Those of you what know me know my college football loyalties lie with the Oklahoma Sooners. You know that I bleed the Crimson and Cream and love it when they win and hate it when they lose. Those of you what know me also know that I am somewhat level headed and have no problem giving credit where...and when...credit is due. That said...those of you what know me also know I am not adverse to dispensing criticism where...and when...criticism is due. So, my only dilemna in starting this post is what to start with...credit or criticism. I think, because he is becoming one of my least favorite people, I will start this with my continuing criticism of OU Defensive Coordinator/ Assistant Head Coach Brent Venables.

At least one game a year I get to sit through a Sooner game where the defense takes a day off. Not just mentally, or physically, but...like they ain't there at all. This years game, actually games in this situation, are the second half against Texas and the first half against Kansas. This unit plays with about as much emotion as...well...I'm actually hard pressed to come up with anything that shows less emotion...consistently...than OU's defensive unit...unless it is OU's special teams unit...and we all know there ain't a whole lot to be happy about there. I'll give you the point that these players should be able to get up for games...big games...by themselves. That said, part of the coaches job is to help motivate the players. Venables couldn't motivate a world class swimmer into the pool. I think there is probably a good reason why everytime there is a head coach position open in college football...you never hear Venables' name on the list of candidates. Texas hired a new defensive coordinator and announcers (if that is what you call Herbstreit and Musburger) have listed him on that "Can't Miss" head coach list. Venables...not so much. Is it because he can't, won't, or simply doesn't have an answer to anything that happens during the flow of a game. His game plan against Texas was to blitz early and often to get pressure on Colt McCoy. All McCoy did was dump the ball into the area opened up by the vacancy created by his blitzing and OU couldn't shut Texas down. Bradford put up better numbers than McCoy excepting the most important win column (yea, and he threw 2 ints but in reality the last one didn't matter as the last play of the game). Is the problem that OU's offense scores so fast the defense never gets a rest? Or is it that Venables can't adjust so his defense spends most of their time on the field chasing down big plays when they play an offense that never quits. Saw this same kind of thing against Colorado last year. Bottom line is this. Coach Bob...sweeten the pot and check out availability of brother Mike. The defenses he had at OU playe like they had a purpose. The defenses at OU since seem to have lost that purpose...or haven't gotten the message on the new purpose from their coach. I'm not sure what it is. And it didn't get much better this week...at least in the first 3 quarters. Reesing threw for 357 yards against the Sooners on Saturday and combining with Dezmon Briscoe for 269 of those yards managed to keep pace with the Sooner offensive machine for 3 quarters before the Sooners finally started making plays on defense. Four sacks on 4 straight possessions helped the Sooners slow down Kansas enough for Bradford and the offensive side to take control of the game. Thank God for Bradford and the offense or we'd be really worried at OU. Actually, with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State on the schedule, and Venables still around, we probably should be more worried at OU. The combination of Venables and the loss of Ryan Reynolds raises lots of concern in this Sooner fan.

As bad as it is at OU it isn't as bad as it is in other places. Did Missouri's coaching staff watch any video of the OU/Texas game before they played on Saturday? Hey, blitzing McCoy early and often IS NOT a successul exercise. And he proved it again last night. That, and as much ado as I make about OU and their defense, it is still better than Missouri's. Plenty of times they were there to make plays and...didn't make 'em. And I will go out on a limb here and say that McCoy and Bradford are better QB's than Chase Daniel. McCoy can move away from pressure and make plays while moving. And you can't question the heart. Bradford makes really good throws and throws better on the run than he gets credit for. He generally doesn't have to run. And while I think OU and Texas have better O-Lines their QB's don't throw desperation passes to the other team like Daniel has done the last 2 weeks. Don't mistake what I'm saying. Daniel is, obviously, very good. But he ain't the end all at QB...especially in the Big 12. And OU's defense is better than Missouri's and than Kansas' defense. Hopefully that will hold true for Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

