Headed to Tulsa for Tisdale funeral
I admit to a little surprise at the national response to the death of Wayman Tisdale. It garnered much more attention than I would have thought.
Here in Oklahoma, Tisdale’s death at the age of 44 was a huge story and remains so. But ESPN, the leader in forging the national sports landscape, gave Tisdale’s death a big ride.
I’m sure other funerals have been staged in massive arenas, but frankly none come to mind. Heads of state. Princess Di. Mickey Mantle. None were in a building like the BOK Center, where Thursday morning no telling how many visitors will pay their respect.
I’m going to the funeral, but I wish I had been at the reflection service Wednesday night at Friendship Church, where Wayman’s father pastored and where his brother, Weldon, now pastors. I’ll bet that was a beautiful service, full of spirit and music and honor to the beloved man.
I’m hoping much of that spirit carries over Thursday to the BOK Center.
Thunder drama: Re-figuring the lottery odds
For a minute or two, you allowed yourself to believe that the Thunder might actually win the NBA draft lottery. We were down to three teams — the Clippers, Grizzlies and Thunder — and you had to re-configure the odds, though the actual winner had been decided in secret before the lottery show.
Oklahoma City no longer had an 11.7 percent chance of winning the lottery. When Phoenix went out first, that percentage rose a fraction. Then the Pacers, the Bobcats and so on.
Finally, we were down to the final three, and OKC’s odds had shot up to 32 percent in the minds of everyone who didn’t know the results, which was only a handful of people in that secured room.
A one-in-three chance to get Blake Griffin. At that point, the Clippers had a 47.7 percent chance; the Grizzlies 20.2 percent.
Those are odds you can live with. Of course, the Thunder’s luck ran out, and it was handed the No. 3 pick in the June draft. Griffin will not be coming to OKC, barring cataclysmic events.
The lottery worked, reasonably well. The lottery exists so that teams won’t tank the season. Won’t give up early and try to lose often, just to secure the No. 1 draft pick.
The Clippers did a little of that. They don’t have a great roster, and they had some injuries, but no way should the Clippers have checked in with fewer than 30 wins, much less 19.
The Wizards were worse. Washington lost Gilbert Arenas and basically quit playing. It would have been a crime had the Wizards received the No. 1 pick. The primary difference on the fairness scale in this lottery is that the Wizards would have used the pick to become a force in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers will use it and stay irrelevant in the NBA hierarchy, as they’ve been for most of the last 30 years.
Do Tisdale and Kurland really rank at the top
I wrote Sunday about Wayman Tisdale ranking with Bob Kurland as the athletes in state history who have most impacted their sport. I figured basketball players naturally impact their teams and games and sports cultures more than do football players, since they have an undeniable bigger influence on games, since they play virtually full games and play sports that have much fewer competitors.
But I didn’t spend a lot of time considering other sports. After some emails and some radio phone calls that made me think a lot more, I stand by Tisdale and Kurland. But there are a lot of athletes that deserve discussion.
First off, remember that this is in no way a list of the greatest athletes. This is a list of athletes who have had the greatest impact. What’s the difference? Here’s an example. I think clearly Troy Aikman is one of the greatest athletes in Oklahoma history. And if you want to think outside the box, consider world champion boxer Sean O’Grady, too. Aikman and O’Grady were sensational athletes; among the best in state history. But what was their influence, their impact, on the Oklahoma sports landscape? I don’t see how it was anything out of the ordinary.
Second, coaches don’t count. Coaches like Henry Iba and Bud Wilkinson and Bertha Frank Teague are a separate list. And neither does coaching count. If John Smith wants on this list, it’s by his wrestling, not his coaching.
Third, if someone didn’t make this list, it doesn’t mean they didn’t make an impact. It’s just that I don’t know what it is. I had several people mention Jim Thorpe, who clearly is the greatest athlete in Oklahoma — and maybe American — history. But did Thorpe change the sports landscape in our state? Maybe he did, but I’m not aware of it. He left Oklahoma at a young age (before high school age) to attend Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kan.; went to Carlisle, an Indian boarding school in Pennsylvania; won Olympic gold in 1912 in the decathlon and heptathlon; and then began a professional sports career that centered in Canton, Ohio (NFL) , and New York (major league baseball). What is Thorpe’s Oklahoma impact? State historians and officials are naturally proud of Thorpe and have honored him greatly, with everything from the Jim Thorpe Award in college football to the great rehab center that is part of Integris Health to the state office building that bears his name and sits next to the capitol. But how did he change Oklahoma sports? Some have said Thorpe was a great example to young Indians, but while that might be true in recent years, I don’t see where he was a well-known role model in the 1910s or 1920s or 1930s. Maybe he his impact was great; I just don’t know what it is.
