More from The Q&A: Desmond Mason
When I went to talk to Desmond Mason for my Q&A before a game the other night, he was toting a Starbucks cup.
Had to ask.
Here’s more from my chat with the Thunder forward:
Jenni Carlson: So, what’s in the Starbuck’s cup? Do you do coffee, or are you fancy pants?
Desmond Mason: I’m fancy. I go with the seasons, so I’ll probably be drinking a gingerbread latte into January or February. Ginger snap, since they changed the name on it.
JC: And you’ve got to order it by their name.
DM: I have to go in and say ginger snap. It’s like Morton’s Steakhouse. They used to have the Godiva Chocolate Cake. They had problems with Godiva, so now it’s just the chocolate cake. I say Godiva, and they say, “It’s not named that anymore.”
JC: I do coffee with a little cream and Sweet N Low.
DM: I like that. I gotta have something sweet. Halloween is Pumpkin Spice.
JC: I go peppermint.
DM: Peppermint Mocha is good. And besides that, I’m four pumps, light whip, one shot single, extra hot.
JC: You have got the lingo. You have to.
DM: They know me now, so, it’s done.
JC: So, every morning they know.
DM: I want it 185 degrees exactly … no, I’m just playing. (Laughs.) But I’ve seen people walk in and say they want their latte at 175 degrees. I’m thinking, “What if it’s 180? Can you tell the difference?”
Happy Turkey Day, sports fans
Thanksgiving is in the air.
Even with all the madness going on in the sports world this week, it’s impossible to avoid that holiday spirit. Besides, there’s so much to give thanks for in sports.
I’m thankful for college football. It might be maddening. It might be unpredictable. But it never fails to deliver excitement and drama.
I’m thankful for Courtney Paris and her double-double streak, for Blake Griffin and the way he rebounds the basketball, smacking it with authority, for Nic Harris and his hard-hitting mentality.
I’m thankful for Dez Bryant and his circus catches, for Andrea Riley and her get-after-it-now, apologize-later mentality, for James Anderson and his smooth style and his star potential.
I’m thankful for NBA basketball. Sure, the Thunder isn’t very good right now. Heck, I might even go so far as to say that this team stinks most of the time. But this is Oklahoma City’s team.
Oklahoma City has an NBA team. How cool is it to say that?
I’m thankful we’re able to say it.
I’m also thankful for Adrian Peterson running over defenders and Matt Holliday smashing home runs and Wes Welker catching a ton of passes no matter who’s quarterbacking his team.
I’m thankful for Bobby Murcer. The Oklahoma City native spent his life in baseball, first as a player, then as an announcer. No matter what he was doing, though, he represented his home state with class and dignity.
We will miss you, Bobby.
And finally, this Thanksgiving I’m thankful for Robert Swift’s tattoos and Doug Sauter’s mustache. For Sam Bradford’s savvy and Trooper Taylor’s passion. For David Oku and Gabe Lynn, Xavier Henry and Daniel Orton, Wayman Tisdale and Brent Parker. For summer evenings at The Brick and winter nights at the Ford Center. For “Who’s ball is it?” and “Here comes Bullet!” For a Kevin Durant jumper and a Willie Warren dunk and a Shaunte Smith rebound.
For all that makes sports in Oklahoma so grand and so wonderful, I am thankful. This is the week to say it, but the truth is, I’m thankful for it every single day.
Memo to Brooks: Run, Thunder, run
Scott Brooks has only been on the job a few days, but I’ve got some advice for the new Thunder coach.
Play faster.
The Thunder has gotten off to an abysmal start, winning just once in its first 13 games. What’s worse, this team has looked like it was playing in sludge much of the time. It’s slow. It’s painful. Frankly, it’s got to stop.
This is a team that has neither a great big man nor a reliable outside shooter. Playing a half-court game is not its strength. In fact, getting in a half-court game is perhaps the last thing the Thunder want to do. And yet, this team has seemed hesitant to run. Granted, it’s a lot easier to be a running team when your defense gets stops. It’s difficult to run when you’re taking the ball out of the basket all the time.