So, I guess it is about time to give credit where credit is due. The Texas Longhorn's look...well...pretty freakin' good. The offense has an answer to everything the defense has for it (well...ok...they do) and the defense is playing like an experienced group instead of a group of young and inexperienced kids...which is what the "experts" told us they had. Oh, yea...those of you what know me also know I don't have much faith in the "experts." They get to the QB and they cover extremely well. Their linebackers are pretty freakin' good and they'll put a hit on you just to remind you that they are there. They showed me a lot more than I expected against OU. And then they showed me what I wanted to see against Missouri. If they bring the same passion and attitude...on both sides of the ball...like they have the past two weeks...they are going to be hard to beat. I don't think they are as skilled at some of the skill positions as teams they have played...or will play. But they are proving that some skill and a ton of heart and passion go a looooooooooong way. Coach Venables...are you watching?

The BCS will come out sometime after I post this which is going to be a good thing. Why? Because as much as I worry about OU's defense...they have only lost one game...to the number one team in the country. Granted, OU was number one and Texas was number 5 at the time, but the quality of opponent should be considered when you lose, just as it is disregarded when a top 10 team beats anyone outside of of the top 20. So, when this happens, and I think it will happen based on what I am reading and hearing, see if I have an argument. USC will end up in front of OU in this initial version of the BCS even having lost to an unranked team earlier in the year. Why? Because OU lost 2 weeks ago and went the distance against the number 16 team in the country this weekend, eventually winning by 14 points. USC hammered Washington State 69-0. It won't matter to the BCS that OU lost to Texas. To me, that is another problem with the BCS. If I weren't expecting it then it could possibly prompt another "Are you freakin' kiddin' me" post. But for now...I'll throw out these few criticisms and hand out credit where it is due...and let others sweat the small stuff. I have to get ready to face the kids tomorrow.

And that's the bottom line...BOOMER SOONER!!!

Whenever I get a chance to sit down and post something I usually do...sit down...and...post something. Well, I really haven't  had much time to actually post anything, although, I have dropped comments now and then. So when I went into my archives I was stunned to see how much time it has been since my last post. And, while this is by no means a religious calling for me the first thing that came to my mind was...Bless me someone for I have...well...it's been 2 months since my last...scribble. Anyway...a few things are on my mind tonight and since my wife looks at me and rolls her eyes when I question things that go on in the sports world...and she did just that and went to bed...I figured I can get some of it off of my chest right here. Lucky me...maybe not so lucky you.

Is anyone else as sick and tired of the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre as I am? Brett...you quit...hung 'em up! Retired! Ride off into the football sunset. Let the Packers and Aaron Rodgers move on...without you to screw things up. But, noooooooooo! You didn't really want to retire. You were forced into it. Held down...beat about the head and shoulders...kicked and mutilated to get you to say... you were going to retire. You said things like you had family issues that needed your attention and you didn't think it would be fair to show up a couple of days a week to play on Sunday. Hell, I admired that. No way would the great Brett Favre "Clemens" his time with the Packers. You turned in your paperwork...took your football...and went home. And the Pack was ready to move on. You know...thanks for everything Brett...we are sure going to miss you...You've meant so very, very much to the organization...Aaron, put your helmet on! But now Brett wants to play again. Only this time he wants to play with someone else's football. Supposedly he talked with the Vikings and got the NFL investigating them. He has told the Packers he will be in camp this weekend. They have told him if he comes back he won't be the starter and he will definately find himself in another role. He ain't sitting behind anyone. So...he'll show up and force the Packers to trade him. And they will. And can you guess what they want for a "retired" QB who can't make a decision and stick to it. They want a first round pick for a guy who had a great career...the key word there being...had! They want a first round pick for a guy who may eventually...retire and stick to it. Maybe even next year. So shop him around for a first round pick when nobody...even Brett...is sure when he'll retire. Actually...it doesn't matter when Favre says he'll hang 'em up again...you can't trust him to stick to it. Are you freakin' kidding me! I wish this show was over...for good!