Also, this is not a popularity contest. Joe Washington and Bryant Reeves were as beloved as any athletes ever, but unless someone knows of entire villages where the kids wear silver shoes or a buzzcut, I’m not sure their impact was huge.
Finally, this is an Oklahoma list. It’s not based on how Oklahomans impacted national or world sports. It’s how Oklahomans impacted Oklahoma sports. For instance, the late wrestler Dave Schultz had a huge impact on international wrestling. He is revered in Russia. But Schultz’s impact in Oklahoma was no greater than any other great wrestler, so he’s not on the list.
Clearly, more recent athletes have a great chance at impact, because of the media, which frankly is a part of the Thorpe discussion. That doesn’t preclude old-timers from making the list — Kurland’s final Oklahoma A&M season was 1946 — but it most definitely helps to have played in later years, when television could spread the word more readily.
Anyway, here’s my list of the 15 most influential athletes in state history:
15. Hub Reed: Between Henry Iba’s glory years and the explosion of OU’s BillyBall, the state’s college basketball flag was waved by Abe Lemons and Oklahoma City University, which went to seven NCAA Tournaments from 1956 through 1973. Lemons was known for his long-range sharpshooters, but his best player ever was Reed, the center Lemons inherited when he took over the head coaching job in 1955. In Lemons’ first two years, with Reed at center, the Chiefs advanced to NCAA regional finals, a game shy of the Final Four, setting the foundation for his great OCU run.
14. Allie Reynolds: You want Indian role models, here’s one. SuperChief, they called Reynolds as the ace of the Yankee pitching staffs in the late ’40s and early ’50s. Reynolds later became involved in Oklahoma City’s Red Earth Festival. What everyone has said for two days about Thorpe’s impact on his Native people, actually is true about Reynolds.
13. Stacey Dales: The Courtney Paris years were splendid for OU women’s basketball in terms of attendance and fan fever and visibility. But Paris was at OU because of the success Dales helped establish. Dales was a flashy point guard, and those 2002 Sooners built the attendance base that helped Sherri Coale attract the Paris sisters. Dales, not Paris, is the player most responsible for the wild interest in women’s basketball.
12. Mat Hoffman: Us old codgers don’t want to think of all those bicycle tricks as sport. But thousands of Oklahoma kids were drawn to this revolutionary rider.
11. Byron Houston: This will be an unpopular choice, because of Houston’s legal scrapes for indecent exposure. But the presence of Houston at OSU in 1990, upon Eddie Sutton’s arrival, made for a stunning renaissance of Cowboy basketball. A virtually dormant program went to consecutive Sweet 16s the first two years under Sutton, primarily because Houston was around to dominate both ends of the court, and Sutton used that success to build a program that made two Final Fours in his first 14 years.
10. Barry Sanders: OSU’s only Heisman Trophy winner has been gone 21 years, but the Cowboys still get mileage out of Sanders’ legacy. For one thing, Sanders was so special, recruits still remember him. And that Heisman Trophy sitting in Heritage Hall is a reminder that all dreams are possible, even outside one of the elite football traditions.
9. Josh Heupel: Jack Mildren light. Bob Stoops seems too good of a coach not to have had success anyway. But finding a quarterback like this, a leader who could throw, ignited the Stoops era. After five years in the wilderness, a bowl game in Stoops’ first year, a national championship in his second. No way that occurs without Heupel. No way Stoops has the launching pad to win six Big 12 titles in nine years. Mildren and Heupel are clearly the two most valuable players in OU football history.
8. Chris Paul: If we do this list 10 years from now, it’s quite possible that CP3 will have been replaced by Kevin Durant, who could rank much higher. But for now, Paul’s influence can’t be overlooked. The NBA is here with the Thunder not just because the Hornets were here, but because the Hornets were wildly successful here. Maybe the Hornets would have prospered without Paul. Certainly Oklahoma fans scooped up tickets long before they had an idea how good was Paul or how much it was to watch him play. But Paul made the Hornets instantly competitive. He was Oklahoma’s first major-league star. He made the splash into the NBA a breeze.
7. Mickey Mantle: The Yankees were great before Mantle. The Yankees have been great after Mantle. But the Yankees were never as great as they were with Mantle, and that explains the Yanks’ amazing popularity in Oklahoma. With apologies to our nearest neighbors — the Rangers, Astros and Royals — the baseball teams with the most loyal fan followings in Oklahoma are the Cardinals and the Yankees. The Cards because of KMOX radio; the Yanks because of Mickey Mantle. The Commerce Comet remains an Oklahoma icon, even though he hasn’t lived here in 60 years. Fans were drawn to the Yankee pinstripes because of Mantle; they remain drawn.
