Frank Anderson’s job should be safe
OSU baseball coach Frank Anderson has not done a good job this year. His Cowboys are 30-21 overall but 7-15 in the Big 12 and going to miss the conference tournament, barring the most unlikely of miracles.
Watching the Bedlam Series, you could see signs of the Cowboy problems. A major baserunning blunder Friday night, when OSU could have taken control of the game. Simple failure to play pitch and catch Saturday night, when OU scored the game-winning run with only one batted ball, which did not leave the infield.
Bad weekend. Bad year. But that doesn’t mean Anderson should be fired, which has been a question I’ve gotten quite a bit in recent weeks. Anderson has been a solid coach for the Cowboys; OSU has been nationally-competitive before this season, and as recently as last spring the Cowboys seemed a College World Series contender, until Andy Oliver’s NCAA problems arise and sabotaged the Cowboys in their own regional.
In his six seasons, Anderson has not reached the CWS, which once was the OSU standard. But that was then. Times have changed. The new college baseball landscape — formation of the Big 12, two tiers of playoffs that make it tougher to reach Omaha — works against OSU. The Cowboys went to eight straight College World Serieses in the 1980s primarily because Gary Ward dominated the Big Eight, then usually received a home regional. In that eight-year run, OSU played six regionals at home and another in Tulsa. Only in 1987, at Starkville, Miss., did the Cowboys play in enemy territory. In the Big 12, which is a crapshoot league with a variety of established baseball schools, a home stretch is rare in the NCAA playoffs.
Plus, OSU’s facilities have fallen behind. The Cowboys had the best stadium in the Big Eight. But now OSU ranks somewhere in the bottom half of the league, and its indoor practice facilities aren’t much. A new stadium and an all-sports indoor facility are on the drawing board, but when Boone Pickens’ money went poof in the economic collapse, those facilities fell from the horizon.
OSU should be better than ninth place in the Big 12. Way better. But one bad year shouldn’t be enough to cost Frank Anderson his job.
Happy Mother’s Day, Oklahoma
I wrote another Mother’s day column for the Sunday Oklahoman. This is my 11th, and it’s one of my favorite things I do all year.
I like it for several reasons. One is the mystery; you have to read to the very end to find out who I’m writing about. Another thing is it often tells a story few know about. A tale about growing up in olden days, or an inside look at a family we think we know but maybe not.
It also celebrates motherhood, which is the most underrated commodity in the country. Mothers built this country. Not with brick and mortar (although probably more than we know), but with the raising of solid citizens, and with tender loving care, and with nights spent praying.
I don’t have a system by which I select a mother to write about. I ask around, people on our staff and people in PR at OU and OSU. Things I’ve read or heard. I got one idea while attending the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. I got another, totally out of the blue, from a book.
I’m not going to spoil this year’s column by telling you who I wrote about. You can read it yourself, on the web or in the paper. We’ve also provided the links for all my previous Mother’s Day columns, starting with 1995 and beginning annually in 2000.
One thing I will add. My 1995 Mother’s Day column is my favorite thing I’ve ever written. It’s not long, and it’s relatively simple, but it remains No. 1 on my list. I hope you enjoy it.
http://newsok.com/article/3241950 – 1995: Jessie raised brothers up right
http://newsok.com/article/3241951 – 2000: This mom raised 10 kids
http://newsok.com/article/3241952 – 2001: Beryl was one proud mom
http://newsok.com/article/3241953 – 2002: Mom was always in the stands
http://newsok.com/article/3241954 – 2003: Finding her special Joey
http://newsok.com/article/3241955 – 2004: Rowdy boys don’t stop Pam
http://newsok.com/article/3241956 – 2005: Poor, pregnant Linda produced a champion
http://newsok.com/article/3241957 – 2006: Mother helps family’s American dream
http://newsok.com/article/3241958 – 2007: A Hall of Fame mom
http://newsok.com/article/3241975 – 2008: Backbone of the family, shoulder to lean on
Emails in on Chaisson, Kellert & LittleJim
Shlomo: “There are knuckleheads out there. There are pitchers with million-dollar arms and half-million dollar brains. Some athletes don’t know when to come home at night. Some drink, or do drugs, or take juice. Some are brawlers. But this guy is the second coming of Christian Peter and he has no business wearing a Sooner uniform. Then, again, Dr. Tom (Osborne) ran a squeaky clean program at Nebraska and still took Peter. Guess the smell of victory was greater than the smell of Peter; kind of like a Right Guard shower. Anyway, I do hope that Bobby Big Game keeps his head on straight and padlocks the doors to the stadium.”