Tony Stewart...good for you!Tony has his sponsors and his car for next year. Stewart will drive #14. This serves as a sign of respect to his hero, AJ Foyt. Seems Foyt swayed the young Stewart with his "tough-guy bravado and swashbuckling style." Hopefully Tony isn't confused and has actually been swayed by Danica Patrick who thinks she's a "tough guy" and who has been accused of being a bit reckless...kind of another way of saying "swashbuckling" don't you know! I wish she would go away just like I wish Michelle Wie would quit screwing up on the women's tour...and then jump right into a men's tournament. Another form of reckless, swashbuckling behavior. But, like I said on some other posts...Michelle didn't sign her card...but the LPGA "let her play the next day before DQing her." Maybe we could get the LPGA to go away as well. And...then again...maybe not!

I was watching a bench clearing brawl on television the other night when one of the players comes flying across the screen throwing a baseball at someone. Are you freakin' kidding me? Apparently a baseball game broke out during a bench clearing brawl between the Peoria Chiefs and the Dayton Dragons. In the course of the brawl a player runs in front of the camera throwing a baseball at someone. The someone has not been identified but we do know wher the ball landed. It hit a fan in the stands. This is akin to assaulting a high ranking public official in the strange world of baseball. Baseball rule 9000, subsection 74...in regard to fan base. "A fan is not allowed to be on the playing field for any reasons that would alter the regular course of the game being played. In light of that rule a player shall not knowingly, or unwittingly, throw a baseball during a bench clearing brawl which occurs in the regular course of the game being played that night that intentionally, or inadvertently hits a fan who has not leapt onto the field in violation of previously mentioned rule regarding fan base. Any player in violation of this rule will be subject to severe civil rulings as well as league discipline." The fan in the stands went to the emergency room where they were treated and released. The player in question is Peoria's own Julio Castillo, the guy pitching when the brawl broke out. Julio has been in the USA from the Dominican Republic for...oh, about a month...and has been living with some of the guys. Guess what? The injured fan was treated and released...Julio...not so much! He was arrested and charged with Felonious Assault, held on $50,000.00 bail and ordered to surrender his passpor. Hey, Julio...welcome to the good old USA. An opportunity for an eager prosecuting attorney or another opp for a defense attorney to argue his clients moral character and the fact that he "didn't mean to injure anyone."  He could go to prison for 8 years and face $15,000.00 in fines. You know what is messed up? Barry Bonds sits at home and this kid will be pitching by next week. Are you freakin' kidding me?

Mark Kriegel, a writer for Fox says the most important player for the "Dream Team 2008" is Jason Kidd. Aside from the fact that he is 35 years old and a tad slow, Kriegel mentions several reasons why that make a lot of sense. He is older and wiser than his counterparts. He has the respect of his teammates. He has more international experience than anyone on the team. He will make the right decision on who gets the ball and when because of that experience. Hell, it all sounds good to me. Only problem I see with it...the Kobe lovers will have a fit. This is a group that could hang out with Brett Favre. They aren't happy if Kobe is the man because they think the world hates him and if things don't go well the world will blame Kobe. And they aren't happy if Kobe isn't the man because...he should be the man and if he ain't then people just don't know what the hell they are talking about. Much like Favre this group wants to "have their cake and eat it too." I suppose that is fine but it seems like an awful lot of work just to support one guy. I suppose that I should mention that I couldn't care less about that as I don't get all worked up over Kobe Bryant. I don't even have a problem with Kobe fans but as the late, great George Carlin once said..."I call 'em as I see 'em..." I'm not too worked up about Dream Team 2008 either. But it has nothing to do with my patriotic feelings. I simply don't feel as strong a patriotic push over a basketball team as I do about...most anything else American. And I'm not a big fan of the Olympic Games anymore, either. Too many professionals in an event designed to be about amateur competition. But I been all through that on a post by Dudski, who I consider the primo blogger around here.

