Jenni Carlson NewsOK.com Blogging Community

Stayed up last night to watch the U.S. men’s gymnastics team try to pull off the upset of the Olympics.

I suspect I wasn’t alone.

I know at least a few other folks were awake watching former Oklahoma star Jonathan Horton and the rest of the Americans in Beijing. I spent the evening at a watch party in Norman.

The watchers: the OU gymnastics teams.

I’m sure it was louder at the arena in Beijing, but I’m not sure how it could have been.

The current and former Sooners went nuts every time Horton hit a routine or stuck a landing, and last night, that meant they were going crazy pretty much all the time. The 22-year-old from Houston was on. He stuck landings on big routines four consecutive times, and for a time, the Americans looked like they might just win the silver medal.

No one thought it possible without the Hamm twins.

Horton almost made it so.

I’ll have more about Horton as well as his biggest supporters back in Norman a little later this morning on NewsOK.com. Check back later this morning for an early web exclusive.  

What could be better than Danica Patrick in “The Q&A”?

How about Danica Patrick talking about pedicures in “The Q&A”?

Here’s the uncut version of my conversation with the IndyCar star:

Jenni Carlson: Fess up — how sick were you of the all the no-wins talk before this season?

Danica Patrick: On a scale of one to 10, I was an 11. But what am I going to do about it? It’s not like I could push a button and make it happen, so I definitely had to ride that out. You just have to know what you can do. You have to believe in your own abilities. Then, the rest of it is just talk.

JC: You got kind of emotional after you scored that first win earlier this season in Japan.

DP: It was necessarily just from winning a race; that’s the sort of thing I expect to do. But I don’t want to cry. You don’t see guys going to victory lane and crying, but I don’t think many people have had to deal with the sort of questions, the repetitive questions. The emotion was really tied to how long that haul was to get there and not just for the win but because of what the win meant and what led up to it.

JC: Do you feel like you’ve faced more scrutiny because of your gender?

DP: You know, the microscope is a little bit bigger. You do well, people notice, and when you don’t do well, people notice. I was always so flattered that people kept asking me when I was going to win. I was frustrated, don’t get me wrong, but the bright side I saw to it was that the still believed I could or they wouldn’t be asking.

JC: Who are the people you think about in those moments after getting that checkered flag on your first win?

DP: The most common denominator in everything has always been my family, so you think about them and you think about how long the haul was. Then you think about your team and how much faith they’ve had in you. I remember seeing Mike (Andretti) afterwards, and he looked like he had a little tear in his eye. I know that’s something he really wanted to happen. He believed in his team, and he believed in me, and he thought, “You put those two together, and we will make some history. We will get to victory lane.” To see that follow through, to see that come true, it was a rewarding feeling.

JC: Tell me about your role models, those people who you looked up to along the way.

DP: I didn’t really have idols or anything like that. I had people that I learned from, but I think always subconsciously I knew I was different. I always wanted to be the first Danica, not the next whoever else. I never really wanted to be like anybody else. I wanted to achieve a lot as some people had, but I just never really had a mold for what I wanted.

JC: It’s interesting because a lot of people now point to you as a role model.

DP: It’s very flattering. The first thought that comes to my head is, “Want to be better than me. You need to want to be the best. You need to want to be better than everyone else.” Sometimes, kids have been like, “I want to be like you.” I’m like, “You want to be better than me, don’t you?” As much as I don’t want to be outdone, I want people to believe they can be the best. That’s how you’re going to follow through with it. That’s how you’re going to get there. When I say to these kids, “Dream big,” I really mean that. I even ask my friends … “If you could do anything in your life, what would you do? Then, try to do it.”

JC: Are you any more mindful of little girls when it comes to being a role model?

DP: They’re so impressionable. They’re so raw. They’ll sit next to you, and they’ll be like, “You’re pretty.” They’re like, “You’re short.” They’re just so innocent and real, and so if you are unable to sign something for them or don’t take the time, they’re going to remember that possibly their favorite driver didn’t have time for them. If I’m really busy, I’ll only sign for the kids.

JC: I was looking at your website. The first photo is you, racing helmet, blue dress, black nails. I gotta ask — are you a girlie girl?

DP: (Laughs.) I’m really pretty feminine. I enjoy being a girl. I like to go get my nails done. I like to go shopping and dress up. I do enjoy all that. My favorite part of a photo shoot is hair and makeup. I think that’s a fun part about me and probably an unexpected part. In the race car, I’m very tough and moody, and I don’t wear makeup and I don’t care, and my hair’s all over the place. It’s just not what matters. But when I go away from the car … I’m still that same tough person, but I look out for my friends and I’m always having the newest fashions. That side of me is pretty different.

