More from the NFL Q&A: Jacob Lacey
Jacob Lacey is making quite a splash in the NFL. Undrafted last spring, the former Oklahoma State cornerback has started the last two games for the Indianapolis Colts. He even had seven tackles a week ago against New England.
He still keeps a close eye, though, on his alma mater.
Jenni Carlson: Bedlam’s coming up, so who you got?
Jacob Lacey: That ain’t even a question. I’m rolling with the ‘Boys all the way.
JC: I figured as much. What do you think about your alma mater and how its playing this season?
JL: I think they’re doing good. I feel like Dez (Bryant) got screwed, but I talked to him about that. He said he wasn’t going to let it bother him, try to move forward. But I think they’re doing well.
JC: Several weeks into the season, you got your first career start in the NFL. What was that like?
JL: It was a little nerve wracking. You get kind of nervous. But after the first couple plays, like any game, you get settled down, you get comfortable, and I was just playing from then on out.
JC: Do you feel like you’ve settled in as an NFL rookie?
JL: Things definitely start to smooth out once you get in and get a feel for the system, you get in and get a feel for the games. How we prepare each week. How you handle different situations. It’s a learning process, so once you go through that for a couple weeks and see how things go, you kind of fall into your own routine.
JC: I’ve got to ask about your interception return for a touchdown against St. Louis. You had some fun celebrating it. Was that planned or impromptu?
JL: I had it planned out, what I was doing. I knew I was going to fly in the air.
JC: You didn’t get to repeat that last weekend against New England, but you still had seven tackles. What was it like to be in the middle of that rivalry?
JL: It was similar to being in the OSU-OU game. There’s a lot of emotions. It’s a big-time rivalry, big stage. You’ve just got to make sure you go out there and prepare so you can perform well.
JC: Had to be pretty satisfying for your defense to get that big fourth-down stop at the end of the game.
JL: That was great. They took a chance, and we stepped up.
Forget Bedlam for a moment
Over the past year or so, I’ve had the honor of sharing several times about Caleb Spady.
The Hinton boy had a passion for baseball. He had a love for the Texas Rangers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He also had an inoperable, incurable form of brain cancer.
Sadly, Caleb died in July, but his mother, Kim, and father, Ken, continue to post occasional updates on Caleb’s website. Today, Kim posted something that I hope you’ll consider. Here’s what she wrote:
Could we ask you to do something special for the family of another OSU fan today? Here is an e-mail I received via the OSU Coaches v. Cancer cause on Facebook. Please take a couple of moments to send a Christmas Card to the Tackett family:
Caycen Tackett is 6 years old and battling neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. He was a special guest of OSU Head Football Coach Mike Gundy at a game earlier this year – where he even received the game ball!
He is very ill and his family will be celebrating the Christmas holidays with him early. In fact, they are trying to make every day they have left with him just like Christmas! Please consider sending a Christmas Card to Caycen and his family to let them know the Cowboy Faithful are thinking about them during this difficult time. Please make sure to address the card to the family, as Caycen has younger siblings and they don’t want the other children to feel left out.
The address is:
The Tackett Family
6111 N. Westpoint Road
Cushing, OK 74023
And, of course, hold them closely in your prayers as you hold those you love closely in your arms today.
For only a couple bucks, you could help brighten Caycen and his family’s day. I know Bedlam week is fast approaching, and the rivalry will be as lively as it’s ever been this year. But I hope you’ll put that aside for just a moment and send the Tacketts a card. It doesn’t matter if you bleed orange or love crimson. Bedlam is irrelevant in times like this.
A new OKC Thanksgiving tradition?
No holiday is more tradition-rich than Thanksgiving.
Another activity is trying to work its way into the traditions of folks in Oklahoma City. Even though the Oklahoma City Turkey Trot is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it has largely been a forgotten about event. But now the 5K race is moving downtown, and organizers have plans to make it a huge deal.
One of those organizers is Jeffrey Kidder.
His name is familiar in our state’s running community because he is one of the executives with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. He is one of the people responsible for taking the marathon to heights most folks would’ve thought impossible when it started almost a decade ago. As it prepares for its 10th anniversary next spring, it is hoping to lure nearly 30,000 participants for everything from the full marathon to the one-mile walk.
What started out as a novel idea has taken off.
Kidder wants to do the same with the Turkey Trot, and in covering the marathon over the past few years, I have learned that when folks like him decide to do something, it’s best to jump on board or risk getting passed by or worst run over.