Lindsay: “If this was you or I, we would be in jail facing a 20-25 year sentence. But because he is a star athlete, his hand gets slapped. How can OU let a person like this play under scholarship? What message are they sending? As usual, it is all about wins and trophies and the dollar.”
Orlie wants to talk OU women’s basketball: “My wife and I are committed fans and we have several questions regarding this past year and next season. 1. Was there a valid attempt to keep Jenny Vining on the team ? This question is based on Coach Coale’s solid support of Vining last year and this past season. Vining began to show her 3-point shooting ability as well as her defensive skill while playing in Whitney Hand’s absences. 2. Why wasn’t more pressure put on Courtney Paris to lose weight, to attempt getting off her feet and moving faster. We have the impression the coaches thought her as good as she could be. 3. Have you ever witnessed Coach Coale showing anger with her team when it was obvious they were dogging it? We have watched a lot of women’s ball and have seen some of the country’s best coaches (Goestenkors, Mulkey, Summit, Hatchell, Van Derveer, Frese, Stringer) come down hard on their teams when the team did not play at their best or capability? 4. What about post players for next year? Coach Coale has some of the best role players in the country, but if she does not find some talented post players who can contribute immediately, it will be a long ’09-10 season.”
Jim wrote about the OU-BYU ticket prices: “Thank you for at least looking at the middle class sports person, who cannot afford those choice seats. I am amazed at the 50,000 fans paying the price. I wonder how many seats are being bought up by scalpers?”
Another Jim: “OU sent my renewal for season football parking in the fieldhouse lot, just north of the stadium. My new cost is $180, up from $120 last year. A 33 percent increase. With the economy stinking, when will these team officials realize a plasma TV is a lot cheaper and more comfortable way to view an event. Amongst my friends, that is a decision that just gets easier to make.”
Let’s talk about Frank Kellert. Dee: “I was a die-hard Yankee fan as a child, although this was a few years before my family ever thought about owning a TV. I could never imagine a man even as fast as Robinson was beating a throw from Whitey Ford to Yogi Berra, as good a catcher as ever knelt behind the plate. But I don’t think I ever read about Kellert’s comment.”
Tom: “Thanks for the accurate portrayal of Frank Kellert. Knew him well. His father was the plant manager at Wilson’s and I played for the Packers. He and his father were class people.”
Faye: “I knew Frank during the mid 1940s as a student at Oklahoma A&M. We lived in the same house and I spent a good many hours with him. He was everything you said about him and more. I saw the play you mentioned on TV and followed his career all the way back to OKC. He was an outstanding pitcher to begin with but was such a good hitter Toby Greene moved him to first base where he played most of his career. He threw a forkball that I couldn’t even catch, much less hit! He was a great human being!”
Jason: “Good article on the NBA vs. NHL. Some good points, but do you agree that debating which game is better is subjective? The NHL does have the better ultimate prize. Who knows the name of the NBA trophy? And OKC would probably have two Stanley Cups had the move happened (the Avs winning it had little to do with their move and more to do with it just being the franchise’s time — Quebec had the league’s best record the year before the move). And I’d argue that the NHL has the better athletes too. In the NBA you can be huge but far less talented than your peers, but in the NHL, if you’re big and you can’t skate, you’re demoted to the Central League, if you ever get to play for pay at all.”
Walt wrote about my column on Russell Westbrook: “I was glad to see your article. It is amazing to me to hear the opinion of our local radio and TV experts, explaining how Russell is not a point guard.’ Their perception of the position counts more than actual performance. It is the sort of stupidity that if prevalent at certain points in sports history would have prevented fans from seeing the likes of, say, Barry Sanders. The daily critical commentary by these fools is the very thing over which Jeff Capel became so irritated. ‘Why dwell on what we can’t do? Why is that your only focus?’ Hang in there, you are on the right side of this discussion.”
Joe wrote about Jim Plunkett: “If you are one of the Hall of Fame voters, I would like to lobby for you to vote Jim Plunkett on next year’s ballot. He has more than enough credentials and stats to qualify. No. 1 draft pick, Heisman winner, two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP, as well as many other awards. He is an outstanding example for young folks and the only two-time winning Super Bowl QB that is not in the Hall of Fame. Oakland has been snubbed enough.