And finally...the next tennis phenom...as far as Playboy goes, anyway. Apparently Ashley Harkleroad can be seen in this months Playboy magazine sans clothing. I saw that and the first thing that came to mind for me was..."Who the hell is Ashley Harkleroad?" So I viewed the 5 pictures FoxSports put up of the "scandalous" pictures and thought to myself..."Oh, great...the next Anna Kournikova." I don't know a lot about this girl...obviously...but she doesn't look much older than Anna and I'm not sure she has won anything of consequence. Now...I may be wrong about that but having never heard of her makes me think...another angle to get to the top for a player who may or not be able to get there on their abilitry alone. Much like...well...Anna Kournikova! But I also found myself asking which is worse, if either. Playing in men's golf tournaments when you can't win, or sign your scorecard, on the women's tour in order to get ahead...or...take your clothes off and get photographed and put into an issue of Playboy so that you can insure that the next time your name comes up in the first round of some tennis tournament...the world will tune in just to see who you are. I'm kind of tired of Michelle Wie so if I absolutely had to choose....well...what would you do?

And that's the bottom line...

BOOMER SOONER!!!

I love reading the newspaper. I get a lot of things out of it. I get "current events" information out of it for my students. I get to read what is going on in the world around me. I read it and am then able to make my own, hopefully, somewhat informed opinions on what I read. I use a lot of it in school and some of it I just like to mull over in my head and use it to make conversation. My favorite section is, not surprisingly, the Sports section. Well...lets just say it has been my favorite section...until now. After reading the news in today's sports page I promptly threw the entire paper into the trash.

In the last month I have had to endure news about Roger Clemens' apparent current...and not so current...affairs. This is why we in education need to use "current events" instead of "current affairs" because...well...the meaning is often not in line with what is appropriate for school. So Clemens is not the saintly vision of the good husband. Oh, well. Sorry, Debbie that your husband, apparently, hasn't been faithful to you. Equally sorry that this information has been shared with the entire world through a media gone mad. Sorry that your husband put himself in a situation that your family could be put up in ridicule by some merciless scumbag attorney who needs this information to defend his equally scumbag client in a defamation suit brought about by your husband...who...at this point in time...may or may not have used PED's and HGH during his playing career but who, apparently, is a bit of a scumbag himself. Actually...I need to correct myself. I'm not really sorry about all of that. More than sorry...I'm a bit po'd that some newspaper man/woman deemed all of this newsworthy and proceeded to beat us to death with it. In my Sports page...my favorite section of my local paper.

I got to hear about how a future NBA superstar (cough, cough) made no qualms about his intent to play in the NBA in as quick a time as he could and was dealing with an agent...while playing B-Ball at USC. Excuse me...my fault...while he was in high school. I got to read how a friend spurned by the agent got so po'd that he started singing to officials louder than the lead singer of a rock band (insert your choice) screaming the lyrics to a song to be faintly heard over the lead guitarist screeching lingering cords that attempt to make the hearing impaired able to hear the faintest whisper. OJ Mayo did what has been done before by a large number of athletes. And the blame is falling everywhere. The agent, the institution, the coach, the player, the NBA's age policy, the friend. etc., etc., etc. They took up space in my favorite section of my local paper...the Sports section...to rail me with all of the sickening accusations and rambling finger pointing that I do so detest. Sadly, they will keep beating me into the ground with it and, yet, they will never offer a remedy to the problem. Just more rambling and finger-pointing.

I got to read how bloggers are evil and are ruining sports. This made me burp up my breakfast because it sounded more to me like a paranoid sportswriter worried about his job than it did anything that made much sense. I don't really think bloggers carry all that much power out there in the "real" world. I think we do a lot of responding to what these simple minded morons write than we do posting things that make any kind of a difference. Personally, I don't think anything that I post here is anything of great value to the world as a whole and I think that holds true for most people that blog...here...and maybe at other places. Maybe I'm being a bit naive but I just don't think we hold the great power some sportswriters seem to think we do. I wish we did because then we might be able to do something about all of the aforementioned rambling and finger-pointing...and wasting space in my Sports page...the favorite part of my local paper with accounts of player's mis-deeds based on reports from "anonymous sources."

