Josh Hamilton's free agency is coming.
If you're an avid Dallas sports fan, as I am, you're in for the longest free agency period since, well, this whole Deron Williams thing.
But even Williams' decision, who will hopefully decide if he'll come home to play in Dallas or stay in Brooklyn to hangout with Jay Z, won't be able to touch what we're going to go through as Rangers fans.
One of my favorite movie moments is in The Grey with Liam Neeson. At the beginning, they're in a plane and it crashes. Men are dead everywhere, and they find one who is fatally wounded but is still alive.
Neeson talks him through the process.
"You're gonna die, that's what's happening," he says softly. "It's okay. Look at me. Keep looking at me. It's alright. It'll slide over you. It'll start to feel warm. Nice and warm. Let it move over you. Let your thoughts go. All the good things. All the good things."
I wish I could put what I'm about to say as gracefully and comforting as Neeson does it in the movie, but I can't.
Josh Hamilton is probably going to leave the Rangers. It may be in a trade before the year is over, or it may be in free agency with the Rangers getting nothing in return.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports thinks Hambone will want $200 million or more. It's a high price, but certainly not unreasonable.
Hamilton turned 31 years old in May. Matt Kemp of the LA Dodgers was given an eight-year, $160 million dollar extension last year. Jayson Werth, who's with the Washington Nationals, signed seven-year, $126 million dollar contract just before he turned 32, just as the All-Star outfielder Hamilton will do.
With the type of year, and really the career he's put together in Texas, Hamilton definitely deserves that or more. He's an AL MVP, and ALCS MVP, and a proven winner on a big stage as he played through a few injuries in the last two postseasons.
That being said, the Rangers won't give it to him. They don't need to. With their stock of top prospects in their farm system and so much talent already on their roster, there's no reason to pay so much for such a high-risk, high-reward situation.
Do I think he's gone? Unless something changes in his mind, I think he chases the money to some random team that's hopefully not in the AL East division or the AL at all.
But with what he's done here and his past, there's always hope. Last month's Sports Illustrated published a cover story on Hamilton talking about numerous things, but starting with his relationship with Rangers' manager Ron Washington.
Washington tested positive for cocaine back in 2009, and can easily relate to Hamilton's struggle for sobriety. The two regularly talk before and after games, and obviously at any other random times that they want.
Is that, along with the life that Hamilton has set up in North Texas (he and his family live in the Grapevine/Colleyville area) enough for the Rangers to hope for a hometown discount?
I doubt it. In the words of Liam Neeson: It's alright. It'll slide over you. It'll start to feel warm. Nice and warm. Let it move over you. Let your thoughts go. All the good things. All the good things.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
My 5 best sports atmospheres
With the brackets releasing yesterday, nothing but college basketball has been on my mind for well over 24 hours.
This included my irrational attempt of planning a trip for me and my dad, who played basketball in college, to St. Louis to see the Midwest Regional game. I thought I had an edge because there was a good chance my dad's favorite team, the North Carolina Tarheels, would be there, but it's looking like a no-go.
Then I thought about how cool it would be to go to what may be my favorite non-Texas city in the US, New Orleans, to see the National Championship game.
After very quickly realizing that wasn't going to happen either, I began to think about where that might rank on my list of best atmospheres I've been in at a sporting event, which quickly made me realize I didn't have a list.
So here it is, the impromptu list of the 5 best sports atmospheres I've ever been in:
No. 5: Kansas State vs. Oklahoma State football
Regardless of it being ranked at No. 5, this was probably the best football GAME I had ever seen. It was incredible. Back-and-forth scoring and it eventually came down to the wire. This was the first game that came down to the last second for the 2011 team, and it was an absolutely nuts atmosphere. Usually, Boone Pickens Stadium starts emptying out when the game is well in hand, but no one left the stadium until well after the game. That's probably also the loudest that stadium has ever been, especially when the game ended on an incomplete pass in the endzone. It unofficially caused an earthquake that scared the mess out of Kirk Herbstreit.
No. 4: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat NBA Finals Watch Party
The Mavs were down 1-0 in the series and had one more game before they would head back to Dallas for three home games. Dirk vs. LeBron, Jason Terry vs. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh vs. Tyson Chandler, it was an absolutely incredible series. This game was even better. We rode the train to the stadium, which was packed with Mavs fans, and got into a sold-out American Airlines Center to watch the game on the big screen. The fans lived and died with every call, and erupted when the Mavs pulled off the win. They finally would win the series in 6 games, and I found myself celebrating in Downtown Dallas with the rest of the fans from everywhere in the metroplex.
No. 3: Oklahoma State vs. Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse
Oklahoma State headed to Lawrence, KS as a 12-12 team. Kansas was ranked in the Top 5 in the nation. I was used to the Gallagher-Iba crowds that would fill the building up about halfway and would never really get into the game. This wasn't the case at Allen Fieldhouse. The student sections were full with thirty minutes left before tipoff, and it's the first sold-out basketball game I had ever been to. Even better, I sat courtside at the media table while I got text messages from tons of people saying "You're so lucky, I've been trying to get a ticket to a game there for years." Needless to say, I'll be making that drive again next year.
No. 2: Bedlam football- Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, 2011
With the Big 12 Championship on the line, the Sooners rode north to Stillwater to face off against the Pokes. Boone Pickens Stadium was packed, and 98% full, and the crowd was electric. The game got out of hand quickly and the Cowboys ended up winning the game 44-10 with OU's lone touchdown coming off of a scramble from their backup quarterback. I was in the press box for this game, and ended up watching most of the action from the roof of the stadium. I had to hear the crowd and the hits of the pads, watching from behind soundproof glass wasn't doing it for me. Finally, the game ended and the crowd, as expected, poured onto the field. Two goalposts were ripped up from their cement homes in the Lewis Field turf during the process, and the crowd poured into the streets to celebrate. I met up with my friends by the bars and took in as much of the chaos that I could. It was as if a war had just been one or an evil dictator had been overthrown. It was madness. I loved it.
No. 1: 2010 ALCS, Game 2- New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers
Without a doubt the best atmosphere I had ever been in. My beloved Rangers, also my favorite overall team of any sport both amateur and professional, were facing off against the Yanks in the ALCS. I had been through twenty years of watching the Rangers be the joke of the MLB. I had seen greats like Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez & Juan Gonzalez (my favorite players growing up), Rusty Greer and Alex Rodriguez (Ugh) come through the stadium without ever winning a single playoff game at home. I was a freshman at the time, and my mom called saying she had somehow gotten four tickets to Game 2 on Saturday, and was seeing if I could come home. "Uhhh... Yeah, I'll be there. Duh." The Rangers lost the first game on Friday night after blowing a 5-0 lead. The stars were aligning. We tailgated outside on Saturday, and eventually made our way to our seats. Rally towels waved and the crowd roared every time a pitch was thrown. I don't think I sat down at any point during the game. The Rangers eventually won their first ever home playoff game that day, and it took us over an hour to get out of the stadium because of the celebration going on everywhere. "Yankees Suck" chants countered the "Lets Go Rangers" screams with high-fives being thrown in every direction. My adrenal gland probably would've filed for a divorce from my body if it could because it pumped for about five hours straight. Even with the four other games below this, none of them were even close to this game. This was probably the best day of my life.
This included my irrational attempt of planning a trip for me and my dad, who played basketball in college, to St. Louis to see the Midwest Regional game. I thought I had an edge because there was a good chance my dad's favorite team, the North Carolina Tarheels, would be there, but it's looking like a no-go.
Then I thought about how cool it would be to go to what may be my favorite non-Texas city in the US, New Orleans, to see the National Championship game.
After very quickly realizing that wasn't going to happen either, I began to think about where that might rank on my list of best atmospheres I've been in at a sporting event, which quickly made me realize I didn't have a list.
So here it is, the impromptu list of the 5 best sports atmospheres I've ever been in:
No. 5: Kansas State vs. Oklahoma State football
Regardless of it being ranked at No. 5, this was probably the best football GAME I had ever seen. It was incredible. Back-and-forth scoring and it eventually came down to the wire. This was the first game that came down to the last second for the 2011 team, and it was an absolutely nuts atmosphere. Usually, Boone Pickens Stadium starts emptying out when the game is well in hand, but no one left the stadium until well after the game. That's probably also the loudest that stadium has ever been, especially when the game ended on an incomplete pass in the endzone. It unofficially caused an earthquake that scared the mess out of Kirk Herbstreit.
No. 4: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat NBA Finals Watch Party
The Mavs were down 1-0 in the series and had one more game before they would head back to Dallas for three home games. Dirk vs. LeBron, Jason Terry vs. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh vs. Tyson Chandler, it was an absolutely incredible series. This game was even better. We rode the train to the stadium, which was packed with Mavs fans, and got into a sold-out American Airlines Center to watch the game on the big screen. The fans lived and died with every call, and erupted when the Mavs pulled off the win. They finally would win the series in 6 games, and I found myself celebrating in Downtown Dallas with the rest of the fans from everywhere in the metroplex.
No. 3: Oklahoma State vs. Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse
Oklahoma State headed to Lawrence, KS as a 12-12 team. Kansas was ranked in the Top 5 in the nation. I was used to the Gallagher-Iba crowds that would fill the building up about halfway and would never really get into the game. This wasn't the case at Allen Fieldhouse. The student sections were full with thirty minutes left before tipoff, and it's the first sold-out basketball game I had ever been to. Even better, I sat courtside at the media table while I got text messages from tons of people saying "You're so lucky, I've been trying to get a ticket to a game there for years." Needless to say, I'll be making that drive again next year.
No. 2: Bedlam football- Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, 2011
With the Big 12 Championship on the line, the Sooners rode north to Stillwater to face off against the Pokes. Boone Pickens Stadium was packed, and 98% full, and the crowd was electric. The game got out of hand quickly and the Cowboys ended up winning the game 44-10 with OU's lone touchdown coming off of a scramble from their backup quarterback. I was in the press box for this game, and ended up watching most of the action from the roof of the stadium. I had to hear the crowd and the hits of the pads, watching from behind soundproof glass wasn't doing it for me. Finally, the game ended and the crowd, as expected, poured onto the field. Two goalposts were ripped up from their cement homes in the Lewis Field turf during the process, and the crowd poured into the streets to celebrate. I met up with my friends by the bars and took in as much of the chaos that I could. It was as if a war had just been one or an evil dictator had been overthrown. It was madness. I loved it.
No. 1: 2010 ALCS, Game 2- New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers
Without a doubt the best atmosphere I had ever been in. My beloved Rangers, also my favorite overall team of any sport both amateur and professional, were facing off against the Yanks in the ALCS. I had been through twenty years of watching the Rangers be the joke of the MLB. I had seen greats like Nolan Ryan, Pudge Rodriguez & Juan Gonzalez (my favorite players growing up), Rusty Greer and Alex Rodriguez (Ugh) come through the stadium without ever winning a single playoff game at home. I was a freshman at the time, and my mom called saying she had somehow gotten four tickets to Game 2 on Saturday, and was seeing if I could come home. "Uhhh... Yeah, I'll be there. Duh." The Rangers lost the first game on Friday night after blowing a 5-0 lead. The stars were aligning. We tailgated outside on Saturday, and eventually made our way to our seats. Rally towels waved and the crowd roared every time a pitch was thrown. I don't think I sat down at any point during the game. The Rangers eventually won their first ever home playoff game that day, and it took us over an hour to get out of the stadium because of the celebration going on everywhere. "Yankees Suck" chants countered the "Lets Go Rangers" screams with high-fives being thrown in every direction. My adrenal gland probably would've filed for a divorce from my body if it could because it pumped for about five hours straight. Even with the four other games below this, none of them were even close to this game. This was probably the best day of my life.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Catching Up
Hey everyone!