Now, on to Clint LittleJim. Brian: “I thought your piece on Clint LittleJim was a great piece of storytelling. It’s easy with topics like that to get maudlin or too sugary or too heavy with the message. You did a terrific job of striking a balance – didn’t gloss over what the guy did, didn’t make the victim’s husband too much of a hero, but portrayed him as a regular guy who drew on his own experiences to do what he thought was right.”
Todd: “The story on LittleJim was more touching than any story following Sam Bradford’s or Blake Griffin’s escapades on the gridiron or basketball court. Keep up the good work and don’t hesitate to provide another human interest story if it presents itself.”
Kala: “I was touched by how you wrote this article. At the age of 19, I lost my oldest sister to a wreckless driver. The loss has changed my family forever. However, I did not feel as free to forgive as the husband in your article did. It will be 17 years in August since my sister was taken. Though I have changed my attitude towards her killer, I would love for him just to simply tell my family he was sorry. On the other hand, how grateful I am that not only God, but Mr. Kearnes, gave LittleJim a second chance.”
Bill: “This article touched me. You have an understanding of the heart of what is obviously a good man in Clint LittleJim. You also were able to capture the feelings of someone who has had their life turned upside down by their own use of alcohol. I am an alcoholic. I understand the fear, self-loathing, guilt, insecurity and absence of self confidence that one can only understand if they have been there, or been with someone who was there. By the grace of God and for no other reason, I just marked 21 years without a drink or non-prescribed drug of any kind. Like Clint, I can say that the only reason God laid on my heart the ability to stay sober was that God had more in mind for me. It is truly inspiring for me to read of someone who has been faced with rock bottom and slowly but surely begun a path of spiritual growth that allows them to make their life meaningful. Thank you!”
Richard: “I would much rather read that than even a story on OU football. Great story.”
Jo: “Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed the article on Clint LittleJim. I refuse to read most of the newspaper and don’t watch the news because everything is negative. Thank you for a positive story about someone who has made a difference. There are more of those to be told if anyone is interested in reading them.”
Dave: “Your story about LittleJim is crap. Maybe you should do a story about the countless lives that are lost to drunk drivers. Wow, you really opened a horrible nightmare.”
Lindell: “I just wanted to tell you your article about Clint LittleJim was the best article I have read in a long time. Although you would never expect someone to not serve time in jail for this crime, maybe it proves that putting people in jail is not always the right thing.”
Jim: “God bless you for pointing out again that we should never judge a person by only a low point in their life.”
John: “No church service on May 3rd could top your story. An excellent piece that makes us be thankful that there are the Kearnes’ and the Littlejims’ of the world.”
Cooperstown tale: Guess who lives around the corner
I received an email from a woman who lives around the corner us and has since we built our house six years ago. She wrote me about some community stuff, just a sentence or two, then added: “FYI. On July 26th, my uncle, Joe Gordon (my dad’s brother), will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you remember, he beat out Allie Reynolds in the veterans balloting last December. Anyhow, we are planning to attend the ceremony and we are really looking forward to it.”
To which I responded, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” I never write in capital letters, but for crying out loud. Joe Gordon is one of my all-time favorite players.
Here’s what I wrote in 2007, upon hearing that Bowie Kuhn had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: “You’ve got to be kidding. Baseball has had a long list of bad commissioners, and Kuhn rates near the top … This is ridiculous. Jim Rice and Joe Gordon and Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage aren’t in the Hall of Fame, but an inept commissioner is? That’s not a hall of fame. That’s a old-friends club.”
Of course, now Rice and Gordon and Gossage have been elected, and maybe Blyleven will be, too. But anyway, here’s a list I produced in January, just before the voting, of the 10 most deserving players of Cooperstown who had not been elected, in descending order:
10. Bill Freehan; 9. Jim Rice; 8. Dale Murphy; 7. Ron Santo; 6. Tim Raines; 4-5. Lou Whitaker & Alan Trammell; 3. Gil Hodges; 2. Bert Blyleven; 1. Joe Gordon.
