No doomsday clock at OSU
In the past, as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma State football faithful frequently wiggled in their seats. They watched with one eye closed, sometimes both eyes closed. And this was when their team was ahead.
Insultingly, it became known as the “Aggie Factor,” the ability to snatch defeat from victory.
But there was no such uneasiness in Saturday’s 24-10 season-opening victory against No. 13 Georgia. At no time did the No. 9 Cowboys show signs of faltering in the closing minutes.
Maybe it was because no fan wearing orange had left the building. Maybe it was because Boone Pickens Stadium finally was finished and Lewis Field finally was extinct. Maybe it was because the OSU defense had displayed an unexpected stubbornness. Maybe it was because this year’s Cowboys appear to be different. Maybe it was because of all the above.
Whatever the reason, this final quarter was not a place where victory went to die. In the past, the uncertainty was palpable as mumbles and groans cascaded down from the stands. On Saturday, there was an extreme sense of confidence displayed by OSU players and fans.
Sure, it’s only one game, but it’s a start. It’s something the Cowboys and their fans can build on for potential fourth-quarter uncertainty that might come later this season against Houston, or Missouri, or Texas or Texas Tech.
With the formal elimination of Lewis Field perhaps came the elimination of ghosts that arrived in the fourth quarter.
Boone Pickens Stadium looks nothing like Lewis Field. And during the fourth quarter against Georgia, it felt nothing like the relic, either.
Let’s (not) shake on it
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy remained non-committal Monday as to whether his team would shake hands with Georgia players at midfield before their game Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
“I’d rather not talk about that subject right now,” Gundy said during his first weekly media luncheon.
The American Football Coaches Association has asked teams to shake hands before their season-opening games as a sign of good sportsmanship. The gesture is for season openers only and is not mandatory.
Gundy said he has greater concerns right now than whether to shake hands, such as what play to call on third-and-3.
Gundy said he asked his 13-year-old son, Gavin, what he thought of shaking hands before the game. Gavin said he wouldn’t do it if it was against an opponent that would make it a competitive game.
Oklahoma State vs. Georgia certainly figures to be competitive. It rates as the most prolific home opener in OSU history and one of the nation’s top games this weekend.
“Our first concern is you have 110 or 115 people in uniform for us, and they’re going to bring approximately 70,” Gundy said. “It just takes one guy to pop off, and I don’t know if we could get them broken up before the game. That’s one thing that concerns us.”
Gundy said he has tremendous respect for Georgia coach Mark Richt and for AFCA chairman Grant Teaff, who is heading the handshake request.
“It’s a difficult decision,” said Gundy, who smiled before adding, “I know what Gary Ward would have done.”
The extremely competitive Ward, former baseball coach at OSU, would shake hands with the opposing head coach, but did not allow his players to shake hands with an opponent.
OSU vs. Georgia continues to intensify each day, and I say don’t flirt with fire. The teams should shake hands after the game, not before.
Hoping history repeats itself
As the saying goes, “history is old news.”
But with Big 12 football season finally about to begin, here’s hoping history repeats itself — all the way up to the very end.
Here’s hoping the Big 12 South has three teams stay in the Top 10 pretty much all season. Here’s hoping the Big 12 once again has the maximum two BCS bowl representatives. Here’s hoping a Big 12 team makes it to the national title game for the seventh time in the league’s 14th year of existence. And here’s hoping for the league’s elusive third national crown.
The most compelling reason to be excited about Big 12 football this season is because of what happened last season, particularly in the South. Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are all in the preseason Top 10 for the first time ever. Don’t forget about Texas Tech. Baylor is getting better. Might the Big 12 South squeeze five teams into the Top 25, the Top 20, maybe higher?
True, no one should live in the past. But in this case, there’s nothing wrong with hoping history repeats itself — all the way up to the very end.
Trying to determine who’s best
We knew the Big 12 South is the best division in the history of college football. Granted, divisional play has a pretty small window in BCS conferences, only going back to 1992 in the expanded SEC, the formation of the Big 12 in 1996 and to 2005 in the ACC.
Researching other divisional conferences was simple enough. Researching all conferences throughout time was a much bigger task.
Then all these questions started popping up: What are the fairest parameters to use to determine the strength of a conference? Are the final rankings the best way, bowl results, schedule strength, the top teams only, the league as a whole? And where does all this evaluating stop?
What about trying to compare college football to divisions in other sports, then coming up with an overall power ranking? Can it be done? Should it be done?
Do divisions add to a league’s strength, or do they fracture it? Are divisional races better when only the champion advances to postseason play, or when there are multiple playoff spots up for grabs?