I've been SUPER busy the last few months with the newspaper and school and haven't been able to write in here much, but I figured I would post this to catch up a bit.
This will probably be a pretty long and not too detailed post just because there will be a lot of information and opinions in it, but I'll probably expand on some of these later!
Here we go:
The Dallas Mavericks
I came into this year knowing what it would hold. The Mavs would have a so-so year, probably get to the playoffs but not make much noise.
So far that's exactly what has happened.
The reason? Mark Cuban had to piece together some kind of roster for this year to get him to the HEAVY 2012 free agent class. Obviously, the blueprint is to sign Dallas-native PG Deron Williams and C Dwight Howard.
In my opinion, Howard is the big one here. Last year, the Mavericks signed a franchise center in Tyson Chandler, and I'd say 2011 went pretty well for them considering they hoisted the O'Brien Trophy. Dwight Howard is Chandler with an offensive game, and is extremely diverse with his favorite play being the pick-and-roll.
Deron Williams is also intriguing, as there have been many reports of the two wanting to play together next year. If the Mavs can land one of them, it will be huge, but Cuban will try and make both of them work, but it probably won't happen without both accepting contracts that aren't max (Kind of like LeBron and Chris Bosh did in Miami). If he gets Howard but not Williams, I wouldn't be surprised to see Steve Nash back in Dallas. If he gets Williams and not Howard, Marcus Camby or Jermaine O'Neal could be in play, as well as forward Michael Beasley.
The next step for the Dallas Cowboys: The off=season
After another sub-par year, Jerry Jones is left looking surprised because of his team's underachieving... Or maybe that's just the botox, who knows. But I know I'm surprised.
Now that the off-season is here and free agency is set to explode later this week, here is what I think the 'boys need to do to make themselves a legitimate playoff threat in 2012:
Defense: CLEAN HOUSE in the secondary. Don't even let Terrence Newman come to the facility again, just mail his stuff to him with a card that says "Good riddance." The only guys I would keep here are CB Mike Jenkins, who's young and had the injury bug last year but will benefit from a solid, non-lockout off-season, and Safety Abe Elam, who's a veteran player and a leader in the secondary.
Solution: Make a run at Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Carr, who has developed into a great player. I'd even love to see Jerry take a long shot and offer to Houston Texans DE Mario Williams. I'd also like to see a safety taken in the first round to play opposite of Elam.
Oklahoma State football
Right now, the talk of the town is the quarterback situation.
Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and freshman Wes Lunt are set to battle it out for the job beginning next Monday.
My pick here is J.W. Walsh. I think he's not only more than capable of slinging the ball all over the field like Brandon Weeden did the last two years, but he can also pull it down IF NEEDED, but is not a run-first guy like Zac Robinson sometimes was.
I also love the leadership quality in Walsh. I mean, he had 2 teammates from Denton Guyer follow him to OSU (Josh Stewart and Jimmy Bean, who both had tons of offers from other big-time schools), and has another coming in 2012 (ESPNU 150 prospect Dominic Ramacher).
I don't understand how you can't love what you get with this guy.
Oklahoma State basketball
The Pokes are gearing up for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, which tips off tomorrow at 8:30pm with a matchup against Texas Tech.
The team is without five players. Two transfers (Fred Gulley, Reger Dowell) and three season-ending injuries (JP Olukemi(ACL), Le'Bryan Nash (hand), Phil Jurick (Achilles)) and are down to about 5 legitimate rotational players.
Their starting lineup will most likely look like this: Cezar Guerrero, Keiton Page, Markel Brown, Brian Williams and Michael Cobbins, with the Czech Prodigy (er... Something like that) Marek Soucek coming off of the bench. Past that? Mason Cox and Christian Sager, who were playing at the Colvin Center when the season began.
Every OSU fan would hope that the Pokes can pull it off against Texas Tech, who has one win in Big 12 play this year against Oklahoma. If they do that, they'll face Missouri in the second round, and would likely end their year there.
However, the future looks promising for the team. They have five-star guard prospect Marcus Smart coming in from Flower Mound, TX, and he's bringing three-star guard Phil Forte with him. Combine that with the other players coming back from injuries and maybe another key pickup and the Pokes should be a legitimate competitor when 2012-13 tips off.
That's all I've got for this one, I'll try and keep up with this more often. Thanks for reading!
I've been SUPER busy the last few months with the newspaper and school and haven't been able to write in here much, but I figured I would post this to catch up a bit.
This will probably be a pretty long and not too detailed post just because there will be a lot of information and opinions in it, but I'll probably expand on some of these later!
Here we go:
The Dallas Mavericks
I came into this year knowing what it would hold. The Mavs would have a so-so year, probably get to the playoffs but not make much noise.
So far that's exactly what has happened.
The reason? Mark Cuban had to piece together some kind of roster for this year to get him to the HEAVY 2012 free agent class. Obviously, the blueprint is to sign Dallas-native PG Deron Williams and C Dwight Howard.
In my opinion, Howard is the big one here. Last year, the Mavericks signed a franchise center in Tyson Chandler, and I'd say 2011 went pretty well for them considering they hoisted the O'Brien Trophy. Dwight Howard is Chandler with an offensive game, and is extremely diverse with his favorite play being the pick-and-roll.
Deron Williams is also intriguing, as there have been many reports of the two wanting to play together next year. If the Mavs can land one of them, it will be huge, but Cuban will try and make both of them work, but it probably won't happen without both accepting contracts that aren't max (Kind of like LeBron and Chris Bosh did in Miami). If he gets Howard but not Williams, I wouldn't be surprised to see Steve Nash back in Dallas. If he gets Williams and not Howard, Marcus Camby or Jermaine O'Neal could be in play, as well as forward Michael Beasley.
The next step for the Dallas Cowboys: The off=season
After another sub-par year, Jerry Jones is left looking surprised because of his team's underachieving... Or maybe that's just the botox, who knows. But I know I'm surprised.
Now that the off-season is here and free agency is set to explode later this week, here is what I think the 'boys need to do to make themselves a legitimate playoff threat in 2012:
Defense: CLEAN HOUSE in the secondary. Don't even let Terrence Newman come to the facility again, just mail his stuff to him with a card that says "Good riddance." The only guys I would keep here are CB Mike Jenkins, who's young and had the injury bug last year but will benefit from a solid, non-lockout off-season, and Safety Abe Elam, who's a veteran player and a leader in the secondary.
Solution: Make a run at Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Carr, who has developed into a great player. I'd even love to see Jerry take a long shot and offer to Houston Texans DE Mario Williams. I'd also like to see a safety taken in the first round to play opposite of Elam.
Oklahoma State football
Right now, the talk of the town is the quarterback situation.
Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and freshman Wes Lunt are set to battle it out for the job beginning next Monday.
My pick here is J.W. Walsh. I think he's not only more than capable of slinging the ball all over the field like Brandon Weeden did the last two years, but he can also pull it down IF NEEDED, but is not a run-first guy like Zac Robinson sometimes was.
I also love the leadership quality in Walsh. I mean, he had 2 teammates from Denton Guyer follow him to OSU (Josh Stewart and Jimmy Bean, who both had tons of offers from other big-time schools), and has another coming in 2012 (ESPNU 150 prospect Dominic Ramacher).
I don't understand how you can't love what you get with this guy.
Oklahoma State basketball
The Pokes are gearing up for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, which tips off tomorrow at 8:30pm with a matchup against Texas Tech.
The team is without five players. Two transfers (Fred Gulley, Reger Dowell) and three season-ending injuries (JP Olukemi(ACL), Le'Bryan Nash (hand), Phil Jurick (Achilles)) and are down to about 5 legitimate rotational players.
Their starting lineup will most likely look like this: Cezar Guerrero, Keiton Page, Markel Brown, Brian Williams and Michael Cobbins, with the Czech Prodigy (er... Something like that) Marek Soucek coming off of the bench. Past that? Mason Cox and Christian Sager, who were playing at the Colvin Center when the season began.
Every OSU fan would hope that the Pokes can pull it off against Texas Tech, who has one win in Big 12 play this year against Oklahoma. If they do that, they'll face Missouri in the second round, and would likely end their year there.
However, the future looks promising for the team. They have five-star guard prospect Marcus Smart coming in from Flower Mound, TX, and he's bringing three-star guard Phil Forte with him. Combine that with the other players coming back from injuries and maybe another key pickup and the Pokes should be a legitimate competitor when 2012-13 tips off.
That's all I've got for this one, I'll try and keep up with this more often. Thanks for reading!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thoughts on the National Championship
Regardless of the last post, I would like to congratulate the Alabama Crimson Tide on winning the National Championship.
Here are my 5 thoughts on the game.
Number 5: How sad was it to see Marquis Maze go down with an injury? He's been a mainstay in their receiving corps for years, and had to play second fiddle to Julio Jones for most of his career. He finally gets his team to the National Championship and goes down with a hammy. Then the shot of him crying on the sideline? I can't imagine. Thoughts are with him, as well as C.J. Mosley, who looks like he went down with a broken leg.
Number 4: I've got to give my props to A.J. McCarron, he played really well. He moved his team into field goal range seven (SEVEN!) times on that incredible LSU defense. 23/34 for 234 yards is incredible against the Tigers.
Number 3: Where was Tyrann Mathieu? 1 punt return for 1 yard (on 3 punts) and no tackles that I know of. I saw a post on facebook that explained it best: "Maybe the Honey Badger gave a sh*t tonight."
Number 2: Trent Richardson is an absolute man. When Mark Ingram was there, I considered him the "speed back" of the duo, but tonight is the first time I've really seen him play. The dude is a punisher, and every time he touched the ball it seemed like his goal was to knock out one of the tacklers.
Number 1: I said it way back when Jordan Jefferson got all charges cleared from his bar fight. I said that the downfall of LSU will be if Les Miles tries to share Jefferson and Jarrett Lee's time at quarterback. Jarrett Lee had led the team through a treacherous early-season schedule (Knocking off 3 ranked teams in his first 4 games), yet Les Miles still felt like Jordan Jefferson presented just as good of a threat at quarterback. Les Miles trying to get Jordan Jefferson going instead of sticking with Jarrett Lee is the reason he doesn't have a 2012 National Championship trophy in his arms right now.
Here are my 5 thoughts on the game.
Number 5: How sad was it to see Marquis Maze go down with an injury? He's been a mainstay in their receiving corps for years, and had to play second fiddle to Julio Jones for most of his career. He finally gets his team to the National Championship and goes down with a hammy. Then the shot of him crying on the sideline? I can't imagine. Thoughts are with him, as well as C.J. Mosley, who looks like he went down with a broken leg.
Number 4: I've got to give my props to A.J. McCarron, he played really well. He moved his team into field goal range seven (SEVEN!) times on that incredible LSU defense. 23/34 for 234 yards is incredible against the Tigers.
Number 3: Where was Tyrann Mathieu? 1 punt return for 1 yard (on 3 punts) and no tackles that I know of. I saw a post on facebook that explained it best: "Maybe the Honey Badger gave a sh*t tonight."
Number 2: Trent Richardson is an absolute man. When Mark Ingram was there, I considered him the "speed back" of the duo, but tonight is the first time I've really seen him play. The dude is a punisher, and every time he touched the ball it seemed like his goal was to knock out one of the tacklers.
Number 1: I said it way back when Jordan Jefferson got all charges cleared from his bar fight. I said that the downfall of LSU will be if Les Miles tries to share Jefferson and Jarrett Lee's time at quarterback. Jarrett Lee had led the team through a treacherous early-season schedule (Knocking off 3 ranked teams in his first 4 games), yet Les Miles still felt like Jordan Jefferson presented just as good of a threat at quarterback. Les Miles trying to get Jordan Jefferson going instead of sticking with Jarrett Lee is the reason he doesn't have a 2012 National Championship trophy in his arms right now.
A closer look
What a thriller.
Ya know... I'm sorry. I won't let the sarcasm go past there.