Joe Gordon was born in 1915, attended the University of Oregon, then signed with the Yankees in 1936. By 1938, he was their starting second baseman and played 11 seasons in the big leagues, low for a Hall of Famer, but he missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons, when he would have been in the prime of his career, because of World War II.
Gordon hit 253 home runs, a huge number for a second baseman and played on epic Yankee and Cleveland Indian teams, in stadiums that weren’t too friendly for right-handed hitters. A great, great player who long ago deserved to be in Cooperstown. And his niece lives around the corner.
Should Sooners take Chaisson?
Watching the Las Vegas court proceedings concerning OU recruit Justin Chaisson on Wednesday, I had the same feeling I had a year ago when the Sooners were still saying they would take Josh Jarboe: I’m glad it’s Bob Stoops’ responsibility and not mine.
Chaisson pleaded no contest Wednesday to four gross misdemeanors in Clark County, Nevada: two counts of false imprisonment, one count of malicious destruction of private property and one count of conspiracy to commit coercion and/or false imprisonment. Chaisson was charged with forcing his ex-girlfriend into a vehicle, driving her into the desert, placing a screwdriver against her neck and threatening to kill her.
Chaisson originally was charged with felonies, but those charges were reduced in a plea agreement, much like Jarboe a year ago, after he brought a gun onto school grounds. Bob Stoops gambled on Jarboe, then dismissed him when Jarboe made an amateur video, rapping about killing people.
There certainly is no reason to believe Chaisson received special treatment from Vegas authorities; pleas like this are made all the time, all over the country. But the court proceedings were unsettling, if for no other reason than I knew Chaisson’s attorney, Michael Cristalli, was lying, at least about Chaisson’s future schedule. Cristalli, in arguing to spread out Chaisson’s community service requirements on an annual rather than a weekly basis, said Chaisson would be tied up 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and when the judge asked when Chaisson would do schoolwork, Cristalli mentioned something about a 10 p.m. team study hall.
That’s nonsense, of course. Football players’ schedules are tightly packed, but football doesn’t go until 10 p.m. Study hall and homework certainly can come before that. Who would have thought: misrepresentation of the situation by an attorney.
The theme of the court discussion about community service centered on Chaisson being too busy. Of course, the judge could have been thinking that Chaisson getting the heck out of her town and going to school halfway across the country was community service enough.
Anyway, Cristalli certainly talked in court like he was working in cooperation with OU to get Chaisson freed to become a Sooner, and afterwards he told our man Jake Trotter that he had maintained communication with OU officials in working out a plea agreement that would allow Chaisson to retain his scholarship. OU policy forbids an athletic scholarship to someone who has been convicted of a felony.
The entire episode puts Bob Stoops in a bad situation. Carrying guns onto high school campuses, kidnapping and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend, these are not actions that play well on the Oklahoma plains or much of anywhere else.
But coaches, laudably, believe they can positively impact wayward young men. And they can, though it doesn’t always happen. But coaches also are charged with maintaining a quality football program, pleasing not just to fans hungry for wins but a president and donors who want, and sometimes demand, a certain decorum. Stoops prides himself on running a solid ship, and he has, but it won’t take too many more recruits Josh Jarboe and Justin Chaisson to alter the image of OU football.
These are not easy decisions to make, and I wasn’t being flippant a year ago when I said I’m glad it’s Stoops’ responsibility. Not being flippant now. I believe in second chances. I also believe in keeping screwdrivers off girls’ necks.
An unlikely champ for Big Ten expansion: Paterno
The Big Ten Conference is a bastion of traditionalism. Joe Paterno, who came to Penn State football straight off the Mayflower, is as old school as it gets. Yet the 82-year-old Paterno, still coaching at Penn State, where he’s been since the Truman administration, is politicking for Big Ten expansion to 12 teams and adding a conference championship game.
Paterno’s reasoning is purely provincial. “Everybody else is playing playoffs on television,” Paterno said of the first Saturday in December. “You never see a Big Ten team mentioned, so I think that’s a handicap.”
Big Ten teams traditionally finish their seasons the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year, nine of the 11 schools will not play between Thanksgiving and the bowl season. And even though commissioner Jim Delany said the Big 10 is adding some bye weeks into future schedules, it seems unlikely that the two marquee schools, Michigan and Ohio State, will play after Thanksgiving, since they traditionally play the Saturday before Thanksgiving in one of the sport’s great rivalries.