I picked up the paper and read about another NFL player breaking some kind of law. I get to read about Marvin Harrison and his gun that was used to SHOOT someone but we don't know who shot it or how...I guess...it ended up back in Marvin's hands after he reported it stolen. In my Sports page I read about former Viking Darrion Scott assaulting his 2 year old son with a plastic laundry bag. The police on some lake in Austin, TX are apparently a bit overzealous in discharging their duties when it comes to boat safety and black NFL players...or maybe it is just Cedric Benson. Or...maybe Benson is the one who has problems when confronted by authority figures. Who knows? Had to wait three days to hear from one of the 15 people on-board Benson's boat to tell us she had to call her dad...on her cell phone...to have him call 911 (the police)...because a "black" friend of hers was getting beat up by police...presumably from the same force that would send out new police once dad got ahold of them. Ryan Perriloux (and if I spelled it wrong...I don't care) has the world at his hands and throws it all away because he can't follow a few simple rules...like stay out of the way of law enforcement officers...go to class...quit smoking dope...follow team rules, etc., etc., etc. As has been posted here on a few occassions the Cincinnati Bengals off-season is generally spent dealing with police blotters and rostered players. Pick almost any college football program and you are sure to see that the Compliance Department of the school has to not only comply with the NCAA...but with the local law enforcement agencies as well. I get to hear about all of this in my Sports page...the favorite part of my local paper.

Today I picked up my paper to see that Barry Bonds had been charged on 14 felony accounts...only to see it changed to 15 later in the day. This was in a headline...in the Sports section...the favorite part of my local paper. I read it because I thought 14 felony charges was a lot. But after reading the article I came to the conclusion that...as has been a lot of the problem with this story from the beginning...there is a bit of grandstanding going on...by the government and by the media. Seems Bonds hasn't been charged with anything he wasn't already charged with. It is just that the judge at Bonds' last hearing ordered the prosecution to re-write the charges. In doing that they were to write them more clearly. Apparently the government can be very clear with more charges. So...instead of the original 4 charges...they threw it up to 14...oops...my fault...now 15 charges. And what happened? Media outlets everywhere jumped all over the new charges. Bloggers went crazy with the news. And it started for me when I picked up my paper. People...!!! Of course they increased the number of charges. This is standard procedure...at least from my limited experience with the judicial system. Prosecutors throw a whole slew of charges against the accused because they need to have something to lose in the negotiation with the defense in pre-trial negotiations. If they go after Bonds on 4 measley charges and lose they have all of that egg on their face and the argument for having the government stay out of stuff like this picks up steam. With 15 charges they have some negotiating power. Now when they whittle it down the original 4 charges may stick around and they will still have to hope that Bonds admits to doing something wrong. But I got the gyst of this story in my Sports section...the favorite part of my local paper.

My local paper has a section titled, "News of the Weird" that reports strange goings on around the world. I suggested that they include all of the mis-doings (new word?) of any and all people associated with the sports world. They said they didn't have enough space to write it all in that section on a daily basis. Well...no real surprise there...is there? But now that I have ranted a bit would you like to know why I really threw my paper away today?

It is because with all of the crap (BLEEP) I have to read in my sports section on a daily basis I search hard for anything good. Generally reading about sports personalities that aren't problematic away from their chosen arena of competition are considered a good thing...in my Sports page...the favorite section of my local paper. And today two of those "good things" retired. Annika Sorenstam has been as strong a competitor as the LPGA has ever seen...and there are a lot of great women golfers past and present. OK...more so past than present...but the point is made. She is retiring after this season. Justine Henin...is also hanging it up. She no longer has the desire to compete at the level she has played at for so long. While she is not my favorite female professional tennis player I have always admired the tenacity with which she attacked her opponent. This is the stuff that sport is about. The things these two accomplished on their respective fields of endeavor are what sports are to me and these are the things I want to see in my Sports page...the favorite part of my local paper. The Sports page...the favorite part of my local paper...often gives recognition to high school athletes in a ho-hum, half a page, we need to say something about them, sort of way. While bombarding me with criminal activities and cheating athletes and all of those horrible coaches who are to blame for all of the criminal behavior of their rostered players.