JC: Gotta tell you, best part of the pedicure is the foot massage.

DP: I like when they scrub my feet. I work them to death. They need a little bit of tough love.

JC: Being a celeb, you get a leg up on the sales at the stores and the deals, right?

DP: You would think that, but not so much.

JC: No?

DP: Pretty much every outfit except for one or two things that I’ve worn on TV have been from my own closet, bought at full-price. I know what looks good on me, and I’m very picky with my clothes.

JC: We need to get someone to work with you, though, on that discount celebrity thing, don’t we?

DP: I’m lucky enough that I do get sent certain things. But normally … I’m on the road. For me to get a box of clothes the week before is impossible. I have to stockpile dresses. My husband is like, “How many dresses do you need?” I need ‘em when I need ‘em. When you want one, you can’t find one.

JC: Last question — you said earlier that you ask your friends, “If you could do anything, what would you do?” So let me ask you, if you could do anything, what would you do?

DP: At the moment, win races, win championships, be dominant. I would love to be in that position. I’d love to be doing what Scott Dixon’s doing right now. But in the long-term, I’d love to have some sort of a clothing line and go to fashion week all over the world and have a hand in designing. And I’d love to own a winery. That would be a lot of fun.

JC: You are a girlie girl.

DP: Yeah, well, like I said, you’ve gotta dream big, right?

It’s summer, my friends.

Time for a little fun.

Watch my latest video commentary or read below:

I’ve never been to Vegas. It’s not that I dislike it. I’ve just never made the trip.

Now, I’m tempted.

Next weekend is the third annual USARPS League Championship Tournament.

You know, the USA Rock Paper Scissors League.

And yes, we are talking about the kids’ game where you pound your fist on your palm three times, then make either rock, paper or scissors.

I kid you not, my cyberspace friends. I don’t know what’s funnier — that there’s a Rock Paper Scissors League or that the league has a championship tournament in Vegas.

Here is a bit from the league about the upcoming tournament: “More than 300 RPS athletes representing all corners of America will descent on Las Vegas … in the hopes of roshamboing their way to the $50,000 grand prize.”

You heard right — $50,000 goes to the winner.

But wait, there’s more.

The winner will also be flown to Beijing later this summer to represent the U.S. Apparently, the U.S. winner will square off against folks from Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong and Guam in the International Rock Paper Scissors Federation Championship.

The best part of this whole story is that competitors are known to wear crazy costumes in hopes of psyching out their competition. Some have dressed as warriors. Others have dressed as cavemen.

Honestly, this might be a strategy that other sports should think about adopting. What if Kobe Bryant showed up with warrior paint all over his face? Or if Tiger Woods wore only a loin cloth the next time he played? If it works for Rock Paper Scissors players, it would surely work for them.

And according to the World Rock Paper Scissors Society, there are actually strategies and techniques. They even have terms for them. One is blocking. That means you hold back a throw of paper until the last possible moment duping your opponent into believing you’re throwing a rock.

Ha! And you thought Rock Paper Scissors was just some kids game!

The USARPS League Championship hits Vegas next weekend.

Eat your heart out, Wayne Newton.

College softball has suffered a huge loss.

Plus, a video commentary first — fun sound effects. You won’t want to miss it.

Watch my latest video commentary or read below, though you’ll have to watch the video to get the sound effects:

After a baker’s dozen games at the Women’s College World Series, a disturbing trend has emerged.

Shorts are dead in softball!

Used to be, just about every softball team that came to Oklahoma City to play for a national championship did so wearing shorts. They would wear shorts that fell just above the knee with stirrup socks that stretched all the way to the knee. It was a fun look, a different look, a look that set softball apart from baseball.

Teams that wore pants were oddities.

Now, short-wearing teams are the odd ducks.

You had to be paying close attention this week during the Women’s College World Series to find a team even wearing shorts. Through four days, only Louisiana-Lafayette sported shorts and the Rajun Cajuns only did so once. They went with pants in their other two games.

I don’t know why, but I found myself lamenting the loss of shorts in softball. Just maybe it felt a little bit like softball was trying to look more like baseball.

Boy, would that be a bad idea.