Delany says expansion is not on the radar for the Big Ten and said the league would have to have better reasons than just playing a conference title game. NCAA rules prohibit leagues from playing a title game unless they have at least 12 members, split into two divisions.
Paterno went so far as to suggest potential schools to add to the conference: Syracuse, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. Delany declined to comment on any particular school but said they would have to be a good fit for the Big 10′s vision. Read that to mean they would have to be high-brow academically and be good in basketball. I can’t imagine any of the three schools dragging down the Big Ten academically, and Syracuse and Pitt are basketball powers.
The Big Ten twice has courted Notre Dame to be its 12th member, the most recent in 1999. The Irish refuse all such endeavors, though if Notre Dame doesn’t start winning soon, you never know how priorities will change. The Irish already has softened its schedule considerably.
Critics wonder how you could split up the Big Ten into divisions geographically and competitively, but if the ACC can do it, the Big Ten can do it. Heck, I’ll do it for them, just off the top of my head.
Put Michigan and Ohio State together, which would mean Michigan State’s got to go in there, too. That’s a robust start for a division. So let’s balance it out a little and stick in two other schools that must stay together, Indiana and Purdue.
That means other in-state opponents — Illinois and Northwestern — must go in the other. And Penn State, of course, with Pitt.
Now comes the hard part. Wisconsin needs to go in with Penn State to make that division more competitive, so Iowa and Minnesota must be split. Ouch. Iowa and Minnesota are old natural rivals — though most everyone in the Big Ten is old natural rivals. But so are Minnesota and Wisconsin. And Minnesota and Michigan play for the Little Brown Jug.
But the Big Ten always could adopt the SEC model, which allows one interdivision rivalry to remain annual. So throw in Minnesota with Wisconsin and let the Gophers play Iowa every year anyway.
So you have Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue and Iowa in one division. In the other is Penn State, Pitt, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Northwestern.
The Michigan/Ohio State division is tougher. Welcome to the Big 12 South. Welcome to the real world.
Then you play a conference title game in Indianapolis or Chicago, and all of America watches. And 82-year-old Joe Paterno is a little more content.
Probably won’t happen. But remember this. The Big Ten also used to take a stand against a conference basketball tournament, until it realized all of America was buzzing about college hoops the second weekend of March, and the Big Ten soon enough got on board.
Rockets a good lesson for OKC
While you were sleeping, the Houston Rockets beat the Lakers 100-92 Monday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal, and while I certainly expect LA to win their series, nothing about it will be easy.
Houston is a great teaching tool for the rest of the NBA. Play defense, and good things happen. The Rockets have two of the sport’s best all-purpose defenders: Shane Battier and Ron Artest. They have a 7-foot-5 skyscraper in Yao Ming. They have a bunch of guys. Aaron Brooks and Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola and Carl Landry.
Houston’s franchise player, Tracy McGrady, is hurt and out of the playoffs. Yet the Rockets have advanced — and are up 1-0 on the Lakers — because they play defense.
The Thunder has some wondrous young talent. But the Thunder must adapt Houston’s defensive mentality to take huge strides in the NBA. Kobe Bryant was great for the Lakers on Monday night, with 32 points in 44 minutes. But check inside the box score. Bryant made 14 of 31 shots, which is solid, but had just five foul shots, making three.
Bryant can run a defender ragged, and what often happens is a lot of fouls. You can’t foul Kobe. Change his line to 14 of 31 and 11-of-15 foul shots, and suddenly he’s got 40 points and this game is in overtime. Battier, particularly, is a smart, savvy defender. I’ve read where Battier says he isn’t bothered by how many points Kobe scores. He just wants to make him work for them.
Work. That’s the key. The Rockets go to work on the court. I don’t know if they can beat the Lakers four times. But if they can, it will be because of defense. It’s a mentality Oklahoma City would be wise to adopt.
Ex-Sooner Nichol in another QB battle
Keith Nichol left OU after losing a quarterback derby with Sam Bradford. Of course, now we know why Nichol lost. Slingin’ Sammy is no slouch.
Anyway, Nichol left OU a year ago, transferred to Michigan State and now finds himself in another QB derby. Only this time, the decision likely won’t be made in practices or scrimmages. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said the Nichol/Kirk Cousins competition will spill over into games next September.