This kind of stuff belongs in the entertainment section or the regular news section. This isn't about sports coverage anymore. It is in the sports section because these buffoons make their living playing sports. But these aren't sports stories. They are ridiculous fodder for the scandal pages. Sportswriters need to write about people who deserve the ink and give credit where credit is due. Stop inundating us with the latest misdeeds of Mr. NFL Dipstick or MLB Bozo and the great pitcher who has problems with infidelity or PED's or the extremely talented player who can't stay out of fights at strip clubs. Go beyond the obvious...do a little digging...and write a decent sports story. About something decent...and sports/newsworthy. Or...get the hell out of the way and let us bloggers have a whack at it. We probably couldn't be any worse...even with all of the so called hatred between bloggers that is out there. But that is for a different post...maybe! Give me back my Sports page...and make it my favorite part of the local paper...again.

And if they won't...like I said earlier today on a comment to Lisa...a lonely cabin on a remote mountain somewhere is starting to sound really good to me.

And that's the bottom line...

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Ever have one of those weeks that starts out looking really horrible and ends up being...sorta kinda...alright? I had one of those weeks last week. On Spring Break here a lot of my family trickled down to Mazatlan to enjoy the relaxing sun and surf. Been going there for years. This year the newest addition to the family...grandson...joined us. He is 14 months old and was quickly the hit of every place we went to for dinner...or anything else for that matter. While I only stayed a week because of work the rest of them stayed for two weeks. When the little guy got home he bagan running a high fever. Last Monday...after seizuring from a 104.8 degree temperature...we spent the day in the emergeny room with him. Six hours later we were told he had a viral infection that they couldn't pin-point. So...a prescription for Motrin to control the fever...and out the door to the house (he lives with us). Not a good start to the week.

The Mazatlan factor was at work again as my wife and a very close friend of hers drove back home from there. They spend most of the winter down there so they drive down and drive back. Well...the close friend got extremely ill the last week they were there and when they arrived in Dallas...where this woman has children living...they admitted her into the hospital. My wife was stranded...in Dallas...say it isn't so!!! Because of a variety of reasons putting her on an airplane was not an option so...yours truly...had to make a trip south. Fortunately for me...my dad went down to Dallas and picked up my wife and brought her back to Oklahoma City. The original plan was to go get her and make a quick turn around and come right back home. Plans change.

The Sooner end of spring football scrimmage...the Red-White game was this past weekend and...well...being down there already...we stayed and took in the game. At the same time I got caught up on some other Sooner football things.

We remember WR Malcolm Kelly for a number of things. His ability to get open and catch many key passes in his OU career. His speed in the open field after the catch. The classic touchdowns he has scored over the past couple of years. The attention he received last year which allowed Juaquin Iglesias to have a breakout year. The two Fiesta Bowls he didn't play in due to injury. HIs leaving OU for the NFL after his junior year. All good..right? Wrong. As he did not participate at the NFL Combine as the result of his latest injury he was expected to work out for scouts in Norman last Wednesday...which he did. And now we can remember Malcolm Kelly for another reason. After running a sluggish...the local paper called it a "pedestrian" 4.68 in the 40 yard dash...Kelly lashed out at...everyone but himself. He had been working out for the past month on astro turf. On Wednesday morning the NFL scouts switched the field for the workout and...doggone it...nobody told Malcolm. So, Kelly lashed out at OU strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. "Certain people have tried to hold me down, and they know who they are," Kelly said after the workout. "I wouldn't say the whole OU coaching staff, but certain people, I would say that." And that wasn't all Malcolm needed to get off of his chest. The OU medical staff misdiagnosed his thigh injury last December  which kept him from participating in the Fiesta Bowl and from training for the NFL Combine until a month ago. He also claimed that the OU staff basically told him to suck it up and play through it. Had he done that the risk of further injury would have threatened his NFL career which he also accused the OU staff of doing intentionally.