I mean, the "Good Hands Play of the Game" was the holder spinning the laces away from the kicker.
Really?
Obviously, this whole thing comes down to the simple fact that Oklahoma State should have beaten Iowa State. I get that. I accept that. Whatever.
But let's look at it this way: Alabama got a shot at avenging their only loss of the year, why couldn't Oklahoma State?
If you were to tell the OSU football team "You have to go to Iowa State and win this time, and if you do that you get to go to the National Championship" I guarantee that they would take that deal 10 out of 10 times, and win the football game 10 out of 10 times.
But it didn't happen that way, and once again, I'm okay with that.
What I'm not okay with is what I see on Facebook and Twitter:
Alabama and LSU would've shut Oklahoma State's offense down.
Bama and LSU have the #1 and #2 defenses in the nation, respectively.
We'll pick on Alabama.
The Crimson Tide were the top-ranked defense in the nation, but lets look past that. The best offenses they faced were Arkansas (13th ranked passing offense) and LSU (17th ranked rushing offense).
They allowed 185 yards and 2 TD's to Arkansas' passing offense, which when you look at it from the view of talent and overall scheme, is nothing to Oklahoma State's passing attack.
The Tide allowed 148 rushing yards to LSU in the first game, and a stunning 39 yards in the National Championship. Oklahoma State was the 58th ranked rushing attack in the nation while calling a rushing play about 40% of the time.
Now that you have seen that, does it really make sense to say that Alabama would have "shut down" Oklahoma State's offense? Especially passing.
If they allowed Arkansas' quarterback Tyler Wilson to go 22/35 for 185 and 2 TD's with his best receiver being Jarius Wright (1117 yds, 12 TD's) and Joe Adams (652 yds, 3 TD's), what kind of damage would Brandon Weeden had done with Justin Blackmon (1522 yds, 18 TD's), Josh Cooper (715 yds, 3 TD's) and Tracy Moore (672 yds, 4 TD's)?
Add in RB's Joseph Randle (1216 yds, 24 TD's) and Jeremy Smith (646 yds, 9 TD's)?
Well, let's just say the final wouldn't have been 21-0.
In the words of Mike Gundy: "I just think we could score."
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The No. 1 Pick
It seems like it's been decided since the beginning of time.
I can remember sitting in Mr. Wellman's fourth-grade class at Bear Creek Elementary when I heard it for the first time.
"Andrew Luck will be the #1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft."
Alright, maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but that's what it seems like. Andrew Luck has been the media's first pick this year since he announced he'd be returning for the 2011 season.
But now we're hearing otherwise?
After a surprising explosion of offense from a man from Waco some call RG3, some people are beginning to not be so sure about Luck being a member of the Indianapolis Colts next year.
Including their former head coach, Tony Dungy, who won a super bowl with the franchise. He went on the Dan Patrick radio show today and said he'd take Robert Griffin over Luck, citing Griffin's added dimension of being able to rush along with his Top 3 arm.
In case you live under a rock, some of the best quarterbacks in the league have that added dimension: Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Drew Brees (Though he doesn't do it much) to name a few.
But why would the Colts pass on what's regarded as "The safest pick to come through the draft since Peyton Manning"?
The answer to that, I'm not really sure of.
In fact, I think it makes no sense at all.
Let's take a trip back in time. Tony Dungy gained his head-coachmanship in Tampa Bay and instantly began revolutionizing the defensive side of the ball (Google "Tampa Two", you may have heard of it). He was eventually hired as the coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
In-between there somewhere, Peyton Manning was the quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers, racking up a 50-9 record in his four years there. The Volunteers had a high-ranked offense, and a low ranked defense. Sound familiar?
Manning graduated left after the 1997 season, and a weird thing happened. The Vols won a national championship in 1998, led by a Top-5 in the nation defense.
Go back to Dungy. He came to Indianapolis and led the Colts to a championship in 2006-07.
Remember when he revolutionized the Tampa defense? Well, this Indy squad, led by Peyton Manning, had the 21st (out of 32) total defense in the league.
Just like in Tennessee.
The problem with the Colts, and Colin Cowherd said something close to this a few weeks ago, is that Peyton Manning's presence is so overwhelming and overpowering that the team takes it on as their own. i.e. Peyton Manning is finesse, so his defense becomes finesse. That's why the Volunteers became a smash-mouth defense as soon as he graduated.
Now, back-track to the draft conversation. Who do you take?
Andrew Luck, who has glimpses of Peyton Manning but is more of an Aaron Rodgers in that he plays smash-mouth, wear you down football? Or do you take the finesse Robert Griffin 3?
Given that Luck will willingly hold a clipboard for Peyton Manning's final years, as he deserves to have, then I would take Luck 10 out of 10 times.
And if they don't? They'll most likely have to watch as Luck dominates the NFL for the next 10-15 years, all while looking at each other repeatedly saying "What were we thinking?"
RG3 will be a good quarterback, but Andrew Luck will be a franchise changing quarterback with the mentality that he brings to the football field.
He basically says "I'm gonna run it through you, then throw it over you. Try and stop me", while Peyton says "Where are you lining up? Alright... Hang on just a second."
I'll have the Luck please, side of Reggie Wayne.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 In Review
I would first like to say Happy New Year to all of my readers, I hope you all have a fun and safe night, and keep every resolution you attempt to begin tomorrow.
Now, let's review this past year and what all went down in sports. I started this last year, and know that everyone posts their cheesy lists, but I cut the cheese and get straight to the point.
So, without further adieu, here are my Top 5 moments of 2011.
Number 1: World Champions
We finally did it. I've watched the Mavericks since they seemed to go 0-82 back in my elementary years, and never thought I'd see the day. But I finally did, and Cuban hoisting the trophy paired with Dirk raising the MVP trophy was the best image of 2011.
Number 2: The Rushing of the Field
I was moving between the press box and the roof of Boone Pickens Stadium for the Bedlam game (December 3), and it was incredible. I got to sit back and watch everything and soak it all in, and it was the craziest atmosphere I had ever seen. Then, with four minutes to go in the game I moved down to the walkway between the field and Gallagher-Iba arena, and watched as the sea of orange flooded the field like a tsunami of fanatical, long-awaited happiness. I saw them tear down the goal posts and move them through the crowd as people hung off of them, everyone rejoicing in the schools first ever Big 12 Championship. Then, we went to Washington Street afterwards, home of "The Strip" and witnessed the celebration there as well. Incredible night.
Number 3: Back to Back American League Champions
Highlighted by Nelson Cruz' boomstick, the Rangers raised another AL Championship trophy and another AL Championship banner. Unfortunately, they couldn't finish it off (again) in the World Series, but it was another great year and another huge step taken towards being a major MLB power.
Number 4: Pack Attack
Before 2011, Aaron Rodgers was only known as "The quarterback who fell really far in the draft." He is now known as World Champion, and led an injury-stricken Packers squad to their first Super Bowl in a long time.
Number 5: The Rise to Dominance
Not exactly a moment, but the entire year was incredible for Cam Newton. He started it off by winning the National Championship in January, then followed that up by being the first pick in the NFL draft. Now, he has broken two rookie quarterback records (One held by Peyton Manning) and is becoming ONE OF the best quarterbacks in the leagues (YES, I said it!). Cam is a star and a role model, and the NFL needs him to do exactly what he's doing. Imagine what he would be doing if DeAngelo Williams was having a year like he did in '09. Can you say "Playoffs"?
Happy new year, hope it's a safe one!
Now, let's review this past year and what all went down in sports. I started this last year, and know that everyone posts their cheesy lists, but I cut the cheese and get straight to the point.
So, without further adieu, here are my Top 5 moments of 2011.
Number 1: World Champions
We finally did it. I've watched the Mavericks since they seemed to go 0-82 back in my elementary years, and never thought I'd see the day. But I finally did, and Cuban hoisting the trophy paired with Dirk raising the MVP trophy was the best image of 2011.
Number 2: The Rushing of the Field
I was moving between the press box and the roof of Boone Pickens Stadium for the Bedlam game (December 3), and it was incredible. I got to sit back and watch everything and soak it all in, and it was the craziest atmosphere I had ever seen. Then, with four minutes to go in the game I moved down to the walkway between the field and Gallagher-Iba arena, and watched as the sea of orange flooded the field like a tsunami of fanatical, long-awaited happiness. I saw them tear down the goal posts and move them through the crowd as people hung off of them, everyone rejoicing in the schools first ever Big 12 Championship. Then, we went to Washington Street afterwards, home of "The Strip" and witnessed the celebration there as well. Incredible night.
Number 3: Back to Back American League Champions
Highlighted by Nelson Cruz' boomstick, the Rangers raised another AL Championship trophy and another AL Championship banner. Unfortunately, they couldn't finish it off (again) in the World Series, but it was another great year and another huge step taken towards being a major MLB power.
Number 4: Pack Attack
Before 2011, Aaron Rodgers was only known as "The quarterback who fell really far in the draft." He is now known as World Champion, and led an injury-stricken Packers squad to their first Super Bowl in a long time.
Number 5: The Rise to Dominance
Not exactly a moment, but the entire year was incredible for Cam Newton. He started it off by winning the National Championship in January, then followed that up by being the first pick in the NFL draft. Now, he has broken two rookie quarterback records (One held by Peyton Manning) and is becoming ONE OF the best quarterbacks in the leagues (YES, I said it!). Cam is a star and a role model, and the NFL needs him to do exactly what he's doing. Imagine what he would be doing if DeAngelo Williams was having a year like he did in '09. Can you say "Playoffs"?
Happy new year, hope it's a safe one!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tebow
Tim Tebow is now 7-1 as a starter.
Brace yourself for the eighth straight week of Tebow mania on ESPN, as well as every radio station you come across... But I can't say I don't love it.
Let's get this out of the way... Tebow isn't an elite quarterback. He's not Aaron Rodgers (The best, period), Tom Brady or Peyton Manning (The second best in my opinion), but what do all four of these players have in common?
Their job is to win football games.
Tebow has won 7 of them in his last 8 games.
Yet people are still looking for arguments to debunk the Tebow-Mania that has ensued on everyone's Twitter timeline...
"But Brendon, his defense is playing incredible! That's the reason they're winning!"
Sure, the defense is playing great. I'll give that to them. But aren't they supposed to do that? The defense's sole job is to give their offense a chance to win the game (I go to Oklahoma State, I know this better than anyone).
Guess what? The defense is doing their job, and Tebow is doing his.
"But Tebow didn't kick that field goal in overtime, the kicker won the game!"
This is the funniest. Tebow's job isn't to kick the field goal. Overtime rarely ends with a touchdown unless it comes from 25+ yards away (on a long play). Any time a team gets within 30 yards of the endzone, they run the ball a few times and kick a field goal.
Tebow's job is to get the ball inside the kickers range, that's EVERY quarterback's job in the NFL. The kicker's job is to kick the field goal.
The kicker did his job, Tebow did his.
All in all, the only reason Tebow gets talked about is because there are so many people who want to throw him out as a quarterback. That's what Skip Bayless, ESPN's most controversial analyst, thrives off of. Someone says something, and he goes against it, THAT'S why you hear about it. That's what the national media does, and that's what you tune into when you turn on ESPN or the radio.
Tebow is not a quarterback. Fine. I'll give you that. But he's doing every job a quarterback is supposed to do, and doing it well.
Tebow's job is to give his team the best chance to win. Moving the ball inside of field goal range in overtime is the job he was handed, and he did it.
That's the same job Rodgers, Brady, Manning, Romo, Flacco, Alex Smith and Roethlisberger all have. That's the job you have as a quarterback.
Tebow does his job.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
If I had a vote...
If I had a vote in any of these, this is how I would be voting.