“I think what we need to do throughout their sophomore year is allow them opportunities,” Dantonio told the Lansing State Journal after the Michigan State spring game. “We’re obviously very pleased with the quarterback situation. I thought they both responded when down, both showed good leadership, both made plays.”
And both threw for four touchdowns and 357 yards. Nichol completed 20 of 28 and led the White team to a 38-37 overtime victory (overtime in the spring!). Cousins completed 29 of 43.
“This is what we see every day,” said tight end Charlie Gantt. “Both of them going at it. All day, every day.”
Nichol, a Michigan kid, was committed to Michigan State before switching to OU. He enrolled early, January 2007, and went through spring practice battling Bradford and Joey Halzle for the quarterback job. Bradford in August got the nod from Sooner coaches, with Halzle the backup.
Greatest series ever? Phil-Astros 1980
I’ve just seen the completion of the greatest NBA playoff series ever, Boston’s seven-game survival of Chicago that included four overtime games and seven overtime periods, plus a last-second shot by Ray Allen to win one of the games in regulation.
Nothing else in NBA history can come close to that for drama, and I don’t care that it was only a first-round game. You had the defending champs, you had a franchise that’s trying to get back to its elite status of the ’90s, you had two of the big-dog sports cities in America. You had big shot after big shot virtually every other night for two weeks.
But I’m not as convinced that it’s the greatest series in all of sports. I just don’t know. I need to digest this one a little before I decide between Celtics-Bulls and Phillies-Astros in the 1980 National League Championship Series.
It’s been 29 years, and details fade, but the hard facts remained. Five games. Four extra-inning games. The blowout in the series Game 1, which the Phillies took 3-1 with Steve Carlton outdueling Ken Forsch.
Game 2: Astros 7-4 in 10 innings. Each team scored one run in the eighth to make it 3-3, then the Astros scored four runs in the top of the 10th, with the wonderful Jose Cruz’s RBI single getting the first run and Dave Bergman’s two-run triple capping the rally. The Phillies rallied in the 10th with a run, but Juaquin Andujar — remember him? — came on for the save.
Game 3: Houston 1-0, 11 innings. When you make a list of the greatest pitching duels ever, don’t forget this one. Larry Christenson pitched six innings for the Phils, then Dickie Noles took over into the eighth, when Tug McGraw came on and pitched the rest of the way. Joe Niekro pitched 10 innings for the Astros before Dave Smith came on. The Astros won it in the bottom of the 11th when Joe Morgan led off with a triple, the Phils walked Cruz and Art Howe intentionally and Denny Walling lifted a game-winning sacrifice fly.
Game 4: Philies 5-3, 10 innings. Steve Carlton vs. Vern Ruhle, who went on to be OU’s pitching coach under Larry Cochell. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Greg Luzinski and Manny Trillo gave Philadelphia the lead in the 10th.
Game 5: Phillies 8-7, 10 innings. The pitching finally went south. Houston led 5-2 after seven, but Philadelphia scored five runs in the top of the eighth to take control. Then Houston scored two in the bottom of the eighth. Finally in the 10th, Del Unser and Gary Maddox had back-to-back RBI doubles, then Dick Ruthven retired Houston in order to end the greatest baseball series ever played.
Emails in on Big 12 scheduling and stealing home
The new emails are in, and we’re talking college football scheduling, steal home and other assorted hot-button issues.
Let’s start with scheduling, after I called out the Big 12 and every other this side of the Pac-10 for playing weak opponents. Gerald : “Isn’t Boise State a mid-major? BYU is better than a high percentage of BCS Iowa States or Indianas. Ask Alabama about Utah. Oklahoma always plays a more than decent schedule, just ask TCU. The Pac-10 can afford a better out of conference schedule because they don’t play OU, Texas, OSU and Tech back to back. They play Washington, Stanford, WSU and UCLA. Stevie Wonder once said, ‘You’ve got to tell your story fair.’”
If we’re doing this for fair, let’s now list a Pac-10 schedule that has USC, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona back to back, while a Big 12 slate might have Iowa State, Texas A&M, Baylor and Colorado. Even Stevie Wonder could see that the Pac-10 plays tougher all-around schedules.
Danny wrote about the non-conference schedules: “Nice information. I didn’t know that. Think Joe C. is a fan?”
A fan of mine? How could he not be?