6. Shannon Miller: Great gymnasts impact their sport more than most athletes. The Olympics every four years produce one or two champions that become cultural phenomenons, and that’s what Miller was in 1992, and when she returned to the Olympics in 1996, her influence soared. Little girls always are drawn to gymnastics because of the Olympics, but that allure was magnified in Oklahoma because of Shannon Miller.
5. Jim Shoulders: A five-time all-around champion in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, a seven-time world bull-riding champ and a four-time bareback world champion. Shoulders’ influence stems in large part to the bull-riding school he established. Aspiring cowboys for generations came to Henryetta to learn to rodeo like Shoulders, a cowboy’s cowboy.
4. Jack Mildren: It is no stretch to state that without Mildren, there would not have been a Barry Switzer Era at OU. There might have been a wishbone era, but there’s no reason to believe it would have been successful. OU’s move to the ‘bone in mid-season 1970 was wildly successful because Mildren proved to be a great optioneer, running the ‘bone as well as it’s ever been run, lifting Chuck Fairbanks to an NFL offer and Switzer to the head-coaching position.
3. Prentice Gautt: Oklahoma’s Jackie Robinson. Gautt broke the OU football color line in 1957, and the Sooners took more than a decade head start on the other national powers in Jim Crow Oklahoma. While Texas, Arkansas and the schools of the Southeastern Conference didn’t integrate until 1969 or later, OU began recruiting black athletes in the 1950s. Gautt withstood some unfortunate times but from all accounts displayed grace and honor and paved the way for what is now more than 50 years of great black athletes.
2. Bob Kurland: Without one of the sport’s early great centers, the great Henry Iba run at Oklahoma State would have far less successful. With Kurland, Iba’s Aggies won two NCAA titles, establishing the OSU tradition that carried on into the 1950s, when a young shooter named Eddie Sutton as recruited. It is not clear that Tisdale should rank ahead of Kurland.
1. Wayman Tisdale: For the reasons I gave Sunday. He basically made OU basketball a happening. College basketball in Oklahoma was still a sleepy sport in 1982. Nationally, it was huge, thanks to UCLA and the great teams that followed the Bruin dynasty. But college wrestling was as big as college basketball in 1982, including at OU, despite the Sooners’ 1979 Big Eight championship. Tisdale changed that, making OU hoops exciting and nationally competitive almost overnight, and both OU and Oklahoma State have been soaring in the sport ever since, with only a few hiccups.
Clemens: Not good company to keep
Roger is a long-time reader who used to call into my radio show and make excellent points. Now he sends me the most fascinating emails. Stuff he’s really thought about and carefully considered.
He wrote me last week about Roger Clemens, who went on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show and again vehemently denied the steroid accusations. My Roger made some points about Clemens. 1. “When asked a sensitive question, Clemens would change the subject. 2. “Some very obvious lies. (Because of family history, he certainly would never risk using steroids.)” 3. “If others don’t agree with his version of the facts, they must be liars (or misremember?).”
My Roger said he got a strong feeling that he had heard the same kind of story recently. “Then I remembered,” Roger wrote. “Sunday night I was watching an NBA playoff game, but during a time-out I went to check the History Channel. They had a special on Herman Goering and his part as an accused war criminal in the Nuremberg trials.
“Goering was a large man, used to being in charge — and intimidating others. His testimony was persuasive to some at first because of his strength and power. Goering was shown to be a liar.
“One example: after Goering claimed he had nothing to do with the concentration camps, no say in sending anyone there as a prisoner, someone got him to tell how he got some Jewish prisoners released on his authority – these were Jewish men who had been loyal German officers in WWI. Goering wanted to show how ’some of his best friends were Jews,’ but then they made this point. If he could get a prisoner released, who would believe he had no authority to get someone put into a death camp?
“This is much like Clemens’ claim that his family has a history of heart disease — because his STEPFATHER died of heart disease. So obviously Roger would never endanger his own heart by using steroids?
“Goering told his story as he saw it: as a loyal German citizen, he helped protect the Fatherland from those pesky little neighbor countries who threatened his country. Herman claimed to be a good family man. He changed the subject whenever questions became uncomfortable. He rationalized every action he took.
“It seems Clemens has character not much different from the Nazi war criminal. I found the similarity to be very disturbing to me.”
Well, I must admit no great expertise in Herman Goering or the Nazis in general. But I found this discussion fascinating. I believe Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs; heck, I believe almost every baseball player used them, why wouldn’t I believe a guy with as much evidence stacked against him as Clemens?
