ahead of the pack. Four games against the teams you’re trying to knock out of the playoffs so you can have your slot? That’s high drama in the NBA West.
2. OSU men, Feb. 6-20: The Cowboys’ next four games are these — at Texas Tech, home vs. OU, at Iowa State, home vs. Baylor. Win those four games, and OSU is 8-4 in the Big 12 and feeling pretty good about itself. Go 2-2 and it’s time to start printing NIT tickets.
3. OSU women, Feb. 17-24: The Cowgirls host A&M on Feb. 17 and host Texas a week later, with a Feb. 20 trip to Baylor in between. Three winnable showdowns, considering OSU’s already won at A&M and Baylor has proven a little shaky at home. Win those three games, and the Cowgirls will have solidified themselves as a top-10 team worthy of a No. 2 NCAA seed. Don’t sweep those games, and they’re back in the second-10 pack of the rankings.
4. OU women, Feb. 10-15: The Sooners have three straight home games. Baylor on Wednesday night, Colorado on Feb. 13, then mighty Connecticut on Feb. 15. Win home games in the league, and OU will be fine for NCAA seedings. But beating Baylor won’t be easy. Then take your chances, albethem miniscule, against UConn. OU’s chances of beating Connecticut, which has won 59 straight games and will have won 62 in a row when it comes to Norman, are about the same as the Indiana Pacers winning the 2010 NBA title. But let’s dream big. If the Sooners somehow pulled an upset, it would be the national story of the week. It would be Notre Dame beating UCLA and Bill Walton. It would be more shocking than George Mason reaching the Final Four. More shocking than Massachusetts voting Republican. If OU beat UConn, the Sooners might get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of how they do the rest of the year. Sort of a lifetime achievement award.
5. OU men, Saturday-Tuesday: I don’t see much drama for the Sooner men, other than trying to keep their homecourt streak going. Saturday against Texas then Tuesday night against Texas Tech represents the only time the rest of the year OU has two straight home games. I recommend winning both.
CIRCLE THE DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR
1. March 26: The Lakers return to the Ford Center. It’s always pinch-me time when the Lakers or Celtics come to Oklahoma City. Still hard to believe the NBA has landed in our lap. But this time it’s different. For the time in the Hornets/Thunder era of Oklahoma City, the majestic Lakers show up, and fans know they’ve got a team that can punch Kobe Bryant’s Gang right in the mouth. No ambushes. No luck-outs. A team that can stare down the Lakers.
2. Feb. 15: Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers never played in Oklahoma. The Mickey Mantle Yankees never came through here, unless it was exhibition. John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins never played the All-College. But the day after Valentine’s, the Connecticut women play in Lloyd Noble Center. They rank with Wooden’s Bruins and Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners as the greatest streakers in sports history. The chance to see history is rare.
3. Feb. 6: Truth is, just about any Thunder game will be the most exciting basketball we’ll see the rest of the year, but Saturday in Stillwater is not a game to miss. Two years ago, when Kurt Budke’s program bloomed, the Cowgirls blew out OU, ending a decade’s worth of Bedlam frustration. Now Budke has the better team again. Does that mean another Bedlam blowout, which fans raising the roof of Gallagher-Iba for women? Or will Sherri Coale produce a season-turning upset? Are Danielle Robinson and Riley the nation’s best point guards? This is not a game to miss.
4. Feb. 27: Top-ranked Kansas plays at OSU, and it’s a homecoming. For Bill Self, the pride of Edmond Memorial. For Xavier Henry, the pride of Putnam City. But more than anything, it’s a chance for the Cowboys to reverse most of what I’ve written so far. Beat Kansas, and everything changes. OSU’s Big 12 finish. OSU’s national reputation. Seedings in the NCAA Tournament. Upset Kansas, and March looks entirely different for the Cowboys.
5. March 6: OU men host Texas A&M in what will be the final home game of a forgettable season that started with such promise.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Chat Recap: Berry Tramel
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
OU & OSU recruiting: It’s a small world after all
OU signed 28 football players Wednesday; 29 if you count Kenny Stills of California, who already is enrolled and is awaiting NCAA clearinghouse approval for a scholarship. OSU signed 27 players.
That’s 56 ballplayers. Six are from Oklahoma. That’s six combined, four for the Sooners, two for the Cowboys. OU signed Owasso defensive back Aaron Colvin, Southmoore tight end Austin Haywood, Southmoore DB Julian Wilson and Mustang offensive lineman Bronson Irwin. OSU signed Sand Springs quarterback Johnny Deaton and Tahlequah Sequoyah defensive tackle Christian Littlehead.
This wasn’t an indication that the Sooners and Cowboys are souring on in-state football. This was an indication that what goes around comes around. The Sooners and Cowboys have been crossing state boundaries for decades, enticing players to cross the Red River (and other geographic landmarks) for college.
