Emails in on Sooner basketball
The new emails are in, and lots of talk about OU basketball.
Greg: “On the abuse of Blake Griffin, everything which needed saying was said by Blake and Capel. I am glad Capel took an oblique but very public stand about what has been going on all year. If I were an opponent, I would be more worried about being blindsided and coldcocked by Taylor, who consistently appears to be a lot closer to retaliation for acts against Blake than Blake himself. A fist out of the blue by Taylor would do every bit as much damage and he knows Pattillo, Wright and Davis are behind him without a lot of dropoff in production.”
Terrill: “I appreciate your article on ‘The Flip,’ starring Blake Griffin. You did mention turning the other cheek, Blake’s stoicness and his on-court cool and smarts. I would like to mention why I believe he does what he does, and that is due primary to two things: the excellent parenting by his mom and dad which has instilled solid character into him, and his Christian faith that compels him to be not react when being hammered intentionally by his basketball foes. This is way more than taking one for the team. He is proving to be a superb example of how a true Christian should handle himself, not only in a game, but in life itself.”
Douglas wrote about more OU teams and how they finished: “The 1985 Elite Eight team had won 18 of 19 heading into the tournament. The 2003 Elite Eight team had won five of six heading into the tournament. This 2009 squad is finishing up much like these Sooner squads of the past: 1986 started 21-1, ranked as high as No. 5, lost seven of last 11 heading into the NCAA tournament, lost in second round of tournament to unranked DePaul. 1987 started 19-3, ranked No. 8, lost six of last nine heading into the NCAA Tournament, lost in Sweet 16 to top-10 Iowa team.”
Roger: “It occurs to me that it may really be a blessing that the Sooner men lost their first game in the Big 12 tournament. To win the trophy requires winning three games in three days – actually three games in just about 50 hours. That effort would drain the energy from just about any NCAA team. Maybe now they will be more fresh with a focus on their main prize – a Final Four finish in the Big Dance. What is the best finish for a team after winning the Big 12 Tournament?
Scott read my column about the NCAA Tournament shutting out the little guy: “I couldn’t agree more. I tell my students all the time that the appeal of the NCAA Tournament for the mass audience is those David-Goliath matchups. While they rarely go David’s way, it happens just often enough that it perpetuates the idea that it is a common occurrence. If the NCAA committee loses sight of that, they are undermining their own product. I have a little more to root for this year with Robert Morris in the field. Not expecting much against Michigan State, but there is always a flicker of hope for those of us who like to dream.”
Bruce: “Here’s my solution to all the at-large mess which leaves little room for deserving mid-major teams. Instead of having a play-in game for the 16 seed, have four play-in games for the 12 seeds. These eight teams must all come from the six power conferences. I think this is more than fair. I don’t like an automatic qualifier having to play that extra game.”
Now, on to other hoops subjects. Mark: “Courtney Paris putting up her scholarship money , a little over the top? Coach Coale didn’t say much, me thinks it was not a good idea.”
Joe, a Missouri fan, wrote: “Thanks for your interesting and generous column about the Tigers winning the Big 12 Tournament. Although their styles are different, Mike Anderson and Norm Stewart have built teams with guys who played hard-nosed defense and overachieved. We’ve had a few marquee players over the years but we’ve had a lot more who won by out-gritting the other teams. The current Tigers are fun to watch (for Mizzou fans) and we’re hoping to make some noise in the tournament. Best wishes to OU and OSU as well. Being from Missouri, I’m not sure I can be so charitable about KU. I’ve liked Mike Anderson since he arrived, being a fellow Tulsa alum and veteran of many Arkansas games in Barnhill, where my parents went to school in the 1930s. Norm Stewart arrived the same semester I began graduate school here,”
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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I’ve got to say, in my opinion, Barry Trammel asks some of the stupidest questions of any sports writers out there. Of late, he has been second guessing arguably the NCAA coach of the year. I’m truly glad Coach Capel is the coach at Oklahoma and Barry Tramel is just another weazel with a pen. Barry’s questioning Coach tonight about the non use of subs in the second half sent me over the top. Someone please remind him to stick to reporting the facts and don’t try to coach. We have a great coach and he is not a “writer”. Maybe the “writer” shouldn’t try to coach.