I also know that there are people who believe Clemens has been railroaded. The witnesses against Clemens are of dubious character; that’s what you get in legal matters. Choirboys rarely show up in shaky situations, though there is that Andy Pettitte deal that Clemens never has explained away.
But finding similar attitudes in such vastly different settings is simply fascinating. I don’t know for sure that Clemens is lying. But I can see the parallels. Can’t you? Some people tell themselves something so long that they almost come to believe it.
In any event, I’ve seen Clemens compared to a lot of people. Herman Goering now has to rank as No. 1 on the most unflattering list.
OU softball: More bad news for All Sports Association
First, Oklahoma State’s baseball team somehow fails to qualify for the eight-team Big 12 Tournament, a difficult task in a 10-team conference.
Now, OU’s softball team, given a home-field path to the Women’s College World Series, has failed to even make it to the regional finals. The Sooners lost to North Dakota State and Tulsa on Saturday and will miss the World Series for the fifth straight year after qualifying for five straight WCWS events.
That is bad news for the Oklahoma City All Sports Association, which does a tremendous job promoting sports in OKC. The World Series will be fine — the college softball national championship brings in enough tourists to make Hall of Fame Stadium a hopping place — but the presence of the Sooners would have guaranteed overflow and perhaps record-setting crowds.
For some reason, Patty Gasso’s OU program is in a funk. College softball is a top-heavy sport. The better seeds and the home teams almost always win. Yet the Sooners, for the second time in three years, have been eliminated on their own campus. OU was given a golden path — a home regional, with no traditional power sent to Norman, followed by a Super Regional home berth.
That five-year run in the World Series, ignited by the 2000 NCAA championship, was a huge spark to softball interest in Oklahoma. But this five-year drought by the Sooners signals that OU’s program is not among the national elite.
Emails in on Tisdale & Chaisson
The new emails are in, and many wrote to reminisce about the death of Wayman Tisdale. Other subjects: Big 12 South football, OSU’s desire to play in Dallas and Justin Chaisson. Tisdale dominated
J.R.: “I live in Colorado, but I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I attended the University of Oklahoma from ‘86-89 and stayed in Walker Tower. I am deeply saddened by the news concerning Wayman Tisdale’s death. As soon as I heard the news, I contacted OU about getting a jersey with his number and name on it. They don’t have any. In a tribute to him and what he has done for our university and what he has done for cancer patients fighting for their lives, we should come out with OU basketball jerseys with his name and number on them. It would be even better if they had cancer ribbons embroidered on the front. They could come in our colors and also come in pink. Maybe some of the profits from the shirt could even go to cancer research in honor of his name.”
Here’s what’s interesting. You see the masses wearing school colors at college games more than you see the masses wearing franchises colors at pro games. But you see a lot more jerseys at pro games. Probably all kinds of reasons, emotional and financial, why.
Ken: “I live in Portland, Ore. I’ve followed Wayman’s career since he played basketball at OU. He was obviously a great talent on the court. But his music was outstanding also and will live on. He just had it! When I think of the greatest smiles I’ve seen, he’s up there with Scatman Crothers, Magic Johnson and Curly Neal. A smile that’s unforgettable. How fortunate the state of Oklahoma is to have had such an individual. He was universal.”
You can go many a year without a reference to Scatman Crothers. I forgot what he looked like. So I looked him up, and Scatman did indeed have a world-class smile.
Jerry: “It sure hurts to lose a guy like that.”
It would hurt worse to never had a guy like that.
James: “Any thought of naming the court at Lloyd Noble Center after Wayman?”
Now that’s an idea that has merit. If there’s one thing college sports do, it’s honor coaches too much and players not enough.
John: “What a loss to us Oklahomans. He was Mr. Oklahoman. Loved the man.”
Wayman Tisdale was loved. There are worse tributes to a man’s life.
Craig: “We never had one like Wayman before he came to OU and we’ve never had one like him since.”
Players like Wayman? Probably will see it again. Heck, we saw someone about as good with Blake Griffin. Personalities like Wayman? Probably will see it again, though it will be tough to duplicate. Both in the same package? No chance.
Josh wrote about the possibility of another three-way tie in the Big 12 South. “How do you think the following scenarios would break down? Scenario #1: OSU beats Georgia and Texas, loses at OU and finishes 7-1, 11-1 Texas beats OU, loses at OSU, finishes 7-1, 11-1. OU loses at Miami and to Texas, beats OSU and finishes 7-1, 10-2. My thoughts: OSU wins tiebreaker. Scenario #2: OSU loses to Georgia, beats Texas, loses to OU and finishes 7-1, 10-2. Texas beats OU, loses at OSU and finishes 7-1, 11-1. OU loses at Miami, loses to Texas and beats OSU to finish 7-1, 10-2. My thoughts: Texas wins tiebreaker. Scenario #3: OSU loses to Georgia, loses to Texas and wins at OU to finish 7-1, 10-2. Texas loses to OU, wins at OSU and finishes 7-1, 11-1. OU loses at Miami, beats Texas and loses to OSU to finish 7-1, 10-2. My thoughts: Texas wins tiebreaker. Scenario #4: OSU beats UGA, loses to Texas and wins at OU to finish 7-1, 11-1. Texas loses to OU, wins at OSU and finishes 7-1, 11-1. OU loses at Miami, beats Texas, loses to OSU and finishes 7-1, 10-2. My thoughts: OSU wins tiebreaker.