So, when Kidder sent me a note with his personal reason for getting involved this year with the Turkey Trot, I wanted to share. Here’s some of what he had to say:
I was sitting in my OKC office the day before Thanksgiving last year when I received an email from a friend asking if I was going to run the Turkey Trot at Lake Hefner. I replied that I didn’t know for sure. I work with many other large events/races around the country. I rarely run in local events because I am usually somewhere else on any given weekend. However, I had a strange sensation about this particular race, not quite an epiphany, but a mild nudge to do something to help out in some way. …
After some quick research, I called Dorothy Herring, the race director, at Eagle Ridge Institute. … I told her I was not running the Turkey Trot and offered to help out in any way I could.
Thanksgiving morning I made the short commute over to the lake and went to the pavilion at Stars and Stripes Park. Dorothy was quite gracious and welcomed the offer to volunteer once again. She introduced me to John Mayfield, the executive director of Eagle Ridge, and we spent some time talking about the history of the Turkey Trot. Over nine years ago, they decided this would be a great way to serve the community and get the message out about the lives changed through the Eagle Ridge Institute. John spoke passionately about the phenomenal work that Eagle Ridge does with families, chemical and alcohol dependency, the elderly, and at-risk kids. I was completely unaware of the range and depth of services offered by Eagle Ridge Institute.
I began to wonder, if I didn’t know what an amazing and caring group of people make up the Eagle Ridge team, how many of the 1,000 runners assembled that morning didn’t know either? These people walk the talk. Every day they set out to change the world, one person at a time, through their love and compassion. This is what Thanksgiving is all about.
While I was standing at the start/finish line, the epiphany hit. “Most of the people in Oklahoma City don’t know this is going on. What if everyone knew? What if this became a tradition like Thanksgiving in Dallas, where 34,000 people gathered to run or walk together as a family? Or Detroit, my hometown, where nearly 25,000 gather in the Michigan cold, run their turkey trot and then attend the Thanksgiving Day parade?” Thousands more volunteer and cheer and make these events a family affair. You hear them say, “We do the Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving morning – we run a little, we give a little and we laugh a lot. It is our family tradition”
I’ve already decided to add this new tradition to my Thanksgiving. What about you? Will I see you there?
That turkey can cook a little while without you.
For more information go to www.okcturkeytrot.com.
More from The Q&A: Jeff Green
Even though Jeff Green might have a Thunder super fan — a guy in a No. 22 jersey and a green spandex suit covering him from head to toe was spotted recently — the title of original Jeff Green super fan was long ago taken.
Jenni Carlson: When you were at Georgetown, your mom was not only your biggest fan but also was a super fan.
Jeff Green: She’s a bigger star than me. She had her own chant.
JC: Her own chant?
JG: She walked in, they started screaming, “Jeff Green’s mom,” until she stood up and waved and then they stopped.
JC: Nice.
JG: I hated it.
JC: What? Why?
JG: It’d be, like, during the game or during a timeout and you’d just hear, “Jeff Green’s mom!” And she’d be on the jumbo tron. I’ve got to sit there and wait until it’s done.
JC: Your mom was a bigger attraction that you were.
JG: Still is, actually. She goes to all the Georgetown games. She still gets the same type of ovation.
JC: OK, I want you to finish these sentences. This team’s start to the season is …
JG: An improvement from last year. We’re playing a lot harder, a lot better, a lot more together. We’re playing defense.
JC: Scott Brooks’ practices are …
JG: Intense. That’s it.
JC: Kevin Durant is …
JG: Tall. (Laughs.)
JC: All right, funny man.
JG: An All-Star. He’s very talented. He works hard. Just a great player.
JC: This team’s personality is …
JG: We’re very down to earth. A lot of people say that. You see what we’ve put on Twitter and how we respond to a lot of the fans. A lot of people really appreciate that. A lot of athletes don’t do that. I think it is true. I think we’re the team that tweets the most throughout the whole league.
JC: The team’s comedian is …
JG: James.
JC: More than you?
JG: More than me. I’m not really a comedian.
JC: We hear you’re a funny guy.
JG: Nah, it’s James.
JC: The team’s best dressed is …
JG: Me. (Snickers.)
JC: I knew that was coming. OK, the team’s hardest worker is …
JG: The Thunder. There’s no one person. Everybody works hard.
Football: What’s luck got to do with it? Ask the Sooners
More from The Q&A: Brooke Burleson
The Oklahoma Victory Dolls are doing a benefit roller derby bout tonight to help out Tahirah Johnson, who was injured during a bout a couple years ago.
It’s also a great opportunity to ask Brooke Burleson all sorts of crazy roller-derby-related questions. Known on the track as Sally Strych9, she is one of the original members of the Victory Dolls and helped to form the league in which they play. Even though she is now one of the league’s top players, she didn’t start out so well.
She needed a donut after her first practice, in fact.
Jenni Carlson: Tell me how you got involved in this.