As you can tell, there were a bunch of questions without a bunch of specific answers. The end result of this divisional quest can be found in the center of Monday’s sports section in The Oklahoman.
Feel free to share your thoughts to any of the aforementioned questions, or let me know how you feel about the results. What was right? What was wrong? Who is missing? Who doesn’t belong?
“Elevation:” U2 makes Jerry Jones rise to the occasion
Bono is a powerful man. Even Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows he had to accommodate the lead singer of U2.
In order for U2 to perform at Cowboys Stadium on Oct. 12, the world’s largest video screens that hang in the middle of facility have to be raised to accommodate a stage that includes “The Claw,” which is 164 feet high.
But will Jones raise the screens to accommodate the NFL?
Though soccer players and NFL punters have easily kicked balls off the bottom of the video structure, the screens will remain their current height of 90 feet (5 feet higher than the league requirement) until further notice.
Excuse me, but why all the debate on raising the screens?
Wouldn’t raising the video boards give the people in the cheap seats a more optimum view?
They’re the folks who need it, who deserve it. They’re the ones looking at all those ants playing football below their feet. Bring the big screen a little closer to the common man.
Raising the video screens would offer the best of both worlds at Jerry World.
These high-definition screens have 30 million pixels that stretch roughly 60 yards wide and 25 yards high.
Would raising the structure 30 feet or so suddenly make this monstrosity more difficult to see?
The rich folk already are close enough to see the field. They would simply have to crane their necks slightly higher to see the video board. They could also sneak a peek at one of the 3,000 flat screens mounted throughout the $1.3ish billion facility.
Most important, raising the video screens would help prevent a stoppage in play and potential injuries on the field.
Punts that hit the scoreboard are blown dead, the clock is re-set and the play is repeated.
Kick coverages are part-wind sprint/part-suicide mission. One sequence is exhausting and dangerous enough. No need for a do-over.
NFL officials said they are monitoring this jumbo-monitor situation, but what’s to think about?
Just have commissioner Roger Goodell pound his gavel and deem a structure’s new league-minimum height to be, say, 120 feet — effective Sept. 20, the Cowboys’ home opener against the New York Giants.
Equipment recently was installed that will lower the video screens for other events held at Cowboys Stadium, which falls under the category of “ongoing construction” at the facility.
The screens will be disconnected when they are raised for the U2 concert. Just figure out a way for those boards to remain connected after being raised for NFL games.
What goes down, must come up.
This doesn’t sound all that complicated to me.
Seriously, am I missing something here?
Appearing in Playboy, without the photos
There is a local flavor in the September issue of Playboy, but no photographic proof.
Oklahoma is picked No. 1 in Playboy’s Pigskin Preview. Defending champ Florida was No. 2, followed by Texas, USC and Penn State. Oklahoma State was tabbed 10th.
Due to budget cuts, there was no Pigskin photo shoot last spring, a time when team members normally gather at a sunny location.
Had there been a photo shoot, the magazine’s quarterback likely would have been a no-show, and so would two backup selections.
Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was chosen as this year’s All-American quarterback. OU officials said they would not have nominated Bradford for the honor and firmly believe he would not have attended a photo shoot (had there been one) because of moral differences.
OU defensive tackle Tommie Harris and Sooners linebacker Rocky Calmus previously turned down invitations to appear in Playboy for the same reason.
The magazine likely would have had to defer all the way down to its fourth choice at quarterback.
Last summer, Florida’s Tim Tebow was selected as Playboy’s quarterback. He refused to appear in the magazine, which instead chose West Virginia’s Pat White.
Citing similar morality issues, Texas officials said they also would not have nominated Colt McCoy for the magazine’s honor.
That means if Playboy was adamant about having its quarterback pictured with the rest of its Pigskin Preview team, Mississippi’s Jevan Snead might have been the pick.
Oddly enough, Bradford, McCoy and Tebow wound up in the September issue anyway and are pictured standing side-by-side.
Also selected for this year’s team were tight end Jermaine Gresham and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy of OU, plus wide receiver Dez Bryant and offensive tackle Russell Okung of OSU.
OU’s Bob Stoops was named the All-American team’s coach.
Money train began in Oklahoma for U.S. Open champ
Lucas Glover just pocketed $1,350,000 for winning the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park (Black Course).
That gives Glover career earnings on the PGA Tour in excess of $10.5 million.
Glover’s very first paycheck after turning pro came Sept. 23, 2001, at the Oak Tree Country Club East Course in Edmond, where he won the Oklahoma Open and pocketed $27,000.