But still, there have been times when it looked like the Thunder could run and pulled back instead. It’s been baffling, especially considering that one of the main things that this team has going for it is youth. The Thunder have a bunch of young guys who can run and jump.
Why not play to that strength?
Why not play a more up-tempo style?
I’m hopeful that Brooks will hit the accelerator. He was a point guard during his playing days, and there are stories of him sprinting up court, his blond hair flying every which way. He liked to push the tempo. He liked to play fast.
Here’s hoping that’s still the case now that he’s the Thunder coach.
Brooks has been handed a team with many faults, but one of the things that these players seem to be able to do is get out and run.
A bit of advice to the new coach: run them until their legs fall off.
More from The Q&A: Linda Cohn
SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn loves to laugh.
That quickly became obvious when I sat down to chat with her earlier this week in Norman. She was in town for the Delta Gamma Foundation Lectureship in Values and Ethics, and she answered all sorts of questions. Here are a few that didn’t make it into The Q&A on my Page 2:
Jenni Carlson: You recently released a memoir. Lots of reviews have raved about how honest it was. Any writer’s remorse?
Linda Cohn: How the heck can you write a memoir without writing about the important people in your life, whether it’s your children, whether it’s your ex-husband. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would ever have gotten as far as I did. So, that’s what I don’t get when people say that — “How did you open up your life?” I thought that’s what a memoir was supposed to be.
JC: What are you proudest of that you put out there?
LC: That I’m very human. That I have faults. That I have insecurities. That I had very low self-esteem. It isn’t an easy road out there. You do face a lot of challenges, and I wanted to tell people about it. Now that people have read the book, they have connected with it. They’ve told me. Some have even said it’s been therapeutic to hear my story and it helps them with their respective story.
JC: That has to be fulfilling.
LC: That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book. I felt that a lot of people could relate to it, and I wanted to help some people, too. I wanted to help young people, people like yourself, people younger than you and people older than you that wanted to know more about the business, wanted to know more about being a woman in the business, wanted to hear the truth. And I wanted to give them the truth, that it wasn’t an easy road. Most important to me, I wanted them to know that I’m a sports fan first and foremost and that I didn’t just get this job because I didn’t get a job at “Access Hollywood” or something.
JC: What most helped you endure through all that?
LC: You know what? It’s still a work in progress, but it is not letting the outside interfere with what’s going on on the inside. And what’s going on on the inside is telling yourself, “Remember, Linda, why you’re in this business, why you didn’t leave this business. You love sports. You have a passion for it.” It’s part of my makeup. I really enjoy that roller coaster ride, because even when I’m not doing it or working, I’m watching these games. I enjoy it. It’s a high for me, so what I’ve learned is, remember that.
JC: You’re in the hall of fame at SUNY-Oswego.
LC: The sports hall of fame.
JC: Any more hall of fames on the horizon?
LC: (Laughs.) They keep voting me in! But that one was cool because I saw a couple of my former teammates that I played hockey with in college. That was the first time I played ice hockey with girls.
JC: No kidding?
LC: I’d always played with guys. But then my college,
JC: So, people were like, “Why don’t the women have any fans?”
LC: Uh, hello.
JC: Is ice hockey still the sport you’re most passionate about?
LC: It is. When you play a sport, you always have that connection, but … probably NFL is second because I could watch any NFL game. You can’t watch just any baseball game, but I do love my Mets, and I do love my G-Men, my Giants. So, I’m doing pretty good right now, not with my Mets, but the Giants are great and right now the Rangers are doing well.
JC: Got a hypothetical — if you were the NHL commissioner, what would you do?
LC: First, I’d put the league back on ESPN. People would see it, then I would heavily promote the personalities of the league. Those players, these are people that carried their own bags when they were 5. They’re not spoiled, so I would promote that. That’s where I would start. You have to get the sport more visible.
JC: What would be your message to women in sports?