Softball is a fun, vibrant sport that is growing by leaps and bounds. People love the energy and the enthusiasm. They love the way the game is played. Heck, spend a few minutes listening to John Kruk on the ESPN broadcasts, and he’ll sound like Shakespeare waxing poetic about how softball is played the baseball should be.

Softball needs to keep its unique identity, and how the players look is a part of that.

But you can say this much for the gals, at least they wear their pants the right way. See, I’m a big advocate of the old-school, pants-to-the-knees, stirrup-socks-from-there look. It’s crisp. It’s sharp.

And it’s completely dead in baseball.

These days, the last thing a baseball uniform is, is uniform. You’ll see guys with pants to their knees, pant that go all the way to their shoe tops, baggy pants, tight pants. And they’ll all be on the same team.

The guys need to take a fashion tip from the gals. Then again, when is that not true?

Softball knows how pants should be worn, but that doesn’t mean they should always wear them.

Bring back the shorts, softball. It was distinctive. It was fun. It was one more reason to love this sport.

Sometimes in a sports world where madness is the standard and ugliness is the norm, you need a little ray of sunshine.

Watch my latest video commentary or read below:

This story is a remarkable one.

It is remarkable because it involves sportsmanship in sport. Those stories have become fewer and farther between these days. Too often, we see folks in sports posturing and pushing. This week, we even had an NBA player mocking another in the media.

Are these grown ups or third graders?

We don’t have to ask that question about a couple of Division II softball players from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western Oregon was visiting Central Washington for a doubleheader last weekend, and early in the second game, Sara Tucholsky stepped to the plate. The diminutive senior had never hit a home run in her career, but on the second pitch, she smacked a pitch over the centerfield fence.

Everyone from Western Oregon went nuts, including Sara. In her excitement, she missed tagging first base. When she turned back to touch it, her right knee buckled.

She fell to the ground.

Her coach knew if anyone from their team touched Sara, she would’ve been unable to advance. Her first career homer would’ve gone down as only a single.

Then as everyone stood around trying to figure out what to do, Mallory Holtman spoke up. The Central Washington first baseman knows how great it is to hit a home run. She’s her school’s career leader.

Mallory said, “Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?”

And that’s exactly what Mallory and shortstop Liz Wallace did. They lifted Sara, their hands crossed under her and carried her to second, then third, then home.

I’d like to think that any athlete anywhere would do what Mallory and Liz did for little Sara, but I’m not sure they would.

Maybe that’s why this story from a small-school conference in a far-away corner of the country is being noticed by ESPN and The New York Times and so many others around the country. Even though you can find sports in sportsmanship, you can’t always find sportsmanship in sports. Maybe the story of the gals from Central Washington and Western Oregon shouldn’t seem so remarkable, but we know that in today’s sports world, it is.

Mallory and Liz carried Sara, but really, they gave all of us a lift.

Mickey Tettleton scored a big victory over the weekend.

On the links.

The former Major Leaguer who was born in Oklahoma City and now lives in Norman won the San Diego Classic, one of the stops on the Celebrity Tour. Tettleton has been playing golf on the tour for more than a decade, but until Sunday, he’d never won an event.

Tettleton beat out Rick Rhoden. The two former big leaguers are big time friends, so much so that Tettleton has caddied on several occasions for Rhoden, a regular on the Champions Tour. He was even on the bag a couple years back when the Senior PGA Championship came to Oak Tree.

Much like his baseball career, Tettleton got a big hit at an important time. He hit a 9-iron to less than three feet on the 18th hole, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Tettleton had a two-day total of 3-under 139. 

Pretty darn good for a baseball player.

The Kingfisher Kid is no longer a kid, and yet, I sure hope Curtis Lofton is taking some child-like wonder with him to the NFL. 

Watch my latest video commentary or read below:

There was a day back in December that I’ll long remember.

The Oklahoma football team was having its pre-bowl season press conference, and Curtis Lofton was talking about anything anyone asked him. That included the NFL.

He had yet to declare for the draft, but as the linebacker fielded questions about the NFL, he had the weirdest look on his face. It was either disbelief or wonder. I finally asked him what was up.

Lofton said that he really couldn’t believe he was sitting there talking about being an NFL Draft pick.

He explained it this way: “Just being from Kingfisher, a little small town, and being able to actually think about going to the NFL is just kind of astonishing.”

Lofton isn’t thinking about it any more. He’s going to the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons picked Lofton in the second round of this weekend’s draft, and folks in Georgia are talking about him being the heir apparent to Keith Brooking.

All the Brooking has done over the past decade is anchor the Falcon defense.