Heisman Voting
1- UW RB Montee Ball
2- LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu
3- BU QB Robert Griffin III
4- STAN QB Andrew Luck
5- ALA RB Trent Richardson
All Big 12 Team (Second team in Parenthesis)
QB- OkSt Brandon Weeden (BU Robert Griffin III, 3rd Team KSU Collin Klein)
RB- BU Terrance Ganaway (OkSt Joseph Randle, 3rd Team A&M Cyrus Gray)
WR- BU Kendall Wright (OU Ryan Broyles, 3rd Team TTU Eric Ward)
WR- OkSt Justin Blackmon (A&M Ryan Swope, 3rd Team OU Kenny Stills)
TE- MU Michael Egnew (OU James Hanna, 3rd Team KU Tim Biere)
Top 25 Ballot
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Alabama
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. Kansas State
7. Arkansas
8. Boise State
9. Wisconsin
10. Clemson
11. South Carolina
12. Baylor
13. Virginia Tech
14. Oklahoma
15. Michigan
16. Georgia
17. Michigan State
18. Houston
19. Nebraska
20. TCU
21. Penn State
22. West Virginia
23. Southern Mississippi
24. Auburn
25. Florida State
Others: Texas
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Ranking the best field rushes of the recent past
Saturday was the first time I have ever experienced a field-rush firsthand.
I've rushed the court once in high school after our basketball team won homecoming in triple overtime, but rushing with 40 other students isn't the same as rushing with 60,000 like they did last night at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Although I was covering the game and was standing on the Gallagher-Iba patio to watch the madness ensue before finding my way down to the field, I must say that it was as cool as I've always thought it to be.
That being said, my prayers and thoughts are with my fellow students who were injured during the process. This type of thing is about celebration, and it upsets me that last night was probably the best night in those students recent lives up until they were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It's always been a dream of mine to be playing in a game that big and to have the crowd rush onto me like the student section, and eventually the entire stadium, did last night.
It was awesome. My hands were shaking, partly due to it being 35 degrees outside, but also because the adrenaline to blood ratio was about 2:1 in my veins.
So, without further delay, I present to you the 5 best field rushes in recent history, being the last 3-5 years.
Criteria: I'm basing these rankings off of a few things.
#1: How fast the field was filled and how heavy the stream of students was coming out of the stands
#2: How fast the goal posts came down, if they came down
#3: How much the field was filled overall.
Number 5: Texas A&M upsets #8 Nebraska -- 2010
I loved this one. A&M was on a historic run in 2010 to lock up a share of the Big 12 south division and made a huge statement against Nebraska. The cool thing about this field rush is that at Kyle Field, only 1/3 of the students are on the field level. The other 2/3 are either a deck or two up, so the initial rush is the lower level, then in the extended versions, there are two more huge rushes that hit from the next two decks. Great effort, but not good enough to get any higher than 5.
Number 4: Wisconsin upsets #1 Ohio State -- 2010
Ohio State had just received it's #1 ranking after a loss at the top the week before, but they had to go to Wisconsin to defend it. Then it all went sour. My favorite part? Listen to the PA Announcer. "Students, PLEASE stay back!" "Students, PLEASE get off the goal posts." Shutup and let the kids have some fun man.
Number 3: Iowa State upsets #2 Oklahoma State -- 2011
This one hurts, but I had to put it up. They filled the field quickly. Didn't go after goal posts though... Why?
Number 2: Oklahoma State over Oklahoma, wins first Big 12 Championship in school history -- 2011
Finally a win. After 8 long years the Pokes got the big Bedlam W. The students attacked the field, given the 8 foot wall they had to drop down to get to it, and took out BOTH of the goal posts. Awesome. Also, notice how the PA announcer keeps celebrating instead of yelling at the students. We're adults, okay!?
Another cool video that went up on the O'Colly website after I posted this of the field rush.
Number 1: Texas Tech upsets #1 Texas -- 2008
Nothing will ever beat this field rush. Ever. Mike Crabtree grabbed a comeback on the sideline, then slipped past a defender and tip toed into the endzone. Tech students rushed with 1 second left, so half of the stadium, which was at capacity, was already on the sidelines. All they had to do was run to midfield. The greatest field rush in the history of college football. Period.
See 8:05 if you don't want to watch the game highlights.
I've rushed the court once in high school after our basketball team won homecoming in triple overtime, but rushing with 40 other students isn't the same as rushing with 60,000 like they did last night at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Although I was covering the game and was standing on the Gallagher-Iba patio to watch the madness ensue before finding my way down to the field, I must say that it was as cool as I've always thought it to be.
That being said, my prayers and thoughts are with my fellow students who were injured during the process. This type of thing is about celebration, and it upsets me that last night was probably the best night in those students recent lives up until they were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It's always been a dream of mine to be playing in a game that big and to have the crowd rush onto me like the student section, and eventually the entire stadium, did last night.
It was awesome. My hands were shaking, partly due to it being 35 degrees outside, but also because the adrenaline to blood ratio was about 2:1 in my veins.
So, without further delay, I present to you the 5 best field rushes in recent history, being the last 3-5 years.
Criteria: I'm basing these rankings off of a few things.
#1: How fast the field was filled and how heavy the stream of students was coming out of the stands
#2: How fast the goal posts came down, if they came down
#3: How much the field was filled overall.
Number 5: Texas A&M upsets #8 Nebraska -- 2010
I loved this one. A&M was on a historic run in 2010 to lock up a share of the Big 12 south division and made a huge statement against Nebraska. The cool thing about this field rush is that at Kyle Field, only 1/3 of the students are on the field level. The other 2/3 are either a deck or two up, so the initial rush is the lower level, then in the extended versions, there are two more huge rushes that hit from the next two decks. Great effort, but not good enough to get any higher than 5.
Number 4: Wisconsin upsets #1 Ohio State -- 2010
Ohio State had just received it's #1 ranking after a loss at the top the week before, but they had to go to Wisconsin to defend it. Then it all went sour. My favorite part? Listen to the PA Announcer. "Students, PLEASE stay back!" "Students, PLEASE get off the goal posts." Shutup and let the kids have some fun man.
Number 3: Iowa State upsets #2 Oklahoma State -- 2011
This one hurts, but I had to put it up. They filled the field quickly. Didn't go after goal posts though... Why?
Number 2: Oklahoma State over Oklahoma, wins first Big 12 Championship in school history -- 2011
Finally a win. After 8 long years the Pokes got the big Bedlam W. The students attacked the field, given the 8 foot wall they had to drop down to get to it, and took out BOTH of the goal posts. Awesome. Also, notice how the PA announcer keeps celebrating instead of yelling at the students. We're adults, okay!?
Another cool video that went up on the O'Colly website after I posted this of the field rush.
Number 1: Texas Tech upsets #1 Texas -- 2008
Nothing will ever beat this field rush. Ever. Mike Crabtree grabbed a comeback on the sideline, then slipped past a defender and tip toed into the endzone. Tech students rushed with 1 second left, so half of the stadium, which was at capacity, was already on the sidelines. All they had to do was run to midfield. The greatest field rush in the history of college football. Period.
See 8:05 if you don't want to watch the game highlights.
Oklahoma State gets jipped
I'm going to do my best Kirk Herbstreit/Mark May/Craig James impression and break this down at face value.
Really?
Kirk Herbstreit and Mark May both took shots at Oklahoma State's defense tonight. Were they not watching last night?
Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones were ONE YARD SHORT of outscoring the Sooner offense... And they're defensive ends.
"What else do these guys have to do," Brandon Weeden asked me at the team's BCS watch party. "They just shut down the fifth ranked offense in the nation, what else is there?"
I fully agree, and the feedback after the Bedlam game is disgusting. The contest is being chalked up as OU just simply not showing up.
Really?
Give credit where credit is due. The Pokes held the Number 5 ranked passing offense (People are conveniently forgetting that detail) out of the endzone with their lone touchdown coming from the backup quarterback.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist in the least bit, but to echo Oklahoma State receiver Isaac McCoy's comments on twitter, I have a feeling that if Texas or OU were in this position, the Big 12 would have a representative in New Orleans come January 9th.
Also, if anyone has any connections at ESPN, let them know I'm available for hire. I would love to talk football with these imbecile's they put on their panels.
I think the pointless debates with my buddies on random things like who has the best batting stance in baseball are harder to win then it would be to talk football on these BCS shows.
Really?
Kirk Herbstreit and Mark May both took shots at Oklahoma State's defense tonight. Were they not watching last night?
Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones were ONE YARD SHORT of outscoring the Sooner offense... And they're defensive ends.
"What else do these guys have to do," Brandon Weeden asked me at the team's BCS watch party. "They just shut down the fifth ranked offense in the nation, what else is there?"
I fully agree, and the feedback after the Bedlam game is disgusting. The contest is being chalked up as OU just simply not showing up.
Really?
Give credit where credit is due. The Pokes held the Number 5 ranked passing offense (People are conveniently forgetting that detail) out of the endzone with their lone touchdown coming from the backup quarterback.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist in the least bit, but to echo Oklahoma State receiver Isaac McCoy's comments on twitter, I have a feeling that if Texas or OU were in this position, the Big 12 would have a representative in New Orleans come January 9th.
Also, if anyone has any connections at ESPN, let them know I'm available for hire. I would love to talk football with these imbecile's they put on their panels.
I think the pointless debates with my buddies on random things like who has the best batting stance in baseball are harder to win then it would be to talk football on these BCS shows.
Monday, November 28, 2011
What's the point?
The BCS system claims "Every Game Counts."
Umm... No.
The National Championship should be about a body of work, which means THE ENTIRE season instead of the timeliness of a loss.
Let's face it, it's harder than every to go undefeated in the NCAA, and will only get tougher. Strength and conditioning is becoming an exact, calculated science that is turning two and three-star recruits into superstars. Just look at Justin Blackmon, he was ranked a three-star prospect out of five total stars coming out of high school.
Not to mention, that strength and conditioning is spilling over into high schools. What does that mean? Better development of talent, and more players to choose from.
Which also means teams are better, faster, stronger and overall just more talented, and the overall landscape of college football is evening out. Nowadays, a Herschel Walker can hardly come in and dominate the field because he'd have a backup that is more of a speedster.
All in all, the fact that college football is evening out means that the BCS is showing more and more flaws.
Especially this year. What's the point of a rematch? What do we gain out of it?
If Alabama wins, LSU can easily say "We had to play one more game then you, PLUS we beat you on your field already. The series is tied 1-1."
If LSU wins, we are reminded that they're the best team in the nation because we've known it for a few weeks now. What's the point of that?
I'm not saying that LSU and Alabama aren't the two best teams, and I'm not saying they are. All I'm saying is what is the point in seeing the same two teams rematch again? LSU already won outright and Alabama won't be their conference's champion... Then again, LSU may not be either.
And Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, thinks that as well. He said it in 2003 while coaching the Tigers of Baton Rouge.
He said:
"Anyone who doesn't win their conference has no business playing in the national championship game."
Thanks for saying it for me, Coach.
Better question: If LSU loses, how do you justify having a National Championship game played between two teams who weren't their conference's champion?
I give up. See you in the Fiesta Bowl against an overrated Stanford team and a sleeper of a BCS bowl that Oklahoma State will win 70-10.
Umm... No.
The National Championship should be about a body of work, which means THE ENTIRE season instead of the timeliness of a loss.
Let's face it, it's harder than every to go undefeated in the NCAA, and will only get tougher. Strength and conditioning is becoming an exact, calculated science that is turning two and three-star recruits into superstars. Just look at Justin Blackmon, he was ranked a three-star prospect out of five total stars coming out of high school.
Not to mention, that strength and conditioning is spilling over into high schools. What does that mean? Better development of talent, and more players to choose from.
Which also means teams are better, faster, stronger and overall just more talented, and the overall landscape of college football is evening out. Nowadays, a Herschel Walker can hardly come in and dominate the field because he'd have a backup that is more of a speedster.