LC: Just stay true to yourself. That’s what it’s about. Also, the advice I give to women who want to be in this business is, “Don’t try to be something your not. Don’t try to be the comedian. Don’t try to be the entertainer. You have to concentrate on being accurate.” You get caught up in, “I’ve got to be like this guy” or “This guy’s getting all the attention because he’s doing this; I have to do that.” No, you don’t. You can’t be a phony. Sports fans can pick out phonies.
JC: What about your kids? What is your message to them?
LC: The thing that I’m really most proud of, they don’t see me as “Linda Cohn, SportsCenter anchor.” They don’t get excited about what I’m doing. They see me 110 percent as mom, and that is what I’m most proud of.
JC: A couple rapid-fire questions. Pet peeve?
LC: The so-called experts on TV who are anything but.
JC: Team you’d pay any amount of money to see?
LC: Giants or Rangers in a playoff game.
JC: Best day?
LC: Great day at work, having fun, my team winning, hanging out with my kids.
JC: Worst day?
LC: When people are taking everything so seriously, and I don’t get to see my kids.
JC: Story you’d love to one day lead SportsCenter with?
LC: Why can’t we lead SportsCenter with more good stories? Not the arrests. The good guy.
Calm amid the sports storm
Talk about a busy week in our sports world.
The best game of the young college basketball season took place Tuesday in Norman when Davidson and Stephen Curry squared off against Oklahoma and Blake Griffin. The biggest game of the college football season is Saturday in Norman when OU and Texas Tech lock it up. The NBA team is playing three home games this week, culminating with the Hornets and ESPN coming to town Friday. And there also happen to be all sorts of college basketball and high school football playoff games.
And yet, there is one thing that has made me stop in my tracks all week — Caleb Spady.
Perhaps you remember a couple of columns that I wrote earlier this fall about the Hinton boy. The 10-year-old is battle inoperable brain cancer, and he had a Make-A-Wish trip to Arlington and a Texas Rangers game. He was also befriended by fellow Caddo County native and Angels outfielder Reggie Willits.
While working on that first column about Caleb, I logged onto his website at www.carepages.com. To see the page, though, I had to register. Ever since, I’ve received an e-mail notice every time Caleb’s mother, Kim, posts something on the website.
Last week, I clicked on one of the notices to see that the Spadys had received some terrible news from their specialist in Maryland — Caleb’s tumor is growing.
Ever since receiving that news, I have been quick to click every update that has come about Caleb. His mom wrote a few days later that she had explained to him that he could wait a few weeks to start his new round of chemotherapy. That way he could play in a few basketball games.
“He looked me straight in the face, his eyes so bright and his features and hands so animated, and said ‘You know, I just play these other sports — football and basketball — to fill the time between baseball seasons. I want to get started now so that maybe I’ll be through by baseball season,’” Caleb’s mom wrote. “And my heart broke into a thousand pieces — again.”
This 10-year-old boy and his family have become an inspiration to me, even though I’ve only chatted with Caleb and his mom on the telephone.
All of them have hearts of champions.
So, in this busy sports week, take a moment say a prayer for Caleb and his family. Even with all of these big games, none of them is more important than this.
Griffin or Curry: Who should the Thunder take?
Being inside Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday night was a treat.
Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry put on a show as promised. The Oklahoma big man and the Davidson sharp shooter are pre-season All-American, and both delivered on the hype in the Sooners’ narrow victory.
But as I watched the stars battle it out, I couldn’t help but think, “Which of these guys would look best in Thunder blue?”
Even though Curry is only a junior and Griffin is just a sophomore, both of these guys seem likely early-entry candidates for next year’s NBA Draft. And after almost a month of the NBA season, the Thunder seem a likely lottery candidate for that same draft. If it came down to Griffin or Curry, who should the Thunder take?
I say Griffin.
And it’s not because he’s a local guy either. That would just be a side benefit. No, I think Griffin’s the guy for a couple other reasons.
First of all, it’s difficult to know if the skills of a college shooter are going to translate into the pro game. J.J. Redick is one of the greatest shooters that the college game has ever known, but now that he’s in the NBA, he can hardly get off the bench.