OSU, for instance, lost as many in-state commitments Wednesday (two; Tulsa Washington defensive tackle Calvin Barnett and Tulsa Union flanker Thomas Roberson) as it signed. “I’d like to sign a number of Oklahoma players,” coach Mike Gundy said. “It’s based on availability and our needs. And secondly, it’s based on the ones that come to us. There’s a number of players we went after.”
Still, it’s sort of odd that OSU signed more players from Greater San Antonio (three) than from the state of Oklahoma.
The Sooners, too, went after some in-state players that went elsewhere. Tulsa East Central’s DeMarco Cobbs (Texas) and Carl Albert’s Tre’ Porter (Texas Tech) among them.
Bob Stoops said that while “proximity always matters,” he said geography might be less important than ever, because of television and easy air travel. “If someone can’t get to a game, you can always … watch it. But it still matters.”
The Sooners signed players from both California and Florida, but the most interesting geographical trend was this. OU signed three players from Kansas: flanker Justin McCay from Shawnee Mission, defensive lineman Geneo Grissom from Hutchinson and quarterback Blake Bell from Wichita.
The Sooners occasionally have landed quality Kansas players over the years (Brody Eldridge). But three in the same year when OU signed just four Oklahomans? That’s an interesting twist. “We love those three guys,” Stoops said. “Really talented, physical guys.”
Gundy said the Cowboys always prefer Oklahoma kids. “We double-check those guys,” Gundy said. “It just makes sense. We got after a bunch more than (two).” Gundy said OSU still stayed “pretty regional. We’re not moving out as much. We feel very good about the football in the state of Oklahoma and Texas. We recruited a little bit of Kansas, a little bit of Arkansas.”
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Hawks teach valuable lesson: Life after mistakes
It’s become popular – and quite correct – to compare the Thunder to the Portland TrailBlazers in terms of rebuilding and how quickly it has taken both franchises. They are on the virtual same trajectory, the only difference being Portland started two years earlier.
But don’t forget the Atlanta Hawks when comparing rebuilding franchises. They, too, are two years ahead of the Thunder but started from about the same situation.
The Hawks made their only Ford Center appearance of the season Tuesday night, when the Thunder won 106-99 in a rousing game. And we saw why Atlanta joins Portland, Memphis and OKC as soaring NBA franchises attempting to crash the NBA’s elite level. The Hawks might get there first. They might already be there.
Atlanta’s rebuilding job is even more impressive than the Thunder’s. The Hawks rebuilt after going 28-54 in 2003-04. And the rebuilding wasn’t pretty. Atlanta went 13-69, 26-56, 30-52 and 37-45 the next four years. But the Hawks made the playoffs in the soft Eastern Conference with that 37-45 record.
Last season, Atlanta went 47-35 and won a playoff series. This year, the Hawks are 30-17 and challenging Orlando and Boston for the East’s No. 2 seed. The Hawks are the only team in the league to improve its victory total four straight years.
“The Hawks have done a great job,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “They drafted a very good group, they acquired a very good group and they’ve stayed with it. They’ve improved every year.
“NBA teams that build and sustain, that’s what they do.”
The Hawks are great inspiration for rising franchises. They’re reaching the elite level despite some big misses.
In 2004, Atlanta drafted Josh Childress with the sixth overall pick. He played four seasons and was productive; 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 31.3 minutes per game. Think a slightly inferior Jeff Green.
Then Childress bolted the Hawks for a $20-million, 3-year contract in Greece.
In 2005, Atlanta had the No. 2 overall pick and drafted North Carolina’s Marvin Williams. A solid ballplayer. The Jazz had the third pick and chose Deron Williams. The Hornets had the fourth pick and took Chris Paul.
So in back-to-back, premium drafts, the Hawks selected a short-timer and passed on an all-star point guard.
And yet Atlanta still excels, with draft picks (Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams) and trades (Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Mike Bibby).
The lesson is strong. Teams are going to make mistakes. Not every draft pick will be a hit. Not every cornerstone will stick. But keep plugging, keep believing, don’t panic, and good things can happen.
The Thunder has yet to lay such dinosaur eggs. But it will. It’s bound to happen. The Hawks prove that such misses don’t have to derail high hopes.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Thunder locker room a happy place
Desmond Mason visited the Thunder locker room Sunday night after the game and probably will do the same tonight. He’s in town for a few days and said he plans to attend tonight’s game against the Hawks, too.
Mason played for the Thunder last season — started much of the year — and was a popular member of the squad. Sort of a big brother on a team loaded with young players. Mason’s contract ended after last season, he signed with Sacramento and eventually was cut. Now he’s contemplating retirement and back living in Portland, Ore.