Brooke Burleson: My husband. He went to Austin and saw a roller derby bout. I was on vacation with my girl friends, and he went on vacation with his guy friends. I was in Puerto Vallarta, and he went to Austin. And they got drunk and went to a roller derby bout. He came back and was like, “I saw these girls on roller skates, and they were awesome, and you have to do this.” I was like, “OK, I’ll check into it.” Then, I became obsessed with the idea of playing roller derby. I didn’t know how to roller skate. I haven’t roller skated since I was a kid, and then, I was awful. And I’m a klutz. But I was talking to my friends, “Let’s start a roller derby league.” And I was not athletic at all. Never had been to a gym. I was trying to find somebody to start a league with me. Then … I found the Green Country Girls in Tulsa and they told me about a league starting here. One thing led to another, and I started skating, and I was awful. I was the worst one at practice. Our coach found me and was like, “I’m going to teach you how to roller skate.”
JC: It’s like you’re back in elementary school learning how to skate for the first time.
BB: I was terrified. There’s all these big, mean, scary looking girls. I had these skates that I bought at Academy for like $30, these white, Roller Derby brand skates, and they were these fake artistic skates. I was so embarrassed, and I was terrified. They all looked so mean. And I came out here and I broke my tailbone first practice.
JC: You did?
BB: First practice. I was so embarrassed. I was so scared of every single one of them, but they wound up being the nicest girls ever. I was like, “I can’t believe I was scared of you guys. Why was I scared of you?” I realized size has nothing to do with it. Looks have nothing to do with it. It doesn’t matter. That’s the great thing about roller derby. Everybody’s accepted no matter your size, your race, your sexual preference. We’ll take anybody. Old. Young. It doesn’t matter.
JC: I hope you haven’t had any more broken tailbones.
BB: No, but that took awhile to heal. I had the donut for awhile. They don’t make those in a non-obvious color. It’s like bright blue, carrying it around with me.
JC: So, your skate name is Sally Strych9, but what’s your favorite name on your team?
BB: I like Mount Crushmore. It’s all about her personality, too. She comes up with the best names. We’ve just decided that she should just name everybody coming in. She has come up with some of the best names. She named one girl Party Pants, which is pretty funny.
JC: Do you feel like certain names bring out certain personalities? Like with yours, did you feel like you had to play a certain way as Sally Strych9?
BB: Maybe in the beginning, but not really. I would be fine using my real name. Some people are going to that now. We’re trying to get taken seriously as a sport. In the beginning when roller derby was kind of coming back, it was kind of about the show of it, the fun and the campiness. But now the focus is really back on the sport. A lot of people are going back to their real names. I could go either way, so for me, I’m pretty much the same on the track as I am off the track. I could be Brooke Burleson. I would be fine. I would like to see it go that way eventually because I think we’d get taken a little more seriously.
JC: Do you think that respectability has gone up?
BB: For sure. A lot of leagues nationwide are finally starting to get coverage in the sport section. We’re finally starting to get coverage on ESPN. MavTV is starting to cover nationals. We’re a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which is a national governing body. It took a lot of work for us to get accepted. There’s 400 leagues worldwide. There’s 78 leagues that are part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. It’s a pretty elite group of women. We’re the only league in Oklahoma City that competes on a national level. We’re the only nationally ranked team in Oklahoma City. We traveled all over the country to play. So, yes, I do think we’re getting taken seriously as a sport, not just nationwide but worldwide.
JC: What does it take to play with you guys?
BB: A lot of work.
JC: I’m thinking practice, cardio, weights.
BB: It’s a time commitment. It’s more than fun to us. It’s a lifestyle. We practice in our offseason now two to three times a week. We have to do on our own the other days a week training on our own. During on season, we are constantly training. We have to travel. We have an all-star team and a recreational team with a little less time commitment. That’s just for people that wanna have fun.
Talkin’ OU-Nebraska football
The Husker Sports Network’s “Sports Nightly” radio show invited me on for a few minutes Tuesday.
No surprise, host Lane Grindle wanted to talk about this Saturday’s Oklahoma-Nebraska game. We dissected everything from Landry Jones’ improvement to the Oklahoma defense’s strengths.
Check it out.
Another take on CP3, Hornets
I know lots of folks are quick to point a finger at Chris Paul for what he did Sunday night, going after Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo after a game, having to be restrained from what could’ve been an ugly incident.
Hey, the Hornet point guard isn’t a saint.
Never said he was.
But if you’re looking for a good take on why CP3 might be a bit on edge, check out this Yahoo! column from Adrian Wojnarowski. He isn’t apologizing for what Paul did, but he’s attempting to explain his frustration. And in the process, he pulls no punches, especially when it comes to Hornets owner George Shinn.
A sample:
Shinn is a farce, forever insisting that his moral compass brought the franchise back from exile in Oklahoma City, but truth be told he never wanted to return. The NBA pushed him into New Orleans, understanding it would’ve been a PR nightmare to abandon the post-Katrina city. That’s Shinn, the ultimate front-runner. He now takes bows for the Hornets’ popularity, but it’s laughable.