All in all, the fact that college football is evening out means that the BCS is showing more and more flaws.
Especially this year. What's the point of a rematch? What do we gain out of it?
If Alabama wins, LSU can easily say "We had to play one more game then you, PLUS we beat you on your field already. The series is tied 1-1."
If LSU wins, we are reminded that they're the best team in the nation because we've known it for a few weeks now. What's the point of that?
I'm not saying that LSU and Alabama aren't the two best teams, and I'm not saying they are. All I'm saying is what is the point in seeing the same two teams rematch again? LSU already won outright and Alabama won't be their conference's champion... Then again, LSU may not be either.
And Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, thinks that as well. He said it in 2003 while coaching the Tigers of Baton Rouge.
He said:
"Anyone who doesn't win their conference has no business playing in the national championship game."
Thanks for saying it for me, Coach.
Better question: If LSU loses, how do you justify having a National Championship game played between two teams who weren't their conference's champion?
I give up. See you in the Fiesta Bowl against an overrated Stanford team and a sleeper of a BCS bowl that Oklahoma State will win 70-10.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Column: Kurt Budke -- My First Interview
I woke up to my phone ringing.
Nothing seemed more important than a few more minutes of sleep, so I ignored it.
When it stopped ringing, I checked my phone and realized I had a few missed calls and even more text messages and eventually gathered the news everyone was trying to tell me.
Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and his assistant, Miranda Serna, died in a plane crash flying back from a scouting trip to Arkansas.
Stunning news, especially for me. Budke was my first interview as an aspiring college journalist, an interview that started terribly wrong and ended unimaginably perfect.
It was January of 2011, and I found myself standing in a crowded Gallagher-Iba practice gym face to face with the coach.
I stood in the corner of the practice gym and watched Budke run his practice, stopping the drills here and there to coach his players in his own warm, loving way.
"Back when I was coaching my daughter's team, I asked Kurt for advice," said Dave Hunziker, play-by-play voice of the Cowboys. "I remember him saying that coaching girls is different. He said ‘If you show them you care, they'll run through a brick wall for you,' and even with girls as little as my daughter, it was the truth. He knew what he was doing."
It was evident that Budke operated by that philosophy, but it didn't stop with his team.
Budke applied that ideal to every component of being a head coach.
I experienced that theory firsthand when I approached him to ask him questions about the game.
The fact that it was my first interview was something he recognized right away.
My mouth opened and something that loosely resembled a question lazily tumbled out.
"So, coach … your team is preparing for a big game against the Aggies … How does it look to do that?"
I immediately realized that my brain had simply pieced together fragments of about 20 different thoughts and created one question. I ducked my head in embarrassment and fear.
"Is this your first interview?" Budke asked with a grin.
I nodded, still avoiding eye contact, ready to sprint out of the gym in tears while cursing my plan for a career in sports journalism.
Instead of laughing me out of the gym as I expected, Budke smirked, put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.
"Be confident in your questions and we'll give you what you need," he said. "Don't ever get embarrassed about something; if you need a quote then go after it and get it out of me."
What he said has always stuck in the back of my mind, and although I doubt he would have remembered anything about that day, I remember it as if it had just happened a few moments ago.
I have more than 200 interviews with various Oklahoma State coaches and athletes stored up on my recorder, but this one has always been my favorite — not only because it was my first, but also because of what happened.
I moved on to cover the men's basketball program for the remainder of the season but ran into Budke quite a few times after.
The greeting was always the same — a smile, a handshake and a pat on the shoulder.
Budke was more than just a coach at Oklahoma State University. He was a friend to his team, a role model for all who watched him and a great person on and off the court.
"I can still see it right now," Hunziker said. "Every Sunday he was in church. Halfway down on the right side, right arm around his wife, left arm propped on the arm of the pew."
That Kurt Budke is the very same man who helped me out that day in the practice gym and the same man who quietly took his seat for every Cowgirl basketball game since he was hired in 2005.
He was the man who would sit in the first row of the bleachers before and after practices, leaning back against the second row with his arms spread and his legs crossed while talking to members of the media or a fan who happened to wander into practice.
Budke treated both the same — with respect. And it didn't matter who he was talking to; his approach never changed.
"He was a very good coach and a better person," Oklahoma State alumnus and ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb said. "He took over a team that hadn't won a conference game the previous year and made them successful. But it wasn't a success in which anyone else felt threatened by because of how well-respected he was around the department and around Stillwater.
Budke's success on the court was evident, but anyone who knew him also knows that that wasn't all he was worried about. He was as much concerned with preparing his players for the next game as he was preparing them for life after Oklahoma State. In doing that, the coach gained the respect of everyone around the program and city.
"Kurt was kind of like the mayor," Hunziker said. "He had so many people in Stillwater that respected him because he was so approachable that he probably could've won office if he tried. He was that kind of man."
His approachable characteristics quickly gained popularity among the fan base of Oklahoma State.
"I always saw the Oklahoma State women's team as the team of Payne County," Hunziker said. "You had so many people right there in Stillwater that maybe couldn't afford football tickets or men's basketball tickets, so they'd rally behind his team because they could be there, and the fact that he was such a good guy only helped that."
Coming off the 10-year anniversary of the tragic 2001 plane crash that claimed 10 Oklahoma State lives, the situation is all too familiar for any Cowboy or Cowgirl who has been around the program for any period of time.
But if 2001's tragedy is any type of hint, then one thing is for sure when it comes to Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna.
Oklahoma State will never forget.
Nothing seemed more important than a few more minutes of sleep, so I ignored it.
When it stopped ringing, I checked my phone and realized I had a few missed calls and even more text messages and eventually gathered the news everyone was trying to tell me.
Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and his assistant, Miranda Serna, died in a plane crash flying back from a scouting trip to Arkansas.
Stunning news, especially for me. Budke was my first interview as an aspiring college journalist, an interview that started terribly wrong and ended unimaginably perfect.
It was January of 2011, and I found myself standing in a crowded Gallagher-Iba practice gym face to face with the coach.
I stood in the corner of the practice gym and watched Budke run his practice, stopping the drills here and there to coach his players in his own warm, loving way.
"Back when I was coaching my daughter's team, I asked Kurt for advice," said Dave Hunziker, play-by-play voice of the Cowboys. "I remember him saying that coaching girls is different. He said ‘If you show them you care, they'll run through a brick wall for you,' and even with girls as little as my daughter, it was the truth. He knew what he was doing."
It was evident that Budke operated by that philosophy, but it didn't stop with his team.
Budke applied that ideal to every component of being a head coach.
I experienced that theory firsthand when I approached him to ask him questions about the game.
The fact that it was my first interview was something he recognized right away.
My mouth opened and something that loosely resembled a question lazily tumbled out.
"So, coach … your team is preparing for a big game against the Aggies … How does it look to do that?"
I immediately realized that my brain had simply pieced together fragments of about 20 different thoughts and created one question. I ducked my head in embarrassment and fear.
"Is this your first interview?" Budke asked with a grin.
I nodded, still avoiding eye contact, ready to sprint out of the gym in tears while cursing my plan for a career in sports journalism.
Instead of laughing me out of the gym as I expected, Budke smirked, put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.
"Be confident in your questions and we'll give you what you need," he said. "Don't ever get embarrassed about something; if you need a quote then go after it and get it out of me."
What he said has always stuck in the back of my mind, and although I doubt he would have remembered anything about that day, I remember it as if it had just happened a few moments ago.
I have more than 200 interviews with various Oklahoma State coaches and athletes stored up on my recorder, but this one has always been my favorite — not only because it was my first, but also because of what happened.
I moved on to cover the men's basketball program for the remainder of the season but ran into Budke quite a few times after.
The greeting was always the same — a smile, a handshake and a pat on the shoulder.
Budke was more than just a coach at Oklahoma State University. He was a friend to his team, a role model for all who watched him and a great person on and off the court.
"I can still see it right now," Hunziker said. "Every Sunday he was in church. Halfway down on the right side, right arm around his wife, left arm propped on the arm of the pew."
That Kurt Budke is the very same man who helped me out that day in the practice gym and the same man who quietly took his seat for every Cowgirl basketball game since he was hired in 2005.
He was the man who would sit in the first row of the bleachers before and after practices, leaning back against the second row with his arms spread and his legs crossed while talking to members of the media or a fan who happened to wander into practice.
Budke treated both the same — with respect. And it didn't matter who he was talking to; his approach never changed.
"He was a very good coach and a better person," Oklahoma State alumnus and ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb said. "He took over a team that hadn't won a conference game the previous year and made them successful. But it wasn't a success in which anyone else felt threatened by because of how well-respected he was around the department and around Stillwater.
Budke's success on the court was evident, but anyone who knew him also knows that that wasn't all he was worried about. He was as much concerned with preparing his players for the next game as he was preparing them for life after Oklahoma State. In doing that, the coach gained the respect of everyone around the program and city.
"Kurt was kind of like the mayor," Hunziker said. "He had so many people in Stillwater that respected him because he was so approachable that he probably could've won office if he tried. He was that kind of man."
His approachable characteristics quickly gained popularity among the fan base of Oklahoma State.
"I always saw the Oklahoma State women's team as the team of Payne County," Hunziker said. "You had so many people right there in Stillwater that maybe couldn't afford football tickets or men's basketball tickets, so they'd rally behind his team because they could be there, and the fact that he was such a good guy only helped that."
Coming off the 10-year anniversary of the tragic 2001 plane crash that claimed 10 Oklahoma State lives, the situation is all too familiar for any Cowboy or Cowgirl who has been around the program for any period of time.
But if 2001's tragedy is any type of hint, then one thing is for sure when it comes to Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna.
Oklahoma State will never forget.
O Football God's, Where Hast Thou Gone?
Throughout the season, it seems the football God’s have been smiling down on the orange and black all season.
That is, all season until the Cowboys traveled to Ames.
It all started when they traveled to College Station to face a high-ranked Texas A&M football team.
The game was played at Kyle Field, usually considered one of the toughest places to play in America due to the intensity of the Aggie student section, nicknamed ‘The 12th Man.”
Enter the Cowboy luck.
The game was in late September, which meant the weather was still very warm in South Texas.
Kickoff was scheduled for 2:30, and the acclaimed 12th Man had their energy stolen by an especially hot southern sun who smiled down on the stadium for four hours.
The lack of energy showed in the second half, as students chose to sit under the stands and chug water instead of yell until their throats went raw at those daing Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The luck continued.
The Pokes traveled to Austin for a 2:30 kickoff. Same story as Texas A&M, except half of the crowd didn’t even bother to show up.
Then, a trip to Columbia, Missouri and Lubbock, Texas to face Missouri and Texas Tech, both 11 am kickoffs at places that are usually considered death-traps by high-ranked Big 12 teams.
Oklahoma State rolled against Mizzou, and sent the crowd back to their tailgates before halftime in Lubbock.
But eventually, the luck had to run out – And it finally did in Ames.
“I don’t think the scheduling God’s did us any kind of favors on this one,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “We have to travel home from Lubbock, then we have a short week to prepare and travel to Ames. Are you kidding me?”
Although Oklahoma State agreed to the Friday night kickoff back in April, they didn’t expect the week to unfold in the way it did.
When heading back from Lubbock, the Cowboy’s plane had problems that forced the team to sit at the airport for hours. That meant the coaches and players were getting home quite a bit later than expected.
“That threw us off a bit,” defensive coordinator Bill Young said. “It started the week off on a weird note. We weren’t expecting to get in bed that late that night, but that’s the way it happened.”
Add that to the already short week, plus news of the tragedy that hit Oklahoma State on Friday and the Cowboys had a recipe for disaster when they came out of the tunnel to face the Cyclones.
While the Oklahoma State community was down, the football God’s got a few kicks in with a double-overtime loss, and pictures of a jubilant Iowa State crowd rushing the field that just won’t go away.