First of all, I love this kind of thing. I love it when people think about stuff. OSU playing Georgia and OU playing at Miami leads to all kinds of non-conference possibilities. Anyway, I disagree with Josh on No. 1. I don’t see OSU winning the tiebreaker if it loses after Thanksgiving. Otherwise, I’m with him.
Larry, the big Texas Tech fan, took umbrage at talk of a three-way tie not involving the Red Raiders and responded with some sarcasm: “Since we lost old Harold Graham and that Crabtree boy, we have nobody left who can throw or catch a football. Not a soul. Scuttlebutt out of Lubbock is that Coach is trying to decide whether to go to the single wing or quit football altogether. We also have to replace that big Mexican boy played in the line. Vasquez or something. From what I’m hearing, we got us a good prospect. Never played football before, but was a Class A all-state tuba player out of Lone Star Beer, Texas. She’s supposed to be a big’n too. We lost some guys off defense, but Coach is down there at the rodeo grounds right now scouting the bulldoggers. Most of our defense is there on rodeo scholarship, since we can’t get no real football players to come to Texas Tech. We’re just hoping we can finish fifth again.”
Here’s the deal. This guy will totally wear you out. But he has a point. Tech is annually overlooked.
Josh wrote about the Thunder: “I know it might seem kind of random, but now that Oklahoma City has its own potential NBA superstar in Kevin Durant, how long until we have a giant black and white Nike mural of Kevin Durant adorning one of the buildings downtown? I think it would be cool to see a 50-foot Kevin Durant on the side of the BOK building (or some other building) in downtown OKC. Don’t you?”
Yes I do. Sign me up for that. Or at least we could have huge Thunder hanging along Reno Avenue.
Mike, a big LSU fan, wrote about me mentioning LSU as a
possible opponent for OSU in the greater Dallas area. “Several. years ago, LSU had scheduled a home and home with OSU, but OSU cancelled it for some reason. LSU had home and homes scheduled with Texas Tech and Baylor as well and they got cancelled. LSU has tried to get A&M for a home and home with the A&M game being played in either Houston or Dallas and A&M won’t do it. We do have a home and home with TCU coming up in 2011 and 2012. The big question in this for LSU, as with most everything nowadays, is money. LSU would be glad to play somebody in Dallas if the money was right. I believe that if LSU would be guaranteed expenses and a modest profit, they would be willing to play a game each year in Dallas. We LSU fans in the area would love to see LSU in Dallas every year!”
Anything that beefs up non-conference schedules, I’m for.
Rick: “Read your piece on OSU trying to go to Dallas. Holder now believes it is necessary? I agree, but not this year. Eight home games in Stillwater will be more beneficial. A really quality bowl game could be in the future for the Cowboys. And I still believe that the Cotton Bowl in Dallas is going to win the stadium wars. The DART line to Fair Park is the key to attendance. Weak point is the Tech-Baylor game. After 2010, Holder should revisit Tech on a series to replace Baylor. By that time the dust will have settled. The Cotton Bowl will have won out on location. I tell you, the Arlington location is going to hurt the program. You don’t move away from the money. The Cowboys (Dallas) are still advertising for season tickets.”
Maybe so, but I believe Holder prefers Arlington to the Cotton Bowl. That was the sticking point. Tech preferred the Cotton Bowl.
Cindy: “To quote my mother, ‘Just because so and so does it, doesn’t mean you have to.’ For once, I have to agree with my mother. I don’t think going to Dallas is so important to our football program. We are perfectly content staying home or playing on the opponent’s home field. I believe if you build the program no matter where we play, they will come. This is doing nothing but costing us even more to watch our team play by spending another weekend away. And after reading what OU is going to have to pay just for parking is nothing but a ripoff. My parking is included in our ticket price, and I’m a stone throw away from walking in at Boone Pickens Stadium, and I’m already being charged enough for that right.”
Cindy, you’re under the mistaken notion that college football exists for the fans.