Shooters have to be able to create their own shots in the NBA, and while I think Curry will be able to do that — the 44 points he scored Tuesday are evidence of that – we’ll never know until he’s trying to do it in the league. Getting your shot off against Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson is a little different than Chris Paul and Steve Nash.
Secondly, it seems like the Thunder’s money would be much more well spent on a reliable shooter. Go out and get a guy who is a proven commodity, who you know is going to be able to deliver.
And lastly, I think the Thunder would be better off picking Griffin instead of Curry because Griffin has all the ear-markings of being the next Carlos Boozer. All that guy does is score and rebound and defend and bring it every night. The Thunder could benefit from a guy like that.
Listen, if either Griffin or Curry were dropped in the Thunder’s lap, I suspect both would help this franchise. I just suspect Griffin could help them a little more.
Can Slingin’ Sam win the Heisman?
Just in case you think the only thing on the line Saturday night in Norman is a leg up on the Big 12 South title, the Big 12 championship game and the national championship game, think again.
The Heisman Trophy is on the line, too.
Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell is the current front-runner for the little bronze statue, but Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is one of his closest challengers.
But do both of these guys have a serious shot at the Heisman?
Chris Huston doesn’t think so. He runs the website www.HeismanPundit.com, and he believes that the Heisman will either go to Harrell or Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Huston made an appearance last week on my radio show, and he said doesn’t think Bradford has a good chance to win the trophy.
While I respect the heck out of Huston, this is one time I disagree with him. I still think Bradford has a great shot at winning the Heisman.
For starters, he needs to leave the field Saturday night as the superior quarterback. He needs to clearly establish himself as better than Harrell. He needs to have better stats. He needs to lead the Sooners to victory. This game will be watched by a huge national television audience, and if Bradford leads the Sooners to victory, his stock will soar. His exposure will, too. An OU victory would make Bedlam an even bigger game, a game that much of the nation would see. And if the Sooners win in Stillwater — no easy task — they would play in the Big 12 title game.
And we all know that whatever Big 12 South team gets to that game is going to run over Missouri. The Tigers have teeth in the North, but lose their bite against the South.
If Bradford plays in all three of those high-profile games and plays well in them, I think he’s got an inside track on the Heisman. If Texas Tech loses Saturday, Harrell is probably out of the running. If Colt McCoy is the other challenger, he will have nowhere near the potential exposure that Bradford will. The Longhorns are off this week, and their Thanksgiving week game against a horrible Texas A&M team promises to be a snoozer. McCoy would benefit a ton by
But first things first. Oklahoma and Texas Tech kick off Saturday evening around 7. By about 11, we should have a much clearer picture of many things, including the Heisman Trophy race.
From Sooner football to Christian music
For years, Vince Carter anchored the Oklahoma offensive line.
Now, the former Sooner center hopes to provide stability to an entirely different group.
Carter has turned his attention to Christian rap and urban music in recent years. Known by his stage name His Son, he is set to release his debut album, “Man After God’s Own Heart.” While the album is already available at local Hastings locations, it will be more widely distributed starting Wednesday.
To celebrate, Carter will have a release party at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Westmoore Community Church.
The event is open to the public.
Can’t wait until Wednesday? Carter will be on KTLV AM-1220 at 6:30 p.m. today.
More from The Q&A: Mike Edwards
Ah, the life. Bowling for a living.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. So I learned when in talking with Tulsa native and resident Mike Edwards. He has been on the Professional Bowlers Association tour for almost three decades, and while he loves what he does, it takes work.
Yes, bowling requires work.
Jenni Carlson: You began your 27th season on tour recently. How do you get prepared for the season
Mike Edwards: It’s a long year. I try not to burn myself out too quick. Before when I was younger, I would try to win every week no matter what. You get burnt out that way. I try to look at it … “Let’s take it game by game. Week to week, let’s try to be consistent.” You never know how you’re going to feel.
JC: What’s a normal amount of games that you throw in a week?
ME: Anywhere from 70 to 80 games in about a four-day span.
JC: Wow.
