Former OU star Thomas Lott appearing on KREF-AM 1400
Thomas Lott hugs former OU coach Barry Switzer during OU Legends flag football game in April.
Former OU star quarterback Thomas Lott is appearing weekly on KREF-AM 1400 during James Hale’s talk show from 3 to 6 p.m. on either Thursday or Friday. Lott told David Flores of San Antonio’s KENS5.com that he is enjoying his radio work since moving to Norman five months ago.
“I love it,” Lott said. “I just felt like I wanted to do something different with my life, and I’ve always considered myself as someone who stays informed. Not only in sports, but in other things going on in the world. I read a lot and try to keep up.
“I think my perspective as a player and coach helps. I can look at things from a player’s point of view and a coach’s point of view. I remember things I went through, and I can share that with my audience.”
Lott, a San Antonio native who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of three varsity seasons at Jay High School, recently was inducted into Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. Switzer and several of Lott’s OU teammates, including Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, attended the festivities May 8 in Waco.
“It was a great experience,” Lott said. “Just seeing Coach Switzer and so many of my teammates made it a special night.”
Short takes
— The Texas Rangers will get a lot of media coverage this weekend in their series at Minnesota. Fox will regionally televise the 3 p.m. Saturday game, including KOKH-25, with announcers Josh Lewin and Mark Grace. Three-fourth of the nation, including KOKI-23 in Tulsa, will get St. Louis at Chicago Cubs with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. On Sunday, ESPN2 will nationally televise the Texas-Minnesota game at 7 p.m. with Jon Miller, Joe Morgan and Orel Hershiser.
— With the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks set to begin, HBO has added additional playdates for the hour-long documentary “Broad Street Bullies,” a look at one of pro sport’s most polarizing teams, the legendary Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup championship squads of the 1970s. Air dates include 10 a.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Tuesday. The film tells the backstories of these athletes, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975 with a bold, aggressive style that sparked controversy and criticism.
— ESPN has selected the first weeks of the Big Ten football schedule:
Sept. 4, 11 a.m., Western Michigan at Michigan State, ESPN2; 2:30 p.m. Connecticut at Michigan ABC and ESPN2.
Sept. 11, 11 a.m., San Jose State at No. 9 Wisconsin ESPN or ESPN2; 2:30 p.m. Iowa State at No. 11 Iowa, ABC and ESPN2.
Sept. 18, 11 a.m., Kent State at No. 23 Penn State ESPN or ESPN2
Dan Patrick interviews former NBA referee Tim Donaghy
Tim Donaghy
Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy talked about his trials and tribulations about gambling on the NBA on Thursday’s edition of “The Dan Patrick Television Show,” which airs 8-11 a.m. on DIRECTV’s The 101 Network.
Here are some excerpts:
Would you have done things differently or not at all?
“I would certainly not have done it at all. My decisions affected a lot of other people in a negative way, so I wouldn’t have done it at all.”
On gambling problem as NBA ref:
“The betting consumed me and I became addicted to it. It was easy for me to predict things and I was able to bet on NBA games that I was officiating in. … I was so successful at making these picks at 70-80 percent correct, that I didn’t need to help a team get a win. I was never asked to fix a game.”
How did you eventually get caught?
“I got caught because I got involved with people in organized crime talking about me during a wire-tap. I wanted to stop and these guys picked me up outside a hotel and took me for a ride in a car and said they wanted to continue to get information. They said they’d expose me and threaten to come down to Florida and visit my wife and kids.”
How much money did you make betting, Tim?
“Over a period of time of about four years, I made about $100,000. I was already making good coin as an NBA ref. It wasn’t about money at that time. … I used relationships to determine lines to games and provide information.”
Did the NBA ask you to fix games?
“The group supervisor and the head of officials would instruct you to make certain calls in certain games. It’s certainly manipulating a game. … In 2005, Dallas was put at a clear advantage when they were down 2-0 and it was swinging back to Houston.”
Any funny business in ‘06 playoffs between the Kings and Lakers?
“The Lakers were put in a clear advantage in Game 6 of that series.”
Last time you heard from Commissioner Stern?
“I haven’t. I did try to contact the league office and they blew me off. They still owe me money.”
Football analysts make appearance on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
Desmond Howard
ESPN college football analysts Herm Edwards, Desmond Howard, Mark May and Mark Schlereth will make a special guest appearance on the season finale of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” at 7 p.m. Sunday. They will help with the makeover of the Williams’ family home in Pine Mountain Valley, Ga. Husband, Jeremy, diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, and wife, Jennifer, have a young son Jacob, who has spina bifida.
Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher and the Tuohy Family, who were the inspiration behind the Oscar-nominated film The Blind Side, also appear in the episode, along with Disney Channel stars Demi Lovato (“Sonny with a Chance”) and Wilmer Valderrama (voice of the animated series Handy Mandy).
Charles Barkley compliments Thunder in radio interview
In an interview Tuesday morning on Dan Patrick’s national radio show, which airs 8-11
Charles Barkley
a.m. on DirecTV’s 101 Network, TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley discussed a wide range of topics. Here are excerpts:
On how concerned should the Lakers be with their play in Game 2 – even though they beat Utah: “The Lakers will win the West, but Oklahoma City will have been their toughest series.”
On the Cavs loss against the Celtics last night: “LeBron just doesn’t look the same. He don’t look 100 percent to me. Hell yeah the Celtics have a really good chance of winning that series. The Cavaliers play so slow sometimes. They get all their baskets letting LeBron go one on five. They need to play a lot faster.”
On the Dolphins line of questioning with Oklahoma State star receiver Dez Bryant: “You shouldn’t ask someone if your mom was a prostitute, but If you tell someone your dad was a pimp — that makes you an idiot.”
On the Arizona immigration law: “I’m disappointed we came up with the law. We should find a way to help people get citizenship. I’m very disappointed in John McCain also. You should also fine anyone who hires an illegal immigrant.”
On whether or not police should taser fans who runs on the field: “You might kill somebody. I always give the police the benefit of the doubt. I think they should just beat the hell out of them, but not necessarily tase them.”
Two excellent sports films debut Tuesday night
Two excellent sports documentaries make their debuts Tuesday night. HBO’s “Broad Street Bullies,” which premieres at 9 p.m., takes a look at the powerful Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s who won Stanley Cup titles in 1974 and 1975. The film includes 153 images of brawls, nearly all started by the Flyers.
Owner Ed Snider and former players and coaches speak with joy about mixing fisticuffs and filthy play with excellent hockey skills to remake hockey in their image at the Philadelphia Spectrum.
ESPN’s stirring documentary, “The 16th Man,” which debuts at 7 p.m., describes how Nelson Mandela used the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995 to help defuse apartheid’s racial divisions.
The story was told last year in a Clint Eastwood film, “Invictus,” with Morgan Freeman playing Mandela. For “The 16th Man,” Freeman is the executive producer and narrator.
