Jenni Carlson NewsOK.com Blogging Community

Perhaps this is sacrilege to say in our fair state, but what the heck, I’ll say it anyway.

I’m happy for Les Miles.

The former Oklahoma State football coach snagged himself a national championship on Monday night. His current squad, the LSU Tigers, took it to Ohio State in the BCS championship game and won going away, 38-24. The coach who Sooner fans came to loathe and Cowboy fan came to loathe worse is riding high today.

Watching LSU is always a bit weird for me. Seeing Miles all decked out in purple and gold, not orange and black. Catching occasional glimpses other familiar faces on the sidelines.   

Josh Henson, the tight ends coach, is a Tuttle native and an OSU alum. Running backs coach Larry Porter was on Miles’ staff in Stillwater. Ditto for defensive backs coach Doug Mallory and assistant athletic director for football administration Mack Butler.

Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is familiar in these parts, too. About to take over as the head coach at Nebraska, Pelini spent time on the staff at Oklahoma.

Maybe all that means I’m not just happy for Miles but also for all of those guys.  They were always good folks to deal with, and when good things happen to good folks, it’s easy to feel good for them.

QUICK HITS

* Roger Clemens is all in. If he did what the Mitchell Report said he did, he is absolutely going to bust. His denials about steroid use and his lawsuit against his former trainer are like a poker player going all in. Is the pitching great holding aces? Or is he bluffing? The answer will either restore Clemens or leave him broken.

* Keep those nominations for unsung heroes in sports coming. E-mail me at jcarlson@oklahoman.com.

* Two years ago today, I went on my first date with an amazing man named Ryan. Now, he is my fiance. But please, don’t ask when the big day is. We haven’t got that part figured out just yet. We’re thinking perhaps the first or second Saturday in October or the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

(Just kidding, boss!)