Also on OU football, Gene is not happy with our coverage of the warrants issued for some Sooners over minor-traffic violations. Gene: “Can someone please give me a break. Why in the ‘H’ do you not publish the names (and maybe pictures) of all of the people in the state who get seat belt citations, no proof of insurance citations, jaywalking citations and failure to yield citations. I cannot understand why you derive your pleasure from castigating OU football players for minor traffic offenses. I wrote you about Gresham’s terrible offense of not keeping his seat belt fastened and having the Norman police department sending out an officer to arrest him on a warrant for failure to pay the citation. As I said before, it would have been more prudent and smart on their part to call Kevin Wilson and let him know about the problem and it would have been handled in minutes, not days. You guys need to start getting smarter and try to think about better things to write about, other than trashing OU football players.”
The answer to your first question is because no one cares about all the people in the state. But they do care about OU football players, and it looks like these are not isolated infractions. Looks like there are a bunch of Sooner not taking care of business. And you want to exasperate the problem by having the cops call the coaches to get the guys out of trouble.
Jimmy wrote about the draft: “Hopefully unlike most Oklahomans, I can be objective about OU. It puzzles me that OU fans dog Bomar for the Big Red incident. I realize he made a mistake, but it strikes me that perhaps in some ways he actually did OU a favor or two. Many people believe there were certainly more than two players involved in this scheme. Bomar and the other young man somewhat implied this but did not take anybody else down with them. I would think at this point the best course of action might be to let the young man get on with his life and forget about him. He may have done more for OU than many people realize.”
If nothing else, he got the heck out of the way for Sam Bradford.
OK. On to my column about stealing home. Rich: “Originally from Boston and moved out here in 2001. Great to be here. Good article on Stealing the Show. As I follow everything Boston, whether on-line at boston.com, ESPN and MLB Network, radio or newsprint, I think if one was raised since a little kid in the rivalry of say, Yankees-Red Sox, Celtics-Lakers, OU-OSU, OU-Texas, you might not think anything is over-hyped. I do happen to agree that ESPN tends to over-hype the Sox-Yankees. One of the reasons probably is that it is in their backyard of Connecticut. But in watching the games, which average four hours-plus, usually there is so much intrigue, strategy and counter-moves that predominate each series during the pennant race, that the over-hype is mostly justified.”
“Gone With the Wind” — counting the overture, entr’acte and exit music — clocked in at 238 minutes, two shy of four hours. If you can tell the story of the antebellum South, the Civil War and Reconstruction in less than four hours, why can’t the Yanks and Red Sox each get 27 outs in less than four hours?
Scott: “I was so pleased to see the picture of the 1955 World Series game. I was a 17-year-old high school senior and an avid Dodger fan. Foss High School was out for the cotton harvest on that Wednesday and somehow I was able to get to a radio and was listening when Robinson stole home. It was a good year for Dodger fans because it was their first World Series win. Thanks for indulging a 70-year-old baseball fan who remembers the old days in detail but sometimes forgets who won last year.”
Now that you mention it, who did win last year?
Gary: “Looking at your photo of Jackie sliding home, no wonder Yogi said he was out. The umpire was totally screened. One thing you got wrong, it’s harder stealing home with a left-hand hitter because the catcher is not screened by the hitter.”
No way. It’s way easier to steal with a left-handed hitter who pulls the ball. With a right-handed hitter, the third baseman is playing close to the bag and the runner can’t take a huge lead. Ellsbury’s lead the other night had to be 30 feet, because Berroa was almost playing shortstop.”
Max: “I certainly agree with you on the steal of home as the most dramatic play in sports. In 1949, I was batboy for visiting clubs of the Oklahoma City Indians. The first club that came to town in April was the Brooklyn Dodgers for an exhibition against the OKC Indians at Texas League Park. Jackie Robinson stole home on a double steal that day. I was in the on-deck circle. A steal of home on a double steal is not quite the same as a straight steal of home, but it was still an exciting play that we saw now and then in those days. To watch Robinson steal home was a thrill that lasted a lifetime for a 15-year old batboy. I don’t remember the last time I saw a double steal in person, much less a steal of home.”
Memories are our most priceless possessions.
Rich: “Your story on stealing home reminded me of an attempted steal of home by Tommie Agee as a St. Louis Cardinal. I confess, I had to check back to see when he played for them. It was in 1973. Ken Reitz, who batted from the right side, was at the plate and apparently was unaware of Agee’s intentions. As Agee dove headfirst into home, Reitz hit a line-drive foul past Agee’s head. I’m sure it was just coincidence that it was Agee’s last season.”