With the events that unfolded around college football on Saturday, the Oklahoma State title chances aren’t exactly gone, and a win over the rival Sooners could solidify their legitimacy.
But they’ll probably need to get the football God’s back in their corner to down the Sooners for the first time in eight years.
After all, those God’s seem to have been wearing orange all year.
What’s another two games?
That is, all season until the Cowboys traveled to Ames.
It all started when they traveled to College Station to face a high-ranked Texas A&M football team.
The game was played at Kyle Field, usually considered one of the toughest places to play in America due to the intensity of the Aggie student section, nicknamed ‘The 12th Man.”
Enter the Cowboy luck.
The game was in late September, which meant the weather was still very warm in South Texas.
Kickoff was scheduled for 2:30, and the acclaimed 12th Man had their energy stolen by an especially hot southern sun who smiled down on the stadium for four hours.
The lack of energy showed in the second half, as students chose to sit under the stands and chug water instead of yell until their throats went raw at those daing Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The luck continued.
The Pokes traveled to Austin for a 2:30 kickoff. Same story as Texas A&M, except half of the crowd didn’t even bother to show up.
Then, a trip to Columbia, Missouri and Lubbock, Texas to face Missouri and Texas Tech, both 11 am kickoffs at places that are usually considered death-traps by high-ranked Big 12 teams.
Oklahoma State rolled against Mizzou, and sent the crowd back to their tailgates before halftime in Lubbock.
But eventually, the luck had to run out – And it finally did in Ames.
“I don’t think the scheduling God’s did us any kind of favors on this one,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “We have to travel home from Lubbock, then we have a short week to prepare and travel to Ames. Are you kidding me?”
Although Oklahoma State agreed to the Friday night kickoff back in April, they didn’t expect the week to unfold in the way it did.
When heading back from Lubbock, the Cowboy’s plane had problems that forced the team to sit at the airport for hours. That meant the coaches and players were getting home quite a bit later than expected.
“That threw us off a bit,” defensive coordinator Bill Young said. “It started the week off on a weird note. We weren’t expecting to get in bed that late that night, but that’s the way it happened.”
Add that to the already short week, plus news of the tragedy that hit Oklahoma State on Friday and the Cowboys had a recipe for disaster when they came out of the tunnel to face the Cyclones.
While the Oklahoma State community was down, the football God’s got a few kicks in with a double-overtime loss, and pictures of a jubilant Iowa State crowd rushing the field that just won’t go away.
With the events that unfolded around college football on Saturday, the Oklahoma State title chances aren’t exactly gone, and a win over the rival Sooners could solidify their legitimacy.
But they’ll probably need to get the football God’s back in their corner to down the Sooners for the first time in eight years.
After all, those God’s seem to have been wearing orange all year.
What’s another two games?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Bedlam
Bedlam: Noun -- a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
It's coming, Oklahoma. Stillwater will host two teams that are responsible for 21 wins and only 1 loss in the 2011 season.
Blood is already boiling over it. Is it possible for the Oklahoma State football team to lose this game?
"It's fate. It can't happen. No way, we're going to New Orleans."
"No way. They're the same old Cowboys. The 'Poke Choke' has to come sometime, it'll be in Bedlam."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Growing up, I was an Aggie fan. My mother graduated from Texas A&M, and if school had been important to me, odds are I would be the same.
Fortunately, I'm a good test-taker and qualified for entrance to Oklahoma State, the only other school I applied for.
I held out for Texas A&M, and eventually got wait-listed. The plan was to go to the junior college in College Station for a year, then sport the Maroon & White until I die.
But I didn't want to be a JuCo kid, I couldn't fathom it, and it eventually caught up to me.
"Mom, let's visit Stillwater."
People were nice, I was hooked. I'd go there for a year or two, then transfer back home. But my blood turned from Maroon to Orange very quickly.
In freshman orientation, I was sitting in the back. The counselors were doing skits and giving info for the 200+ kids there, and they called a guy onto the stage. He was wearing red.
"We don't do this here. Burn this shirt when you get home. You don't wear red in Stillwater. Ever."
That was about the whole message, and I haven't worn red since then.
Obviously, I fell in love with Oklahoma State. I'm an 'underdog guy', and I see Oklahoma State as the underdog in their own home state.
But why?
On the way back from Lubbock after seeing Texas Tech run out of their own stadium by the orange and black, we talked about it. Our photographer KT King, who's a long-time Oklahoma State fan and Oklahoma native, hit the nail on the head.
"Oklahoma has never had a unifying thing. If you grow up in Texas, you may be a Texas Tech fan and your friend may be a Longhorn, but you both like the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Astros. You have common ground. In Oklahoma, the first thing to come around is the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that's second to college football. There will always be a line between the two, and I doubt anything comes along that is strong enough to erase it."
It was tough for me to understand it, so I took to twitter. Describe Bedlam for me, tweeps.
@Daniel_Toofine: Epic.
@Mitchell_Bro: BOOMER.
@DenLowery: Blood Bath.
@OKenglandk: Japanese anime-like.
@Schemingdreamin: Insanity.
@Chase_Wilcher: It's THE GAME for OSU fans, and it's the last scary test before a big bowl for OU fans
While I was sitting in the O'Colly newsroom today, we were having our usual football talk and putting our guesses down against the Vegas odds. Then I thought about it.
"Is it even possible? The football God's have smiled down on Stillwater all season, is it possible for the Sooners to win? After years of coming in second place in Oklahoma, is it finally the Poke's chance to stand at the top of the state?"
Trenton Sperry, our managing editor who is also an Oklahoma native, looked at me and said "It's Bedlam. Anything can happen."
On one hand, I agree. But on the other, why chalk it up to 'Who knows?'
That's the difference I've noticed from Texas to Oklahoma.
In Texas, unranked Texas Tech WILL beat Oklahoma because Tech is the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas in 2002, top-ranked Oklahoma comes into College Station to face a 5-4 Texas A&M team, but the Aggies WILL beat Oklahoma because the Aggies are the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas, the Longhorns are going to the National Championship to play Matt Lienart and Reggie Bush, possibly the best quarterback-runningback duo to ever play college football. But the Longhorns WILL WIN because they're the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas, Euless Trinity and Southlake Carroll can win multiple state championships because their fan base KNOWS THEY WILL WIN no matter what.
They expect it, they don't hope.
In Stillwater, no one BELIEVES, and the sooner (no pun intended) they start BELIEVING, the sooner they will sit atop of the football world.
Believe.
It's coming, Oklahoma. Stillwater will host two teams that are responsible for 21 wins and only 1 loss in the 2011 season.
Blood is already boiling over it. Is it possible for the Oklahoma State football team to lose this game?
"It's fate. It can't happen. No way, we're going to New Orleans."
"No way. They're the same old Cowboys. The 'Poke Choke' has to come sometime, it'll be in Bedlam."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Growing up, I was an Aggie fan. My mother graduated from Texas A&M, and if school had been important to me, odds are I would be the same.
Fortunately, I'm a good test-taker and qualified for entrance to Oklahoma State, the only other school I applied for.
I held out for Texas A&M, and eventually got wait-listed. The plan was to go to the junior college in College Station for a year, then sport the Maroon & White until I die.
But I didn't want to be a JuCo kid, I couldn't fathom it, and it eventually caught up to me.
"Mom, let's visit Stillwater."
People were nice, I was hooked. I'd go there for a year or two, then transfer back home. But my blood turned from Maroon to Orange very quickly.
In freshman orientation, I was sitting in the back. The counselors were doing skits and giving info for the 200+ kids there, and they called a guy onto the stage. He was wearing red.
"We don't do this here. Burn this shirt when you get home. You don't wear red in Stillwater. Ever."
That was about the whole message, and I haven't worn red since then.
Obviously, I fell in love with Oklahoma State. I'm an 'underdog guy', and I see Oklahoma State as the underdog in their own home state.
But why?
On the way back from Lubbock after seeing Texas Tech run out of their own stadium by the orange and black, we talked about it. Our photographer KT King, who's a long-time Oklahoma State fan and Oklahoma native, hit the nail on the head.
"Oklahoma has never had a unifying thing. If you grow up in Texas, you may be a Texas Tech fan and your friend may be a Longhorn, but you both like the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Astros. You have common ground. In Oklahoma, the first thing to come around is the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that's second to college football. There will always be a line between the two, and I doubt anything comes along that is strong enough to erase it."
It was tough for me to understand it, so I took to twitter. Describe Bedlam for me, tweeps.
@Daniel_Toofine: Epic.
@Mitchell_Bro: BOOMER.
@DenLowery: Blood Bath.
@OKenglandk: Japanese anime-like.
@Schemingdreamin: Insanity.
@Chase_Wilcher: It's THE GAME for OSU fans, and it's the last scary test before a big bowl for OU fans
While I was sitting in the O'Colly newsroom today, we were having our usual football talk and putting our guesses down against the Vegas odds. Then I thought about it.
"Is it even possible? The football God's have smiled down on Stillwater all season, is it possible for the Sooners to win? After years of coming in second place in Oklahoma, is it finally the Poke's chance to stand at the top of the state?"
Trenton Sperry, our managing editor who is also an Oklahoma native, looked at me and said "It's Bedlam. Anything can happen."
On one hand, I agree. But on the other, why chalk it up to 'Who knows?'
That's the difference I've noticed from Texas to Oklahoma.
In Texas, unranked Texas Tech WILL beat Oklahoma because Tech is the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas in 2002, top-ranked Oklahoma comes into College Station to face a 5-4 Texas A&M team, but the Aggies WILL beat Oklahoma because the Aggies are the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas, the Longhorns are going to the National Championship to play Matt Lienart and Reggie Bush, possibly the best quarterback-runningback duo to ever play college football. But the Longhorns WILL WIN because they're the greatest team on the planet.
In Texas, Euless Trinity and Southlake Carroll can win multiple state championships because their fan base KNOWS THEY WILL WIN no matter what.
They expect it, they don't hope.
In Stillwater, no one BELIEVES, and the sooner (no pun intended) they start BELIEVING, the sooner they will sit atop of the football world.
Believe.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Paterno
DISCLAIMER: With this post, I am not choosing a 'side' on this whole situation, I am simply expressing my opinion. Don't think that I'm a child-molestation advocate who has completely peeved that people are being fired over this scandal, I'm not. These are my opinions, as it says at the top of this page.
I don't support anything in this case. I can't imagine having to deal with the emotional abuse that those children are having to deal with because of Jerry Sandusky's selfish and unspeakable actions.
I also don't know that I support the amount of blame that has been placed on Joe Paterno.
A head coaches job is to keep his house in order, and that includes coaches, players, managers, medical staff, etc, and do whatever necessary to win football games and putting the finishing touches on MEN (not football players).
I've heard Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy talk about it a million times. One of the biggest hurdles in recruiting is gaining the recruit's parents trust, as they basically give their son away for four years.
Nowhere in that job-description does it say the coach should enforce any rules. He only makes them.
Obviously, it shouldn't have to be written that no coaches should participate in child molestation or anything that could be thought of in that way.
But since it came up (A graduate assistant came to Paterno and told him about what he saw) Paterno reported it to the higher-ups in the athletic department (The Athletic Director and the university President.)
As seen here, the department 'handled' the situation.
Why is it Paterno's job to go to the police or mention it in a press conference? Don't you think just as much damage would've come if Paterno made a false accusation claiming that Sandusky was a child-molester?
If that had happened, and Sandusky was innocent, the man would never be able to work anywhere again, much less coach.
This is really a simple matter. There are no winners here, the main losers are the higher-ups in the Penn State department.
But Paterno is less of a loser than they are.
Take a step back, and I hope you read the article posted above for this. The janitor saw Sandusky doing (insert details here) in the shower with a boy, and IMMEDIATELY reported it to his manager.