Below is the story that appeared in The Oklahoman:
Glover uncanny, but victorious
BYLINE: John Rohde, Staff Writer
SECTION: SPORTS;
LENGTH: 586 words
DATELINE: EDMOND
Before he teed off Sunday for the final round of the Oklahoma Open, second-round leader Lucas Glover made up his mind even-par would be a good score.
Par is precisely what Glover shot on the Oak Tree Country Club East Course, but it came with a rather unnerving combination of six birdies, six pars and six bogeys.
His 9-under-par 201 tournament total was good for a three-shot victory over former Oklahoma All-American Grant Masson and TCU product Albert Ochoa.
The 21-year-old Glover, a member of the Walker and Palmer Cup teams this summer, earned a first-place check of $ 27,000 in his professional debut.
“I don’t really know what to say, except that I’m really happy,” said the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Clemson product.
Glover will make his debut on the PGA Tour at the Texas Open this week.
The $ 150,000 Open, sponsored by Oklahoma Ford Dealers, was the first stroke-play tournament Glover had played in seven weeks. His two previous outings were in the Walker Cup and U.S. Amateur, both match-play formats.
“I was a little rusty until the second round,” said Glover, who carded rounds of 66-65-70. “The rust kind of shook off the first day, then the putter really got hot and I had a feeling it was going to be a good week.”
With the winds up, the flagsticks tucked and the greens firm, par became a premium on Sunday.
Friday’s low round was a 62 from John Engler, who was Glover’s college teammate.
Saturday’s low was Kory Bowman’s 63, which featured an ace.
Sunday’s low was 67, shot by four players.
“I knew if I played 2-under, 1-under or maybe even, somebody was going to have to play real good to beat that,” Glover said. “You have to get in the frame of mind to make pars.”
Sunday’s wind howled 25-30 mph out of the northeast on a course designed for a predominately south breeze.
After tranquil days the first two rounds, the 7,087-yard Pete Dye layout revealed playing conditions rarely seen even by longtime Oak Tree members.
Glover took a one-shot lead into the final round and was joined in the final threesome by Engler and Masson.
When Engler and Masson struggled on the front nine, Glover opened a four-shot lead.
“I knew I had to keep pressing,” Glover said. “I was watching them and knew when they got to going the wrong way that I could probably sneak in. Then I got wind that Albert was playing really well.”
Ochoa applied pressure on the back nine and trailed by one shot while playing the par-3 17th hole.
Glover birdied from 25 feet on No. 16 then watched from No. 17 tee as Ochoa bogeyed the hole.
A birdie from 8 feet on No. 17 gave Glover a four-shot lead going into the 467-yard, par-4 closing hole.
Glover played it safe, laid up away from the water hazard lining the left side of the fairway, and eventually tapped in for bogey. He had only one 3-putt in 54 holes.
Engler tied for seventh. His closing 76 was 14 strokes higher than his record-tying opening round.
Asked if he said anything to his former teammate, Glover said, “He knows I feel for him. There’s nothing you can say that sounds right after a player like him shoots that. But he knows I’m pulling for him.”
Canadian Tour player John Duoma of Scottsdale, Ariz., and former OSU All-American Ed Loar tied for fourth at 206.
Oklahoma State junior J.C. DeLeon, who tied for 13th at 209, was low amateur and won the inaugural Charlie Coe Memorial Trophy.
Defending champion John Bizik of Grove tied for 29th at 213.
Breakfast at The Brick
There are a handful of games each season when the Oklahoma City RedHawks have an 11:05 a.m. start at Bricktown Ballpark. Usually it’s Field Trip Day for local students. Sometimes it’s a helpful early start for a team on getaway day.
It is currently 8:57 a.m. on Wednesday and it’s opening day of the Big 12 Tournament at The Brick.
Kansas and Kansas State are a few minutes away from their opening pitch. There are 112 people in the stands and two ducks waddling down the right-field line, getting shooed away by the grounds crew.
It is 67 degrees under blue skies. There is a gentle breeze rather than straight-line gusts. No lines. Plenty of parking.
In a word, the setting is “perfect.”
Jack Nicklaus has said the best time to see a golf course is either early in the morning or late in the afternoon when shadows are cast. Baseball is very similar, especially in a setting as beautiful as The Brick.
Wednesday morning reminded you of your Little League days, when you played early Saturday, then spent the rest of the day either watching your friends ball or playing more ball yourself.
You could hear the player chatter, the thump of the catcher’s mitt, the moment of impact between bat and ball, the words of encouragement from fans and parents, the quack of two ducks down the right-field line.
As great as the RedHawks’ 11:05 a.m. starts are, a 9 a.m. start is even better.