Sounds like Agee was lucky that it wasn’t his last slide.
Russell also wrote about the steal of home: “I agree this is one of the most exciting plays in the world of sports. Although I played elementary through high school baseball for over 10 years back in the day, I never had a steal of home. I had the daring but I seriously lacked the dash. Great job of isolating one play and bringing out how dramatic and exciting this can be.”
Having the daring but lacking the dash is better than having the dash but lacking the daring.
Tom wrote about the OU women’s basketball team: “Have you noticed the lack of scholarships on OU’s women’s basketball team? By my count and OU’s, the Sooners have 10 on scholarship next year including Willis, the former walkon. The scholarship limit is 15. They have three seniors next year, so will Sherri recruit eight next year? Yes, I know they only play five at a time. However, they have fitness issues with Olajuwon, health issues with Amanda Thompson, two untested freshmen and a former walkon. I think next year is going to be a fall from grace — Final Four to not making the dance. No inside threat, and defenses will put a ton of pressure on the shooters. Only two 3-point threats with D-Rob being unable to shoot. In contrast, seven Big 12 schools have 14 or more on scholarship including the big guns, A&M and Baylor. OSU has 14. Only Nebraska and Texas are in OU’s boat.”
Another sign of evolution in the women’s game. Fans are worried about scholarship numbers. And for the record, the Sooners will be dancing next March. One of the nation’s best backcourts will see to that.
Justin: “I have been pondering this question for sometime now and since the NBA playoffs are upon us, I figured now is a good time to ask it. Routinely in the NBA at the end of quarters, you always hear the announcers mention getting two-for-one shots, where there’s 30 seconds or so left and they quickly shoot knowing they will get the ball back with time left. How come you never see that in the college game? Usually when there are 45 seconds left and a kid shoots a quick jumper the announcers say it was a poor shot. Or they just hold the ball until there are 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Player maturity is the only reason I can think of for this. Just a quirk of the game that I have noticed. Do you have a better explanation for this?”
Yes, I have an explanation. College coaches aren’t nearly as sophisticated as they think they are.
Brad wrote about the NBA: “Comparing rosters, ages, contracts, GMs and ownership, would you rather have the Thunder of the Hornets in OKC?”
Easy question. The Thunder, for ownership only, if nothing else. If the Hornets had the Laker roster and the Thunder had the Sacramento roster, I still would take the Thunder, because of local ownership. But aside from ownership, it’s close. The Hornets will be better in the short term, the Thunder hopefully better in the long term.”
Bob wrote about the drafting of Stephen McGee: “Good to hear you did not say it was a bad pick, but perhaps a curious one. I do not understand (perhaps you can help me) why there is so much local negative response to the McGee selection. Going into the draft he was forecasted as the fourth or fifth-rated QB. He ended up being the fifth QB drafted. Was it a curious pick because it was Stephen McGee or because it is perceived the Cowboys did not need another QB? He performed well at the combines and also in the East-West Shrine game. Todd McShay stated that he loved McGee’s potential. Mel Kiper stated that down the road, McGee might be a starter. McGee was dinged up most of the season. He was able to come back late and had respectable games as a fill-in against OU and Texas. As far as anything Leach says, that is to be expected. Like listening to the likes of Dennis Rodman and Terrell Owens, after a while you ignore it. Attributes that I believe McGee has that Romo does not have are passion, commitment and leadership. Of course, Romo has Jessica Simpson so maybe it’s a wash. However, I do not see McGee taking a tropical vacation the week prior to a big playoff game. Perhaps this is what the Cowboys see in him as a future contributor?”
Still, seems strange to me to pick a backup quarterback off a 4-8 team.
Larry, our regular Texas Tech fan, wrote: “It’s official now. Texas Tech quarterbacks are ineligible for the NFL.”
Oh, I don’t think that’s true. Billy Joe Tolliver played several seasons.
Brian: “It does not appear that OSU will be making the conference tournament. When was the last time that happened? Will Frank Anderson be on the hot seat next year if not fired this year? This should never happen to OSU.”
I agree, this should not happen to OSU baseball, but no way is Frank Anderson in trouble.