Should he lose his job? Absolutely not, he did what he was supposed to do.
Paterno heard second-hand from a 20-something year old graduate assistant that he saw something in the showers A WEEK LATER, and Paterno IMMEDIATELY reported it to his boss, who should've handled it accordingly but didn't.
If Paterno should be fired, so should the janitor.
But I guarantee the janitor wasn't fired, I'd be willing to place money on it.
The truth of the matter is that Penn State is doing what it has to do to move forward and get this into the deepest, darkest corner of the school's past as fast as it can, and I don't disagree with the firing for that matter alone.
But at the same time, I think the only reason Paterno's firing should be taking place is for that reason alone, and not because he didn't defy his university's president and athletic director's orders and try to do their job.
It's not his responsibility. The man acted as he should have, and unfortunately the people above him let him down, and now he has become the scapegoat because of it.
Unfortunate situation.
My last thought is something that most people won't be able to comprehend because this is a very passionate and emotional subject, and I fully expect the responses of "IT WASN'T CANDY, THESE WERE KIDS!" to flood my comments section, but if you can remove yourself from that thought-process then hear me out.
Every day after you attend school at Bedford Junior High, you walk over to 7Eleven on Brown Trail and Harwood road.
Your friend comes up and says "I saw that kid over there (We'll call him Jeremy) stealing candy before he left the store last week, but I don't want to tell the manager because I don't want to get in trouble for not telling him sooner."
So you go tell the manager.
Yes or no, is it your job to come back the next day and the next day and the next day to make sure that Jeremy got in trouble for what he did?
I don't support anything in this case. I can't imagine having to deal with the emotional abuse that those children are having to deal with because of Jerry Sandusky's selfish and unspeakable actions.
I also don't know that I support the amount of blame that has been placed on Joe Paterno.
A head coaches job is to keep his house in order, and that includes coaches, players, managers, medical staff, etc, and do whatever necessary to win football games and putting the finishing touches on MEN (not football players).
I've heard Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy talk about it a million times. One of the biggest hurdles in recruiting is gaining the recruit's parents trust, as they basically give their son away for four years.
Nowhere in that job-description does it say the coach should enforce any rules. He only makes them.
Obviously, it shouldn't have to be written that no coaches should participate in child molestation or anything that could be thought of in that way.
But since it came up (A graduate assistant came to Paterno and told him about what he saw) Paterno reported it to the higher-ups in the athletic department (The Athletic Director and the university President.)
As seen here, the department 'handled' the situation.
Why is it Paterno's job to go to the police or mention it in a press conference? Don't you think just as much damage would've come if Paterno made a false accusation claiming that Sandusky was a child-molester?
If that had happened, and Sandusky was innocent, the man would never be able to work anywhere again, much less coach.
This is really a simple matter. There are no winners here, the main losers are the higher-ups in the Penn State department.
But Paterno is less of a loser than they are.
Take a step back, and I hope you read the article posted above for this. The janitor saw Sandusky doing (insert details here) in the shower with a boy, and IMMEDIATELY reported it to his manager.
Should he lose his job? Absolutely not, he did what he was supposed to do.
Paterno heard second-hand from a 20-something year old graduate assistant that he saw something in the showers A WEEK LATER, and Paterno IMMEDIATELY reported it to his boss, who should've handled it accordingly but didn't.
If Paterno should be fired, so should the janitor.
But I guarantee the janitor wasn't fired, I'd be willing to place money on it.
The truth of the matter is that Penn State is doing what it has to do to move forward and get this into the deepest, darkest corner of the school's past as fast as it can, and I don't disagree with the firing for that matter alone.
But at the same time, I think the only reason Paterno's firing should be taking place is for that reason alone, and not because he didn't defy his university's president and athletic director's orders and try to do their job.
It's not his responsibility. The man acted as he should have, and unfortunately the people above him let him down, and now he has become the scapegoat because of it.
Unfortunate situation.
My last thought is something that most people won't be able to comprehend because this is a very passionate and emotional subject, and I fully expect the responses of "IT WASN'T CANDY, THESE WERE KIDS!" to flood my comments section, but if you can remove yourself from that thought-process then hear me out.
Every day after you attend school at Bedford Junior High, you walk over to 7Eleven on Brown Trail and Harwood road.
Your friend comes up and says "I saw that kid over there (We'll call him Jeremy) stealing candy before he left the store last week, but I don't want to tell the manager because I don't want to get in trouble for not telling him sooner."
So you go tell the manager.
Yes or no, is it your job to come back the next day and the next day and the next day to make sure that Jeremy got in trouble for what he did?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Phase 3: OSU Schedule Breakdown
They're 8-0, and the home stretch is looking good.
Let's get into it.
Game 9: Oklahoma State 56, Kansas State 18. Uniform Prediction:White Helmet, Orange Jersey, White Pants.
After Kansas State hit the buzz-saw of Oklahoma last week, OSU will have added confidence. The Cowboy defense has been the scapegoat of the National Media for months now, yet they're still undefeated. That speaks volumes, although perhaps not as loud as holding Robert Griffin touchdown-less for three quarters. Cowboys roll.
Game 10: Oklahoma State 62, Texas Tech 21. Uniform Prediction: Black Helmet, White Jersey, Orange Pants
There won't be an OU-type of surprise in this game. Tech's offense is explosive, but after seeing Iowa State shut them down this past weekend I'm not a believer. I see Justin Blackmon have a 200+ yard game in Lubbock.
Game 11: Oklahoma State 48, Iowa State 10 Uniform Prediction: White Helmet, White Jerseys, Orange Pants
Iowa State played well against decent teams this year, and that was mostly due to their defense shutting down the opposing offense (Iowa, Texas A&M, Tech). I don't think they can match up with the speed and 'pick your poison' type of Oklahoma State offense though, and I'm expecting this to be a shalacking.
Game 12: Oklahoma State 51, Oklahoma 38 Uniform Prediction: Black Helmets, Black Jerseys, Black Pants.
I firmly believe that this is the year of the Cowboy. Everyone will pick OU in this game because of OSU's defense, but I believe they'll get it done just as they did against Baylor. OU is vulnerable, as shown by Texas Tech, and I think the mixture of Boone Pickens Stadium being a madhouse and Weeden dissecting that semi-weak secondary that Texas Tech played will result in a field-rushing, BCS National Championships berth. This is going to be a game like no other, and will be summed up with one word... Bedlam
My Top 10
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Boise State
5. Oklahoma
6. Oregon
7. Stanford
8. South Carolina
9. Clemson
10. Nebraska
Yes, my Top 10 doesn't include Arkansas. You'll see why in the next few weeks.
That's all I've got. Notice I didn't talk about any Dallas teams in this post. It's been a rough weekend.
Let's get into it.
Game 9: Oklahoma State 56, Kansas State 18. Uniform Prediction:White Helmet, Orange Jersey, White Pants.
After Kansas State hit the buzz-saw of Oklahoma last week, OSU will have added confidence. The Cowboy defense has been the scapegoat of the National Media for months now, yet they're still undefeated. That speaks volumes, although perhaps not as loud as holding Robert Griffin touchdown-less for three quarters. Cowboys roll.
Game 10: Oklahoma State 62, Texas Tech 21. Uniform Prediction: Black Helmet, White Jersey, Orange Pants
There won't be an OU-type of surprise in this game. Tech's offense is explosive, but after seeing Iowa State shut them down this past weekend I'm not a believer. I see Justin Blackmon have a 200+ yard game in Lubbock.
Game 11: Oklahoma State 48, Iowa State 10 Uniform Prediction: White Helmet, White Jerseys, Orange Pants
Iowa State played well against decent teams this year, and that was mostly due to their defense shutting down the opposing offense (Iowa, Texas A&M, Tech). I don't think they can match up with the speed and 'pick your poison' type of Oklahoma State offense though, and I'm expecting this to be a shalacking.
Game 12: Oklahoma State 51, Oklahoma 38 Uniform Prediction: Black Helmets, Black Jerseys, Black Pants.
I firmly believe that this is the year of the Cowboy. Everyone will pick OU in this game because of OSU's defense, but I believe they'll get it done just as they did against Baylor. OU is vulnerable, as shown by Texas Tech, and I think the mixture of Boone Pickens Stadium being a madhouse and Weeden dissecting that semi-weak secondary that Texas Tech played will result in a field-rushing, BCS National Championships berth. This is going to be a game like no other, and will be summed up with one word... Bedlam
My Top 10
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Boise State
5. Oklahoma
6. Oregon
7. Stanford
8. South Carolina
9. Clemson
10. Nebraska
Yes, my Top 10 doesn't include Arkansas. You'll see why in the next few weeks.
That's all I've got. Notice I didn't talk about any Dallas teams in this post. It's been a rough weekend.
Friday, October 28, 2011
No Words Can Describe, But This Is My Best Effort
The boys of September have done it again.
Yes, I said it. The boys of September. You can figure that nickname out, I have faith.
Again, the Rangers pull out the heart's of their fan base, throw it on the ground (the pitch was called a ball in the process), and trot off into the sunset.
Last year, the Rangers were the feel good story of the year. No one expected a World Series team, and they somehow got past the Rays and Yankees to surprise the world before bowing out after just five games.
2011 was a different story. The Rangers were expected to be a playoff team, and expected to do well in them by their fan base.
They did well, until once again bowing out. This time, in the 9th inning of Game 6.
A good closer doesn't throw a pitch that can be hit 300+ feet, especially in a 2 strike count. Period. End of story.
I'm a Neftali Feliz fan, but what in the world were you thinking?
Whatever, we still have Game 7 right? Wrong.
I made an effort to not watch any ESPN or listen to anything but The Ticket radio station out of DFW all day because I knew they would rule the Rangers out.
But then again, everyone kept harping on "Well the Rangers haven't lost consecutive games in 46 contests!"
The Rangers also weren't in Busch Stadium against Chris Carpenter in any of those 46 games, so I wasn't sold.
I just didn't have a good feeling about it, and turns out I was right. They started out hot, but it turned into a game of Rangers walking to the plate, guessing, and turning around to head to the dugout.
I was confused by that. The Rangers took almost every first pitch, and almost every first pitch was a strike. Then they'd watch the next (Especially Elvis, every time), as a fastball sped right down the middle. Their at-bat would finish with them trying to dig a curve ball out of the dirt almost every time.
I've got to tip my hat to the Cardinals though. They showed up when they needed to show up. Chris Carpenter put the team on his back (Is that term overused yet?) and got it done in the biggest game of his life.
The Cardinals bullpen slammed the door closed, something the Rangers bullpen probably saw as foreign.
And even though this was the greatest season in Texas Ranger franchise history, I'm still not happy with it.
Last year was the year to GET THERE. I know I'm ready to WIN ONE, and I know the 300 other fans that showed up to games back in the mid-90's feel the same way.
I don't mind the bandwagon fans, I wrote a post on that last October.
But I am proud to say that my parents raised me as a Ranger fan from birth. As I put on twitter earlier, I even named my hamsters I got in kindergarten after my two favorite Rangers -- Pudge and Juan (who we later found out was Juanita...)
So yeah, it may be "the greatest season in history", but it wasn't. It ended with a loss, which the Rangers have in common with every other playoff team except for the Cardinals in 2011.
I'm tired of saying "That's how baseball go", so I'm not going to say it. I'm done with that.
MAKE the baseball go where you want it to go instead of heading to the plate guessing and gazelle-jumping into the right field wall as Freese slides into third.
I stand behind Ron Washington. I stand behind Jon Daniels. I stand behind Nolan Ryan.
However, I do not stand behind the mindset I saw from that team in the last 12 innings. Whoever needs to fix that problem, fix it.
See you in the spring, it's now fully football season at Oklahoma State.
Yes, I said it. The boys of September. You can figure that nickname out, I have faith.