Some readers still are talking about Justin Chaisson, the OU recruit from Las Vegas who was charged with felonies including kidnapping but pled to gross misdemeanors. Bernie wrote, “I agree that it is a gamble. However, this is more of an immaturity/insecurity/uncontrolled testosterone/lack of guidance from family/possibly lack of male father figure in a positive manner or all of the above than some of the more criminal elements or recent. I say, give him the same chance that Jarboe got and boot him if he screws up. He may be a Joe Don Looney, but maybe he could be the one that succeeds (big maybe). Worth a try though.”
Maybe he’s worth a try, but how about we stop the excuse making. It wasn’t immature or insecure or lack of guidance. It was criminal.
Ken: “You say that Chaisson’s problems can’t be fixed with a change in address. Who says that coming to OU to play football is only a change of address? What about new coaches and a new program that truly care about him and his future? There you go again Berry! OSU’s guy that is in trouble is a lot, lot worse with a big trial coming. You should have written many, many articles about that guy. How come you only wrote one? You favor OSU, that is why! Your vengeance can only mean that either you or The Oklahoman have some unknown problem with Coach Stoops and/or the program. There is a large group of us that would pay for your move to Austin or Stillwater if you would please go.”
There is a large group, all right, but it’s people who would tell their daughters and granddaughters that someone can stick a screwdriver to their neck, and it’s just fine so long as it helps OU win football games.
Ron: “As always, you hit the nail on the head with this recruit being a gamble. Bob Stoops better realize that he will be asking for trouble if he brings this player here. It’ll just be a matter of time before he commits another similar crime and who knows? Next time he’ll be better prepared and have more than a screwdriver as a weapon. As a police officer for over 25 years, I’ve found that a violent sociopath does not and cannot make a complete change in his behavior.”
Actually, I think there’s a chance Chaisson will behave himself in Norman. I just think it’s a huge gamble, because the fallout will not be small if Chaisson doesn’t straighten up.
Trent: “Following the Sooners since the arrival of Coach Stoops, I have seen many players get a second chance. Whether it was Dan Cody, Dusty Dvoracek, DeMarcus Granger, Brandon Everage. I was wondering if this was something he learned from his time with Hayden Fry, something he learned from his own father, Bill Snyder or Steve Spurrier.”
I don’t know where Stoops learned any of that. I don’t even know if he’s more lenient or less lenient than most coaches. I think most coaches are predisposed to give good football players a second chance.
Richard: “I couldn’t agree with you more. This guy’s a huge gamble that’s not likely to have a happy ending, but Jarboe ‘not knowing enough to keep a gun away from campus?’ You’re kidding, right? Jarboe’s a thug with an unmanageable ego. Sociopath to the core. Stoops made the right choice for the right reason then and should do the same with Chaisson.”
I wasn’t kidding. Some people don’t know right from wrong. They’ve never been taught. That’s different from what happened in Vegas.
Nancy: “Domestic abuse, spousal abuse and girl- friend abuse, including teen-age, is rampant. For Stoops to now take this man would be an affront to all women. If he does, I hope women of all ages will boycott.”
Boycott OU football? Now that’s a sacrifice.
Sean: “I think you need to be careful here, or risk being yet another member of the media that wrongly persecutes, and declares guilty, a young man ACCUSED of a crime by a young woman. Remember innocent until proven guilty? As the Duke lacrosse case so clearly taught us, things are not always as they seem. Of course, Justin pled guilty to misdemeanor charges, so you might challenge that he is indeed guilty, but I firmly believe that the only reason he did this was to get on with college football and his life, and put the incident behind him. Additionally, any good attorney would not want a 6-6, 280-pound kid in a jury courtroom. Even with false charges against him, the visual alone could sway a jury to a wrongful guilty verdict. Let’s not underestimate the anger that an 18-year-old girl can muster up when her long-term, NFL Meal Ticket, love of her life, boyfriend breaks up with her. And what young couple has not had a blowout argument? Did Justin insist she get in the car? Apparently. Was that a mistake? Definitely. Did the girlfriend maybe exaggerate from there? Very possible. Remember, everyone believed the accuser in the Duke case immediately, and her accusations turned out to be COMPLETELY FALSE. In summary, I think you need be aware that there is another side to every story. There definitely is here. Let’s give the kid a chance to move on. If he screws up again, then persecute him.”
You’re kidding, right? I jump off the bus very quickly when someone starts talking about ‘let’s not underestimate the anger an 18-year-old girl can muster…’ You’re the one who is on dangerous ground here, because that’s the kind of talk that was prevalent for thousand of years, and remains so in portions of the Middle East, whereby we blame the female for the out-of-control actions of the male. It’s nonsense. Chaisson’s attorney – by his own words – crafted a plea that would keep him eligible for his OU scholarship. If someone wants to take a chance on Chaisson, fine. But let’s not pretend that his actions were anything short of criminal and dangerous.