But Mason’s visit showed the light-hearted nature of the Thunder locker room, which can get a little stale when the media is allowed in from 5:30-6:15 p.m. each night before tipoff and in post-game. We know the Boomers have a lot of fun — their youtube hijinks prove it, if nothing else — clowning around on the road, and Mason loosened up his old pals Sunday night.
Mason was chatting with Jeff Green and Nick Collison (Collison and Mason played against each other in college, in the 2000 OSU-Kansas game at Stillwater), when he noticed Westbrook on the other side of the locker room. Westbrook was wearing a brown shirt loaded with insignias. When I first saw it, I thought the shirt was a Boy Scout shirt. Then I saw that it was more flight-oriented. Wings and things like that. Looked almost Air Force in nature. Mason dramatically stared at the shirt as Westbrook momentarily ducked back into the shower area for a moment.
When Westbrook returned a few seconds later, Mason theatrically turned, put his feet together and gave Westbrook a huge salute.
The entire room cracked up and Westbrook, a budding star who not 30 minutes earlier was going to the rack against NBA behemoths, was noticeably embarrassed. The scene was revealing for multiple reasons:
1. The camaraderie in the locker room seems legit. This team has its factions (I don’t mean that in a bad way), primarily the young crowd hangs out together. For instance, Kevin Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White all attended the OSU-Texas game Monday night. The oldest of those six players is 23. But the veterans seem to mesh well. Kevin Ollie, 37 years young, lockers next to Westbrook. The fact that Mason, on the verge of ending his basketball career, is interested in dropping by and seeing old (young) friends is a sign that the Thunder locker room was a good place to be.
2. Sometimes we forget just how young this team is. Did you ever imagine an NBA player being embarrassed at being the butt of a joke? Doesn’t really equate, does it? Someone busts you? You bust them back, either good-naturedly or with venom. But Westbrook was embarrassed. I thought it was sort of charming. The ability to be embarrassed is not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing. It shows that Westbrook still has a youthful spirit, which he ought to have. He’s 21 years old. Sometimes we project things on 21 years old, just because they happen to be in the NBA. That ought not to be. Westbrook is a 21-year-old, whether or not he can leap tall buildings in a single bound or not.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Why Kenny Sally went to South Carolina, not OU
You learn the most amazing things from readers. I got an email today from a reader who read my recruiting column Sunday. I wrote about the 1985 recruiting trip I took with Scott Hill, in which we visited players coast to coast. One of the stops was in Morristown, N.J., where Parade all-American safety Kenny Sally had committed to OU but changed his mind and went to South Carolina.
Sally’s high school football coach, John Chirrona, told us that February day in 1985 that Sally would go to South Carolina, because he knew Joe Morrison, then the Gamecocks’ coach, would take care of Sally. Hill was bewildered and upset, but even after he found Sally, Hill couldn’t get Sally to change his mind.
I never really heard anything about Sally thereafter — he apparently didn’t make it big at South Carolina — and Hill said he never talked to Sally after that recruiting experience.
But I received that email today, and it explained how Sally got to South Carolina. It seems that Joe Morrison hired a Morristown assistant coach to join the South Carolina staff. Nothing illegal or even unethical about that. Happened all the time in college recruiting and still does.
That Morristown assistant coach grew up in New Jersey, went to Notre Dame but did not play football, graduated with a speech and drama degree, began coaching in New Jersey then was hired at Morristown by Chironna in 1980. Coached five years with Chironna.
That assistant coach’s name? Charlie Weis.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
Pitt to the Big Ten? What now, Mizzou?
The rumors are hot and heavy that the University of Pittsburgh is joining the Big Ten, perhaps as soon as this week. I don’t know if it will come to pass, but it would make sense. I was told that since Penn State’s admission to the Big Ten, it has felt a little like an outsider, on the far eastern edge of the conference. Pitt certainly would shift the league a little East.
All of which will make the University of Missouri a little uncomfortable. Mizzou wanted to join the Big Ten, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon even did a little politicking for the school, saying, “When you compare Oklahoma State to Northwestern, when you compare Texas Tech to Wisconsin, I mean, you begin looking at educational possibilities that are worth looking at.”
And when you compare a school whose officials — administrative or political — don’t trash fellow league schools with a school whose officials do just that, well, doesn’t do much for Missouri’s status in the Big 12. Good luck getting OSU or Tech — or anyone, really — to cut Mizzou any slack on any issue. Tech, OSU and Missouri are very similar in terms of status within the league and athletic budget. But Missouri’s obvious preference for the Big Ten, coupled with Nixon’s elitism, will make Missouri less than comfortable in Big 12 meetings for a long while.
Of course, the Pitt deal might not come through, and perhaps Missouri will bolt to the Big Ten. But if not, you won’t have to wonder who is the least popular member of the Big 12 Conference.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