Again, the Rangers pull out the heart's of their fan base, throw it on the ground (the pitch was called a ball in the process), and trot off into the sunset.
Last year, the Rangers were the feel good story of the year. No one expected a World Series team, and they somehow got past the Rays and Yankees to surprise the world before bowing out after just five games.
2011 was a different story. The Rangers were expected to be a playoff team, and expected to do well in them by their fan base.
They did well, until once again bowing out. This time, in the 9th inning of Game 6.
A good closer doesn't throw a pitch that can be hit 300+ feet, especially in a 2 strike count. Period. End of story.
I'm a Neftali Feliz fan, but what in the world were you thinking?
Whatever, we still have Game 7 right? Wrong.
I made an effort to not watch any ESPN or listen to anything but The Ticket radio station out of DFW all day because I knew they would rule the Rangers out.
But then again, everyone kept harping on "Well the Rangers haven't lost consecutive games in 46 contests!"
The Rangers also weren't in Busch Stadium against Chris Carpenter in any of those 46 games, so I wasn't sold.
I just didn't have a good feeling about it, and turns out I was right. They started out hot, but it turned into a game of Rangers walking to the plate, guessing, and turning around to head to the dugout.
I was confused by that. The Rangers took almost every first pitch, and almost every first pitch was a strike. Then they'd watch the next (Especially Elvis, every time), as a fastball sped right down the middle. Their at-bat would finish with them trying to dig a curve ball out of the dirt almost every time.
I've got to tip my hat to the Cardinals though. They showed up when they needed to show up. Chris Carpenter put the team on his back (Is that term overused yet?) and got it done in the biggest game of his life.
The Cardinals bullpen slammed the door closed, something the Rangers bullpen probably saw as foreign.
And even though this was the greatest season in Texas Ranger franchise history, I'm still not happy with it.
Last year was the year to GET THERE. I know I'm ready to WIN ONE, and I know the 300 other fans that showed up to games back in the mid-90's feel the same way.
I don't mind the bandwagon fans, I wrote a post on that last October.
But I am proud to say that my parents raised me as a Ranger fan from birth. As I put on twitter earlier, I even named my hamsters I got in kindergarten after my two favorite Rangers -- Pudge and Juan (who we later found out was Juanita...)
So yeah, it may be "the greatest season in history", but it wasn't. It ended with a loss, which the Rangers have in common with every other playoff team except for the Cardinals in 2011.
I'm tired of saying "That's how baseball go", so I'm not going to say it. I'm done with that.
MAKE the baseball go where you want it to go instead of heading to the plate guessing and gazelle-jumping into the right field wall as Freese slides into third.
I stand behind Ron Washington. I stand behind Jon Daniels. I stand behind Nolan Ryan.
However, I do not stand behind the mindset I saw from that team in the last 12 innings. Whoever needs to fix that problem, fix it.
See you in the spring, it's now fully football season at Oklahoma State.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Describing The World Series So Far
My friend Justin (@JustinSouthwell) tweeted last night: "Baseball = World's slowest rollercoaster"
Looking back at this world series, I fully agree with him.
I mean, this is ridiculous. If my doctor was in the room for any game, she'd hospitalize me for ridiculously high, neck vein bulging, face reddening blood pressure.
But I thought about Justin's tweet more and more, and I realized it matches a roller coaster perfectly... So I'll match it up with my favorite. The Titan.
The Build Up:
Clank clank clank clank, there goes the chain as we leave the station and start going up for the first drop. The suspense is building up. We beat the Ray's, this is going to be a sweet ride. We're struggling with the Tigers, this drop is going to be huge... I'm getting kind of nervous. I think I can see Fort Worth... Alright, we're at the top. Commence screams.
Game 1: The First Drop
Straight down. CJ pitches alright, gives up 3 runs in almost 6 innings, but Carpenter is even better and gives up 2. It's a kick in the gut, but we expected this drop to be there and be steep, so it's not that big of a deal. Oh, and don't forget the photo booth at the bottom, that's all of your Cardinals friends talking mess. We've got 6 games and a lot of roller coaster left though, breathe.
Game 2: Cruising Straight Up
On the Titan, you go underground, then shoot straight back up. That's just what happened in Game 2. We were at the bottom, then all of the sudden (in the 9th inning) we shot straight back up to almost as high as the first drop. Sweet.
Game 3: What? Another Drop?
This roller coaster is crazy. Not only is this drop even steeper, but it's sideways. Adding to the scary-ness (Is that a word?) of the drop. This is when Pujols hit a ball to the east side of Dallas, and then crushed two more as the Cardinals racked up 16 runs on Matt Harrison, who will be our Game 7 starter if it gets that far. Oh great.
Game 4: Corkscrew
The roller coaster then goes into a two-story corkscrew drop, and this is my favorite part. Yeah, it's a drop, but it's really fun. You try to stick your arms up but you're going so fast they get slung to the side. That's the best way to describe Holland's start, it's so good but so scary at the same time. This is the same guy who threw 10 straight balls in last year's world series when he came out of the bullpen, and he just shut down the Cardinals lineup (except for Berkman) for 8 1/3 inning? Wow. That was a sweet corkscrew.
Game 5: Power Brakes
The Cardinals scored first, just like when you're going about 50 miles an hour and stop on a dime towards the end of the ride. You're thinking it's the worst, but then you go into another corkscrew drop, this time slower. Alexi Ogando somehow escaping an inning, then Mike Napoli doing his best superman impression. Sweet.
Technically, this would be where you cruise into the station on the Titan, jump out of the car and simultaneously kiss the ground and thank God you lived, aka a celebration? Hopefully that isn't a jinx, but I'm only speaking about the Titan if you want to get down to it.
Also, don't forget that the 2011 World Champion Dallas Mavericks series did the exact same thing as the Rangers have done so far. Loss away, win away, loss at home, win at home, win at home, then they won away and danced on LeBron's kingly court.
Could the Rangers dance on Prince Pujols' lawn? I predicted Rangers in 6, but no one can seize momentum in this so you never know. But I'd like to think so.
One thing is for sure...
All trains checked, all seats cleared. Please keep your seat fastened at all times, and enjoy your ride on The Titan at Six Flags Over Texas.
Looking back at this world series, I fully agree with him.
I mean, this is ridiculous. If my doctor was in the room for any game, she'd hospitalize me for ridiculously high, neck vein bulging, face reddening blood pressure.
But I thought about Justin's tweet more and more, and I realized it matches a roller coaster perfectly... So I'll match it up with my favorite. The Titan.
The Build Up:
Clank clank clank clank, there goes the chain as we leave the station and start going up for the first drop. The suspense is building up. We beat the Ray's, this is going to be a sweet ride. We're struggling with the Tigers, this drop is going to be huge... I'm getting kind of nervous. I think I can see Fort Worth... Alright, we're at the top. Commence screams.
Game 1: The First Drop
Straight down. CJ pitches alright, gives up 3 runs in almost 6 innings, but Carpenter is even better and gives up 2. It's a kick in the gut, but we expected this drop to be there and be steep, so it's not that big of a deal. Oh, and don't forget the photo booth at the bottom, that's all of your Cardinals friends talking mess. We've got 6 games and a lot of roller coaster left though, breathe.
Game 2: Cruising Straight Up
On the Titan, you go underground, then shoot straight back up. That's just what happened in Game 2. We were at the bottom, then all of the sudden (in the 9th inning) we shot straight back up to almost as high as the first drop. Sweet.
Game 3: What? Another Drop?
This roller coaster is crazy. Not only is this drop even steeper, but it's sideways. Adding to the scary-ness (Is that a word?) of the drop. This is when Pujols hit a ball to the east side of Dallas, and then crushed two more as the Cardinals racked up 16 runs on Matt Harrison, who will be our Game 7 starter if it gets that far. Oh great.
Game 4: Corkscrew
The roller coaster then goes into a two-story corkscrew drop, and this is my favorite part. Yeah, it's a drop, but it's really fun. You try to stick your arms up but you're going so fast they get slung to the side. That's the best way to describe Holland's start, it's so good but so scary at the same time. This is the same guy who threw 10 straight balls in last year's world series when he came out of the bullpen, and he just shut down the Cardinals lineup (except for Berkman) for 8 1/3 inning? Wow. That was a sweet corkscrew.
Game 5: Power Brakes
The Cardinals scored first, just like when you're going about 50 miles an hour and stop on a dime towards the end of the ride. You're thinking it's the worst, but then you go into another corkscrew drop, this time slower. Alexi Ogando somehow escaping an inning, then Mike Napoli doing his best superman impression. Sweet.
Technically, this would be where you cruise into the station on the Titan, jump out of the car and simultaneously kiss the ground and thank God you lived, aka a celebration? Hopefully that isn't a jinx, but I'm only speaking about the Titan if you want to get down to it.
Also, don't forget that the 2011 World Champion Dallas Mavericks series did the exact same thing as the Rangers have done so far. Loss away, win away, loss at home, win at home, win at home, then they won away and danced on LeBron's kingly court.
Could the Rangers dance on Prince Pujols' lawn? I predicted Rangers in 6, but no one can seize momentum in this so you never know. But I'd like to think so.
One thing is for sure...
All trains checked, all seats cleared. Please keep your seat fastened at all times, and enjoy your ride on The Titan at Six Flags Over Texas.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
World Series Thoughts & Predictions
Sorry for the onslaught of posts tonight, but tonight is best up by one of my favorite quotes in the movie Mean Girls: "I just have a lot of feelings..."
But I needed a separate post to dedicate to MY BACK-TO-BACK ALCS CHAMPION TEXAS RANGERS, and what I am predicting for the World Series.
First off, if you're one of my dedicated fans of this blog, you saw my blog post that previewed the Rangers season. One of my favorite players going in was Mike Napoli, and I'd say he's lived up to my expectations beautifully.
Second, as I said before, we're back in the World Series. My only worry with this team is that the offense is either welders-torch-hot or Antarctica-Polar-Bear-cold.
The lineup needs to find a happy medium between the two. Our starting pitching has been good, but not great. It's obvious that they aren't going to pitch a shutout and will give up 3-5 runs just about every game, so the offense needs to become a constant stream of success. That's something they started doing in the ALCS, and we'll hope they continue to do so.
Third, read the above two paragraph's again, except every time you read the word "Offense", replace it with "bullpen."
Finally, my in-depth predictions for the World Series are as follows.
Rangers in 6.
Michael Young named MVP (He's getting it going!)
Derek Holland goes 2-0 in the series.
I'm also setting the Over/Under on the amount of times the commentator sounds acts like he wants to jump in bed with Pujols per game at 8.
Leave your predictions in the comments, let's get a discussion going!
But I needed a separate post to dedicate to MY BACK-TO-BACK ALCS CHAMPION TEXAS RANGERS, and what I am predicting for the World Series.
First off, if you're one of my dedicated fans of this blog, you saw my blog post that previewed the Rangers season. One of my favorite players going in was Mike Napoli, and I'd say he's lived up to my expectations beautifully.
Second, as I said before, we're back in the World Series. My only worry with this team is that the offense is either welders-torch-hot or Antarctica-Polar-Bear-cold.
The lineup needs to find a happy medium between the two. Our starting pitching has been good, but not great. It's obvious that they aren't going to pitch a shutout and will give up 3-5 runs just about every game, so the offense needs to become a constant stream of success. That's something they started doing in the ALCS, and we'll hope they continue to do so.
Third, read the above two paragraph's again, except every time you read the word "Offense", replace it with "bullpen."
Finally, my in-depth predictions for the World Series are as follows.
Rangers in 6.
Michael Young named MVP (He's getting it going!)
Derek Holland goes 2-0 in the series.
I'm also setting the Over/Under on the amount of times the commentator sounds acts like he wants to jump in bed with Pujols per game at 8.
Leave your predictions in the comments, let's get a discussion going!
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