Lofton has yet to play a down in the NFL, and yet, he has already started living out a dream. And you know what? I can’t help but be pleased as punch for the guy.

On a weekend when it’s easy to get wrapped up in the big money being thrown at young men or the out-of-control hype machine spitting out one superlative after another, Lofton is a guy who’s easy to be happy for. He is a small-town guy who works hard and keeps his nose clean.

I haven’t had a chance to talk to Lofton since he was drafted Saturday, but I did see him at Mark Clayton’s charity event a few weeks ago. He was running in the same circles with NFL types that weekend, and he still had some of that awe in his eyes. The wonder was there just like that December press conference.

Here’s hoping Lofton takes that attitude with him to the NFL.

Enjoying the ride is never a bad way to go.

Sometimes we don’t get the fairy-tale ending in sports.

Too bad.

Emily LeVan deserved one. The Oklahoma native has been training for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials the past few months while her daughter battles leukemia, and early Sunday morning in Boston came her chance to make the Olympic Games.

LeVan finished 67th with a time of 2:45:45.

The winner, Deena Kastor, finished in 2:29:35. Magdelena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell also made the Olympic team with times of 2:30:19 and 2:32:40 respectively.

LeVan might have finished well back of the pack, but as she told me before the trials, just getting to the starting line would be a triumph.

It’s safe to say, LeVan triumphed in more ways than one.

The efforts of her, her husband, Brad, and her daughter, Maddie, have raised more that $64,000 for cancer research. They have reached thousands with their website, www.twotrials.com, and they reached millions late last week when their story was chronicled on NBC Nightly News.

So, hats off to Emily LeVan. Olympian or not, she is an American we can all cheer.

The best thing about the NCAA Tournament, of course, is the games.

But the final stanza, the ending note is pretty darn good, too. Granted, I may be a little cheesy for thinking that the “One Shining Moment” montage at the end of the tourney is the best way to end things, but so be it. I’m willing to be a little cheesy. I always watch it at the end of every tournament.

Monday night, though, there was no montage.

At least not in Oklahoma City.

Severe weather and our good buddy Gary England kept us from seeing ”One Shining Moment.” Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ll sit and watch hours of weather coverage on TV.

But keeping us from “One Shining Moment”?

Boo, Gary! Boo!

Fear not, though. YouTube to the rescue. This year’s “One Shining Moment” is not only on there, but you can also see the montage from 2002 when Oklahoma last went to the Final Four. Among the years not archived on YouTube is 2004, the year that Oklahoma State last went to the Final Four, and the Cowboys were front and center in that montage, everything from John Lucas’ shot to the Bobik Sisters’ dance.

If you like wasting time reflecting on college basketball seasons gone by, YouTube can help you do that.

And last I checked, there was no severe weather preempting anything there. 

The argument over who’s toughest in sports is as old as sport itself.

There’s a guy in Oklahoma who ranks near the top.

Watch my latest video commentary or read below:

Start talking about tough guys in sports, and the debate rages.

Who are the toughest of them all?

Some say football players. Others say boxers or ultimate fighters or wrestlers, gymnasts or hockey players or swimmers.

What about tough guys with ties to our fair state?

You could make an argument for someone like former boxing champ Sean O’Grady, punishing running back Adrian Peterson, wrestling legend John Smith or stunt bike rider Mat Hoffman. You could make an argument for lots of tough guys.

But in my estimation, there aren’t many tougher than Justin McBride.

The name may not be familiar to everyone, but in the world of professional bull riding, McBride is a superstar. He has won two of the last three world championships and broken all sorts of records.

He’s broken all sorts of body parts, too.

McBride, who lives on a ranch in Western Oklahoma, rode to his second world title last season with a separated shoulder on his free arm. That meant every time he rode, he was swinging that arm around like a mad man. Talk about painful.

And he took no painkillers, not even an aspirin.

Heck, mention the thought of taking something, and McBride practically growls the answer.

“I didn’t take any Advil.”

How about this litany of injury reports? Concussion with brief loss of consciousness after being stepped on. Dislocated left shoulder. Pinched nerve in neck after landing on his head. All of that happened last season.

Oh, by the way, McBride won the world championship last season.

At only 5-foot-8, 140 pounds, it’s difficult to imagine our fair state has any athlete tougher, pound for pound.

Want to know more about McBride and how he became the world’s best bull rider? Watch for our coverage of this weekend’s Copenhagen Bull Riding Challengers Tour Championship here in Oklahoma City.