Tim: “There have been a few ‘angry’ boys that made it at OU, like Cody and Dvoracek, but you’re right, it is indeed hard. I found out last year that I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from Korea in 1968. Anger seemed to be the first emotion to surface. Hard to control, have to learn techniques to help. I hope he makes it. So many gifted athletes seem to throw away every thing for drugs or just stupid behavior.”
Stoops does have a good record with problem players, but it only takes one mistake to bring the whole kingdom down.
OSU: Building a fan base critical
In Mel Bracht’s piece on the new Spike TV series “4th and Long” in today’s Oklahoman, network executive Joe Weinstock talked about his Oklahoma days. Weinstock grew up in Oklahoma City and graduated from Putnam City North.
Weinstock received a speech degree from OSU, then a law degree from OU and described himself as an avid OU football fan.
That’s exactly the kind of fan that OSU must cultivate to build its base. The Sooner football culture stretches into a lot of places, including some OSU grads. I know a few OSU graduates — and you do, too — who are Sooner supporters first in terms of buying tickets and following the team.
That’s the result of 60 years of OU football tradition, handed down generation to generation, and it extends to friends who come along for the ride and get hooked.
And that’s exactly the kind of fan OSU must commandeer. The Cowboys have built up their base over the years but must continue to do so to fill renovated Boone Pickens Stadium, which now seats 60,000. The Cowboys’ future financial health depends on creating new fans, and maintaining your graduates as those fans is paramount. OSU must rope in Oklahomans with no particular allegiance — football fans who went to Northeastern State or Langston or Southern Nazarene — but it also must keep its graduates.
The success of recent years no doubt has helped in that regard. Oklahoma State is a player in the Big 12. The Cowboys have elevated themselves nationally, to where they are being ranked in 2009 preseason polls anywhere from sixth to 12th. They are playing high-profile games and making new people — fans, media, recruits — take notice.
That must continue to happen for OSU to build that fan base. And starting with its own graduates would help.
Yes, Joe Weinstock has degrees from both schools. But most people feel the deepest connection to their place of undergraduate study. OSU can’t let too many OU law degrees or OU medical-school degrees sway a devotion. The successes of Les Miles and Mike Gundy this decade must continue.
Sooner football schedule full of landmines
Studying the 2009 Big 12 Conference football schedule, I was struck by just how difficult OU’s assignment is.
The Sooners play seven games I would term losable. That’s seven opponents that would seem to have a legit chance to beat Oklahoma. Some would need to play really well, some would need some help from OU and some will stand toe-to-toe with the Sooners.
Some can dream about impossible upsets, but the truth is, Idaho State, Tulsa, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Baylor are just not physically able to compete with OU right now. But that leaves seven opponents that can at least hang in there: BYU, Miami, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas Tech and OSU.
Of those seven foes, only one comes to Norman. That’s OSU for Bedlam. The other six games are away from Norman — Brigham Young and Texas in Greater Dallas, the others on the road, starting with Miami and then L-city cubed: Lawrence, Lincoln and Lubbock.
OU plays this rotation of the schedule once every four years, starting with 1997, so this is the fourth time since the formation of the Big 12. The Sooners never have swept the KU/Nebraska/Tech trio in road-game years. They went 1-2 in 1997 (beating Tech), 2-1 in 2001 (losing at Nebraska) and 1-1 in 2005 (losing at Tech and beating KU in Kansas City).
Texas and OSU have much easier road schedules. The Cowboys play only four games away from Stillwater: Texas A&M, Baylor, Iowa State and OU. Texas plays six games away from Austin: Wyoming, OU in Dallas, Missouri, OSU, Baylor and A&M.
The Sooners are virtually unbeatable at home: Bob Stoops is 60-2 at Owen Field, losing to OSU in ‘01 and TCU in ‘05. But away from Norman, the Sooners are 49-22 under Stoops, which while still being a fine record isn’t juggernaut status. Stoops is 26-8 in Big 12 road games (not counting neutral sites). That’s an excellent record but doesn’t indicate the Sooners will roll everyone no matter where they play.
One scheduling item in OU’s favor is that it plays neither of its chief rivals for the Big 12 South title — Texas and OSU — on their campus. OSU comes to Norman, and OU gets Texas in Dallas. OSU has to go to Norman, and Texas has to go to Stillwater.
But those six games away from Norman, six of the seven toughest games the Sooners play, will be landmines set to derail OU’s championship hopes.