Sometimes baseball’s best settings are not in front of sellout crowds. Sometimes the best setting is with barely anyone is in the stands, when people relax under blue skies and think about nothing but ball.
Wednesday was all-ball all-day at The Brick. Saturday’s schedule will be the same, with games scheduled to start at 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 and 7:30.
If you missed Wednesday’s full schedule do your best not to miss Saturday’s offering.
MLB’s top thief almost came to Oklahoma
Last Sunday, Tampa Bay leftfielder Carl Crawford tied a major-league record with six stolen bases in a game.
Crawford’s name should sound familiar to those who follow college recruiting closely. He signed a national letter of intent in 1999 to become an option quarterback at Nebraska. Crawford also strongly considered Oklahoma and Tulsa, plus USC and Florida.
Crawford lettered in football, baseball, basketball and swimming at Jefferson Davis High School in Houston and was offered a basketball scholarship from UCLA.
All other athletic options ended when Crawford .637 as a senior and was drafted in the second round by the Rays. In 2002, Crawford was named the franchise’s Most Outstanding Rookie and was tabbed International League Rookie of the Year while playing for the Durham Bulls.
Crawford reached the majors at age 20, is a four-time American League stolen base champion and leads the league again this season. Though only 27 years old, Crawford is sixth on the active steals list with 322.
Now Crawford playfully is being cursed by NU football bloggers.
“He was a complete kind of quarterback — a guy who could throw the ball well but obviously had great running ability,” former Cornhuskers coach Frank Solich, the man who recruited Crawford, told the Lincoln Journal Star this week. “We thought he could really fit everything we wanted to do. In fact, his kind of ability would’ve allowed us to do a great number of things. If Carl would’ve been in the program, Jammal Lord would’ve been a strong safety, and Jammal would probably still be playing pro ball.”
That’s right, Crawford playing pro baseball actually shortened Lord’s pro football career. Weird how that works, huh?
Setting it straight with Scott Drew
Had a pleasant chat with Baylor men’s basketball coach Scott Drew early Thursday afternoon, which is not big news. Drew has always been pleasant with media.
But this was the first time I spoke with Drew since the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City last March, when I wrote Baylor was “widely considered the worst-coached team in the league.”
Drew sent an e-mail with his phone number around noon on Thursday. I immediately called back.
We started out with small talk. Drew asked about the Thunder, the NBA draft, how long I had covered the Big 12, et al. I asked him if he was still in the running for undeclared high school recruit John Wall.
We meandered our way to the reason Drew wanted to talk, which was my March 14 column, the gist of which was to welcome Baylor basketball to the 2008-09 season with “Where the heck you been?”
A preseason pick to finish tied for third in the Big 12, the Bears had finished ninth with a 5-11 record (one game ahead of Iowa State). They came alive in the conference tournament, advanced to the Big 12 title game against Missouri and went on to finish as the NIT runner-up.
Other than three middle paragraphs criticizing Drew, the 23-paragraph column was extremely positive about Baylor and its players. As is always the case, however, folks remember only the negative.
I explained my side. Drew gave his side. No raised voices. No threats. No cheap shots. A completely civil 10-minute exchange.
I reaffirmed my belief that Baylor had underachieved during the regular season and 2008-09 was an opportunity lost. I also admitted to Drew I was heavyhanded with my words and could have articulated my opinion much differently. He said he appreciated those thoughts and asked if I had any particular questions about his team.
In my column, I wrote Baylor started playing better toward the end of the season probably because Drew started doing less coaching. Drew said the opposite was true. The Bears were far more structured and ran multiple offensive sets toward the end of the season. Why not take that approach earlier in the season? “Because we were 15-3 and things seemed to be working pretty good,” Drew explained.
I asked why guard Curtis Jerrells, who I thought was headed for the NBA, might not even be drafted. Drew said the 6-foot-1 Jerrells has long been considered a tweener. Is he a point guard or shooting guard? I vote shooting guard.
I asked what was in store for power forward Kevin Rogers, who had flashes of brilliance. Drew said Rogers needed to improve on his toughness and envisioned him playing overseas.
Drew did not ask for an apology or a retraction, nor did he ask for my boss’ phone number. He simply said he was glad we had the chance to chat.
Drew mentioned that Baylor fans and his family were surprised a writer in a tournament’s host city would write something so negative. I told Drew the same thing I tell everyone when they are angered with my viewpoint — take it out on me, don’t take it out on the state. Don’t let something I wrote make you think less of Oklahoma.
With that, we said our good-byes and Drew wished me a good summer.
