Emails: More on the Sooners & Mickey Mantle
The readers still are writing about Mickey Mantle and the Sooners, plus other assorted subjects, in our weekly look at the email. Let’s start with the Sooners.
Mark wrote, “Trap game, Baylor. Check the last three years. Baylor has caused OU a lot of trouble. Baylor blitzes a lot and plays bombs away on offense. Check the last 3 years. 2007: 28-14 at the half. 2006: 36-10. 2005: 37-30 (OT) in Norman. With a very mobile quarterback, more trouble. Trap game, Baylor. With Texas next week, OU will be looking past Baylor. I will be surprised if OU looks good.”
Well, it was no trap game, and the Sooners did look good, but you know what? Mark is right. Baylor generally plays OU tougher than it does a lot of people.
Howard wrote about OU’s offensive line, “I know the popular concept is that OU’s O-line is too big and heavy to run block. But not Cooper. Did you see him running step for step with Manny all the way to the goal line on his screen pass? He didn’t have anyone to block, but he was there anyway. I was very impressed. If they all hustled like that, run blocking would be one of their strengths.”
Actually, I don’t see a lot wrong with OU’s blocking. I’d just keep throwing until people back off.
Larry wrote, “Can you think of a reason, other than the unfair advantage afforded by these preseason polls, for OU to be ranked ahead of Alabama? I’m not implying that the Sooners don’t deserve a high ranking -sew my mouth shut if I’m ever guilty of disrespectin’ the Sooners – but based on their respective opponents and results so far, how could anyone justify ranking Oklahoma (or anyone else, for that matter) above the Tide?”
They can’t, which is why you must solely rely on my reality rankings to determine who deserves to be No. 1.
Keith wrote, “As I watched the Sooners from my recliner in Florida, I noticed that several of our players slipped on the turf. According to the Baylor website, they have some sort of synthetic turf, but it looked like dirt would fly when a player would slip. Can you tell me what kind of turf yesterday’s game was played upon? It seemed kind of dangerous for our players.”
You know, a guy has to wear many hats in my position. Poet. Historian. Therapist. So let’s add another. Agronomist. To answer the question, I have no idea what kind of turf Baylor has. Is there a reason to disbelieve its website? But I can tell you this. OSU’s old turf, from the late ’90s, had millions of bits of ground-up tires as its base. Those little devils were always flying up.
Derek asked, “How many tickets has OSU sold for the A&M game? I figure this would constitute the first real test of the wisdom of the expansion. Also, how about a story about the OU-Texas ticket conundrum. With 16,000 new seats and a shaky economy, you would figure some easing on the prices, but my searches have found the opposite. A decent seat on the OU side is running around $300 right now. Ouch.”
The OSU expansion looks like a home run so far to me. And OU-Texas tickets are like major-league franchise sales prices. They never go down.
James writes, “I’m going to jump ahead a little bit here and ask you a question. Let’s say OSU and MU win this weekend and set up a game between an undefeated top-five team and undefeated top-20 team. If OSU was to defeat MU, who would be ranked the highest, a one-loss MU or an undefeated OSU?
Excellent question, because voters are lemmings. I think OSU still would be higher, but it would be close. In fact, let me say this: OSU would be higher in AP. Mizzou would be higher in the coaches. The Harris poll is pin the tail on the donkey.
Bob wrote, “Even though I believe that OSU can be trouble for anyone this year, in my opinion everyone I hear on the radio is getting a little carried away with this team. They have absolutely played nobody. One thing that we do not know about this team is the offensive line and defensive line. OSU has people at the skill positions, but if they cannot block a good defense and/or get by a good offense, they will have problems. All I’m saying is don’t get carried away with scoring and defense against a weak schedule.”
Well, after A&M, you still can’t say OSU has played anybody. But the Cowboys are doing what good teams should do against bad teams. Knock the shot out of them.
OK, let’s move on to Mantle. Mary wrote, “My husband and I enjoyed your article about Mickey Mantle. We did not get to see him play, in person, but always followed the stories about him. When he became ill and went to Baylor Medical Center for the liver transplant, our niece was his nurse. When he learned that she was from Oklahoma, he became very friendly with her and they had many interesting talks.”
Wouldn’t that be interesting if you were in the medical field? Taking care of a famous person? I’ll bet it’s sort of a strange experience, seeing a person so vulnerable and different from their public persona.
Jim wrote, “Excellent column on Mantle. He had some warts, but I was lucky enough to talk to him three times, and he was very gracious and pleasant. Still have a scrapbook on him from my long-ago youth.”
That’s why I wrote what I did about the Mick. His grip on America has not waned.
Walt also wrote about Mantle. “I was a kid collecting baseball cards during Mantle’s early years. I was a Yankee fan but didn’t particularly appreciate him during that time … I once got into a discussion with a fellow who happened to be a minor league player in the late ’40s and ’50s. I asked the man to consider what Mantle might have done if he had hit against pitchers with the mound lowered, the strike zone reduced, brushbacks virtually eliminated and the outfield fences of Yankee Stadium at the lengths they are today. Without hesitation the old-timer said, “Mantle would have hit 800 home runs!” He may have hit 900 if he had played until he was 40. And more what-ifs: What if he had taken better care of his body, much like Carl Yastrzemski did? Or what if he had taken the route of McGwire, Sosa or Bonds? With the surgical techniques today, his knees may not have been a handicap. In short, Mantle was such a phenomenal athlete. If you ever saw Mantle drag bunt, it was a sight to behold. I saw on television one of the two shots he hit in Yankee Stadium that nearly cleared the third deck but hit the facade. All in all, Mantle was what baseball misses today, someone we can only dream of being, a player that is so good other players are awestruck. Thanks again. It was fun to remember.”
No reason to play what-if with Mantle. The reality was good enough.
Danny was all over the board. “Hope the Pokes don’t choke. That new pix and hairdo makes you look 25, so maybe you should stay with it. Also, Central State sucks with that OCS high school coach.
If you could see all the gray in my hair, you wouldn’t think 25.
And finally, Debra wrote about a subject from a few weeks back: “This is long overdue, but I wanted to thank you for your wonderful tribute to Don Haskins. Growing up a University of New Mexico basketball fan – UTEP is an arch-rival, as you know – I was always struck by his passion and dedication. He was a classy guy. Thanks for sharing your memories; they brought back a few of my own.”
I only talked to the Bear once or twice a year, but I miss him already.
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.
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Great point about Mantle. “Reality was good enough.” My thoughts exactly. The national media loves to play the “what-if” game regarding the Mick, like he was some sort of one- or two-year phenom. He played 18 seasons with the Yankees, and was the best and most famous player on the best and most famous team. As flawed as he might have been as a human being, it has always amazed me how his former teammates always came (and still come) to his defense, and speak of him in reverential tones, even guys like Bobby Richardson, one of the great Christian ballplayers who certainly didn’t endorse Mantle’s lifestyle. I remember reading a quote by Al Kaline after being told once by a young fan that he wasn’t half as good as Mickey Mantle, “Son, NOBODY is half as good as Mickey Mantle.”