Thunder tonic: South American players
I’m joining a new fan club. The South American NBA Players fan club. Watching these playoffs, I’ve figured out what the Thunder needs. A couple of South Americans. Brazil, Argentina, doesn’t matter. South Americans generally play defense, particularly around the basket. They also hustle, scrap and don’t seem to care if they shoot the ball or not.
That’s exactly what the Thunder needs. Here’s the lineup of the NBA’s South Americans:
Houston’s Luis Scola is from Argentina. There’s a reason the Rockets didn’t wither without Tracy McGrady and then even beat the Lakers without Yao Ming. Guys like Scola play tough. Scola averaged 12.7 points and 8.8 rebounds this season. In the playoffs, those numbers are 13.8 and 8.3.
Cleveland’s Andersen Varejao (Brazil) is the long-haired, high-energy post man who does the dirty work for the LeBron James Gang. Varejao is an excellent defender who averages 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Those numbers aren’t much compared to the high-profile scorers, but Varejao is worth his weight in Carlos Boozers. Varejao has the option of becoming a free agent this summer; be still my heart.
Denver’s Nene (Brazil) needs a last name (or is it a first?), but he’s another high-energy center, only with more offense. NeNe has been injury-prone, playing in just 81 games the previous three seasons. But we’ve seen this season, in Denver’s breakout year, what he can do, averaging 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds.
San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili (Argentina), I assume you know about. Besides being a wonderful all-around player, he’s apparently a world-class teammate whether on the Spurs or on the Argentine national team.
Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa (Brazil). Basically the last of the Suns’ gazelle-like wing men. Raja Bell and Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw are gone. But Barbosa remains. He’s not the same kind of player as Scola and Varejao; Barbosa likes to shoot, and I don’t know how much defense he plays, but he averaged 14.2 points for the Suns and remains a memory of better days in Phoenix.
Sacramento’s Andres Nocioni (Argentina). Unlike his countrymen, he’s a big guy who likes to shoot. Traded from Chicago in the John Salmons deal, Nocioni averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds this season.
Detroit’s Walter Herrman (Argentina). Averaged 9.2 points a game as a 26-year-old rookie with the Bobcats two years ago. Now is averaging just 10.7 minutes a game with the Pistons as a 6-foot-9 role player. But Detroit generally knows what to do with ballplayers, and Herrman could still develop.
San Antonio’s Fabricio Oberto (Argentina). Luis Scola light. They are former teammates; the Spurs had the rights to both and signed Oberto when they couldn’t get Scola freed from his contract. Oberto is another high-energy, defensive-minded big man who doesn’t put up big numbers (2.6, 2.6 this season) but helps you win ballgames.
Mavericks a reflection of Cuban
Remember the old adage that teams take on the personality of their coach? I think the Dallas Mavericks have taken on the personality of their owner.
Mark Cuban is in many ways a great owner. Dallas went from non-competitive to competitive virtually overnight after Cuban bought the team, and Cuban has kept the Mavs at or near a championship level for almost a decade.
But Cuban also is volatile. He’s passionate and emotional and sometimes even irrational. And that seems to have spread to his ballteam.
Dallas beat Denver 119-117 Monday night to stay alive in their Western Conference semifinal. The Nuggets still lead the series 3-1, but the Mavs played valiantly to keep their season going, in a game in which they trailed most of the way.
But the Mavericks made it much harder on themselves than they had to. Dallas was whistled for three technical fouls in the fourth quarter, which by definition means at critical times.
All teams get technicals. Before the fourth quarter Monday night, Denver was handed three technicals and Dallas just one. But in the fourth quarter, when points and possessions are pearls of great price, the Mavericks gave away points.
With 11:32 left and Denver up 90-85, Erick Dampier was given a rough-housing technical, wiping out a Dallas rebound. The Nuggets were given a foul shot and an extra possession, which they turned into three points.
With 7:59 left and Denver up 97-93, Brandon Bass received a technical for arguing and staring, and Carmelo Anthony’s foul shot gave the Nuggets a five-point lead.
With 6:07 left and Denver up 102-100, Antoine Wright was given a technical for arguing a call. Chauncey Billups’ foul shot gave the Nuggets a three-point lead.
Dallas overcame those three (or five) free points and won, but it wasn’t. And it’s inexcusable. Teams have got to handle their emotions better than that, and that’s where Cuban fails, too.
His behavior in the Denver series has been poor. Yelling at Kenyon Martin’s mother after Game 3, calling K-Mart a “thug,” then failing to apologize over the next two days (and counting) is a festering story that should never have happened.
On TNT, Chris Webber made a great point, calling Cuban one of the stars of the league and pointing out that the NBA holds star players accountable for their actions and the same should be demanded of Cuban.
And Cuban’s volatility has spread into his team, which won Monday night despite itself.