ME: It’s a lot. That’s basically what an average league player would have in one year, and we’re doing it in four days, and we’re doing it every week for 21 weeks. You’ve gotta condition your body. You’ve gotta condition your legs. Through all my career, I’ve heard that bowlers aren’t athletes. We’ve had other guys from other sports try to come out and bowl three games. Jerome Bettis, he’s come out and bowled. But he said his legs were so sore after bowling three games. It’s just different muscles. And here this guy is, I wouldn’t even want to try to get in front of him playing football. But bowling, they’re different muscles, so you’ve got to train your muscles and everything to condition yourself.
JC: Do you lift weight or run or just try to roll a bunch of games?
ME: It’s a combination of all of the above. I do wrist curls. I do arm curls. You really don’t want to give yourself too much muscle because it hinders the arm swing, but I work on my legs. I walk between four to six miles a day just to keep my legs in shape. That’s how you develop your strength and speed getting to the line.
JC: Maybe I can use some of this when I bowl — blame my poor performance on improper training.
ME: Whenever we throw a bad shot, it’s not us. It’s the lane. It’s the foul line. Somebody yelled. Anything. It wasn’t the player.
JC: You’re the only American Indian on the bowling tour. What does that heritage mean for you?
ME: I’ve talked with a few guys about why there aren’t more Native Americans in the major sports, but I just happen to be in a sport where I do it really well. I don’t know if I’m a role model. I guess I am to some extent, but the thing is, I don’t really come across that many Native Americans that bowl anymore. I don’t know why that is. I don’t know if it’s the economy or the interest. Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve tried to meet with the different tribes and the leaders just to let them know, “I’m out here. I’m trying to do the best that I can do.” I’ve always just done what I’ve done. I hope I’ve come across as a positive to some kids or adults.
Sport fights uphill battle
While we were sleeping early Friday morning, softball was fighting for its life.
Representatives of the sport went before the International Olympic Committee Program Commission to make the case for softball’s reinstatement into the Olympics.
As you’ll remember, three years ago, the sport was voted off the Olympic program starting in 2012. A subsequent vote also went against softball. It has been eliminated from the Olympics along with baseball.
Don Porter, the man for whom Oklahoma City’s Hall of Fame Stadium is named, led the delegation that went in front of the program committee. He talked about the increase of national softball federations to 127, the improved education programs as well as the coaching and equipment being provided to areas where the sport is under-developed.
Porter, the International Softball Federation president, said that the vote to eliminate softball was a wake-up call for the sport.
“It was a chance for our sport to change and improve,” Porter said, according to an International Softball Federation press release. “And we have seized that chance with both hands. We have already changed and will continue to change for the better. We are constantly listening and learning.
“Our mission is to make softball the most inclusive team sport on the planet.”
There’s no doubt that softball is more of a global game now than it was three years ago. That, after all, was one of the knocks against keeping the game on the Olympic program.
So was the United States’ dominance. That ended, of course, earlier this year in Beijing when the Americans lost in the gold-medal match.
Despite all of that, softball still faces a steep uphill battle to get itself back on the Olympic program. It has to convince a lot of people that it deserves another shot, and it’s a lot more difficult to get back on the program than it is to stay on.
Thing is, this is about more than being able to see the sport every four years in the Olympics. What happens to softball at the highest level affects what happens at all levels. Softball will receive a small fraction of the funding it currently receives from the U.S. Olympic Committee, and that could hamper the sport’s development at the youth levels.
Will the Women’s College World Series still be popular?
Sure.
Will people still flock to Hall of Fame Stadium in the spring and summer?
You bet.
But softball as a whole faces serious challenges if the sport isn’t re-instated to the Olympic program. The International Olympic Committee plans to add two sports to the current roster of 26 Olympic sports when it meets in Denmark next October. Those sports would compete in the 2016 Olympics.
Softball needs to rejoin the Olympic program. It’s the only female-only team sport on the program, and it’s had no positive drug tests in major competitions. Those would be gold stars for the Olympics.
But the truth is, softball needs the Olympics much worse that the Olympics needs it.
The fight is far from over.