Here is what happened during the diagnosis. He WAS initially diagnosed with a deep thigh bruise. Within 48 hours of that diagnosis his status was upgraded to a deep thigh STRAIN. OU's treatment of a partial quadriceps tear and a quadriceps strain are virtually the same thing...inactivity. Rest and rehab and doing nothing that a WR does daily in order to help the injury heal...is...from my past injury history (which is sort of lengthy)...fairly standard practice.

Head Coach Bob Stoops called Kelly's remarks unfair. "I don't think that is fair," Stoops said. "A lot of deep tissue injuries take a while to figure out. Our doctors do as good a job as anybody in the country. Regardless of what his injury was, misdiagnosed or not, it was a deep tissue injury. He never played. It isn't like he played a game and re-hurt it. He would not have done anything different than he's done, which is to rest it for a long period of time, which he did, and rehab it." Kelly claimed that had it been diagnosed correctly two days before then he would have been able to play. Stoops said that comment is off base. "He didn't do anything the whole time before we went to the Fiesta Bowl. He didn't practice once," Stoops said. "He didn't practice at the Fiesta Bowl, even though we tried to warm him up. Its not realistic for that injury to heal that fast."

So...apparently Kelly's poor showing for NFL scouts last Wednesday wasn't because he isn't emotionally tough enough to handle a change of location (albeit a different...slower surface) but because the University of Oklahoma coaching and medical staff tried to screw him over. It had nothing to do with the fact that the NFL scouts ordered the change of location (to a surface more in line with the surface at the combine) but that Jerry Schmidt personally tried to ruin Kelly's chances on this particular day. QUESTION FOR YOU MALCOLM. Why would you train on a faster surface instead of one that simulates the surface at the combine? The scouts are going to make adjustments to your time on that surface anyway. Maybe your trainer, Chip Smith, should have worked you out on another surface as well. And maybe by Saturday he had given Malcolm Kelly some good advice. On Saturday morning Kelly was quoted in the Daily Oklahoman as saying, "I can't say I was as prepared as I should've been. I hadn't ever run on that surface as far as my training goes." Other quotes attributed to Kelly in the Saturday paper went like this. "Oklahoma did put me on the field, they gave me an opportunity for scouts to see me on film. So I can't take that away from Coach Stoops. He believed in my ability to go out there and play. I was a Sooner when I got up there and I'll be a Sooner when they put me in my grave." Kelly said his concern at the time he lashed out was for his family and his parent's, who he doesn't want to have to ever work again. Malcom, I understand your  concern. Hopefully you have just become man enough to take the next step. You accepted responsibility for the poor time and the poor training and admitted you went about this the wrong way. Now I can say, Good luck to you.

As for the game. WINDY. A hard steady wind with 30 to 40 mph gusts made it a "not so much good offense" kind of a day. That and the fact that Adron Tennel, DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown were among others who did not participate in the game...or in spring football for that matter. All of the above are recovering from injuries in one form or another so they haven't participated so far. That left three running backs healthy enough to handle the load during the game. Moissis Madu rushed 11 times for 31 yards, freshman Justin johnson carried the ball 20 times for 44 yards and Matt Clapp added a few nice runs at the end of the scrimmage. So the news odf the day from the offensive standpoint was passing, passing and more passing...and it was almost all of it...offensive. Sam Bradford tossed 3 interceptions and 1 TD pass. The QB's on the day threw 6 interceptions and had 3 of those returned for touchdowns. It would have been four but Bradford...apparently not having learned from the Texas Tech game...made a bone jarring tackle (his own) after one of his interceptions. ON the day Bradford went 12 of 25 for 191 yards on top of the other previously mentioned numbers. Joey Halzle, Keith Nicol and Landry Jones combined to hit on 9 of 33 passes for 112 yards, 2 touchdowns and three interceptions. Madu had 6 receptions and was the only player to record more than 2 catches on the day. Jones impressed me with his arm even if he did only complete 1 of 5 passes. Three of the incompletions were drops and his one comjpletion was a 50 yard TD . While the wind was obviously a factor in the offensive play the defense stepped it uop a looked very good.