Paul connected with Oklahoma City fans for many reasons. One of the main ones was his fiery competitiveness.
It goes a long way toward explaining why Paul may not be as warm and fuzzy as he used to be.
Trying to sell Iowa? Start with the coach
Most of the time, press releases sent to us media types are boring. They might contain important info such as game times being set and whatnot, but for the most part, they hit on the basics and not much else.
That isn’t the case with an e-mail that I received earlier this afternoon.
It had no subject line, but in the e-mail, it said it was addressed to “College Football Media” from Phil Haddy. Never having met Mr. Haddy, I did some checking and discovered he is the sports information director at the University of Iowa.
The headline on his e-mail: GET THE CORRECT FACTS ON IOWA FOOTBALL
I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty demanding to me. Haddy writes, “It seems popular for national pundits to criticize the University of Iowa football team these days. Many have said Iowa doesn’t belong on the same board with Florida, Texas, Alabama, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon or Boise State.”
I have to admit — I stopped reading right there.
It wasn’t because the e-mail was whiny, although it was. It wasn’t because I’m not interested in Iowa, because I am. (I can’t for the life of me figure out how they’re still undefeated.) No, I quit reading because the person who should’ve received that e-mail instead of me was Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.
Just last week he said, “Realistically, I still have a hard time picturing us in the top 10.”
If I was guessing, I doubt a fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victory against Indiana — Indiana??? — on Saturday did little to change the coach’s mind.
Listen, if the coach of the team has a hard time believing that it belongs in the top 10, much less the national championship conversation, it’s going to be difficult for an e-mail from the PR office to sway me.
Mr. Haddy might want to get Coach Ferentz on board before he worries any more about the college football media.
More from The NFL Q&A: Tommie Harris
Tommie Harris is a funny dude.
No doubt opposing offenses don’t feel the same way about the Chicago Bears defensive tackle. Already a three-time selection to the Pro Bowl, Harris is a terror on the football field.
Off it, the former Oklahoma superstar is a hoot.
All right, I’ve got some quick-hitting questions. First of all, NFL throwback jerseys – thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thumbs up.
The Wildcat formation – a fad or a weapon?
A weapon.
Best thing about living in Chicago?
Food. (Laughs.)
That’s a good lead-in for this question – if you weren’t an NFL lineman who needed to be big and burly, what food would you have to give up?
What do you mean, food I would have to give up?
For example, if I could, I would sit around all day eating cheesecake, but I can’t because then I would weigh 700 pounds. Is there something that would make you super-sized Tommie?
See, I don’t really eat bad. I eat a lot of calories, but I don’t eat bread. I eat a lot of meat and greens.
Let’s say you’ve got a free afternoon to do anything you want. What would it be?
Sleep.
Do you have a pet peeve?
Yes.
OK, what is it?
Liars.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Hmm. (Laughs.)
Hey, now, something I can print, please.
My guilty pleasure, huh? I don’t know about that one.
Now, wait. Don’t you have a pretty extensive shoe collection? Any clothing item you buy as a treat to yourself?
Watches.
Is there a song or even an artist that you can’t get enough of?
Stevie Wonder.
If you were on “Dancing with the Stars,” would you win?
Definitely.
Really?
No question.
Athletes always do really well on that show.
I can follow directions, and I can move.
What is the worst vacation spot ever?
In the winter?
Sure.
Chicago.
Best movie ever?
“Coming to America.”
OK, final rapid-fire question, and it’s a Chicago-centric one — who do you most want to meet, Oprah or Obama?
Obama. I already met Oprah.
A couple serious questions to finish with. Gerald McCoy talks about his admiration of you. Are you able to keep up with him?
Gerald? I talked to him (two weeks) ago.
What do you talk with him about?
I just tell him to keep his head screwed on and stay focused. I know he’s got a lot of stuff that’s going on around him outside of football, people trying to call him, people trying to talk to him about the next level. Just handle what’s in front of him and don’t get caught up in all that other stuff.
How do you think he’ll do once he does get to that next level?
Great. I think he’ll do great. He anchors the best defensive line in college football. I think he’ll do great.
I have to ask about another defensive lineman, Dusty Dvoracek. You guys were teammates at OU, then in Chicago. He’s been sidelined by injury again. How tough has it been for you to watch him go through all this?
It’s extremely difficult seeing how hard the guy’s worked for that to happen to him. But … he’ll continue to keep coming back and coming back. I believe he’ll get healthy and turn things around. It’s just determination. He wants to be the best. He has a kid on the way now. That’s just how Dusty’s been since I’ve known him – he’s always worked hard, always been a hundred percent.