Losing Curtis Lofton, Reggie Smith, Marcus Walker, Lewis Baker and a host of others from the Sooner defense was cause for concern going into this year. Well...start looking out for these names. Dominique Franks...picked off 3 passes and returned one of them 57 yards for a TD. Brian Jackson and Jonathan Nelson who took a Keith Nicol pass 81 yards the other way for a score. Sam Proctor and Lendy Holmes combined for 19 tackles on the day from the safeties positions.  Jackson broke up passes all day and tipped a ball that DE Alan Davis picked off. DT's Gerald McCoy and Demarcus Granger continually plugged holes on the inside giving the D line a strong showing on the day. This is great considering All Big 12 DE Auston English didn't dress. As for the linebacking...Curtis Lofton and Lewis Baker have moved on and it is now time for Ryan Reynolds, Austin Box and Keenan Clayton to take over. Clayton is a safety who has been transformed into a linbacker during his redshirt sophomore season. He didn't think he played very well during the Red-White game but he was the one player that Stoops and defensive coordinator Brent Venables singled out as having an excellent day.

Special teams were minimally effective and a lot of that had to do with the wind. Incoming kicker Jimmy Stevens kicked 3 field goals in 3 attempts  and made 4 extra points. The punting game struggled all day due to the wind factor.

So...all in all..with many key players absent...it was a decent enough game but the sun being out and being surrounded by family made it a special day. The Sooners should be formidable when they get key personnel back and if the performance of the defense is any indication of things to come. So...lets play some football.

And the little guy...my grandson...was eventually hospitalized when I was in Oklahoma picking up my wife. Seems he picked up Salmonilla poisoning in Mexico. But, after a few days in the hospital getting antibiotics through an IV he started this week back at home...where my wife and kids and grandkids are now all at home...safe...and for now...sound. So...a weird and whacky week...turned out alright after all. 

Andy Roddick helped eliminate France from Davis Cup play this past weekend. Actually, as well as Andy is playing...the French helped. Seems their number one player figured Andy was too good for him...so they played someone else against him. Roddick hammered Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 for the deciding victory in a best of 5 quarterfinal match.  Richard Gasquet, France's top player, begged out of the match. "He felt Roddick was playing too good for him and he probably had no chance," French captain Guy Forget said of Gasquet. Guess what Richard...conceding someone was playing too good for you...and saying you "probably" had no chance...spells out quitter. Unless someone tells me that you were too injured or ill to compete then I wouldn't want you anywhere near my team...especially if you were the best I had to offer...and second best at least put forth an effort. PLease tell me there is a real reason for begging out of the match with Roddick. I haven't jumped all over the French are this or that bandwagon...but I'm starting to think...well...maybe those negative comments ain't all that far off.

And that's the bottom line...

Boomer Sooner!!!

Quite a few years ago there was a dinner theater in Bloomington, MN called The Carlton Dinner Theater. My wife and I saw The Spinners and The Temptations there. We saw Roy Orbison there. The food was great and the seats were awesome. Another act we saw there was Leon Russell. Had to go twice to catch Leon. The first night we went to see him we arrived only to find the doors locked and chained with a notice that Leon had cancelled the scheduled performance but that it would be rescheduled. Turns out Leon couldn't make this performance because he was in a detox center in South Dakota. When we finally got to see him perform it was quickly apparent that detox didn't work. After stumbling through the standard "it is really great to be here" line it was obvious that Leon had no idea of where "here" was. A roadie finally told him he was in Bloomington. Leon thought he was in Indiana. Simple mistake...I guess. Aside from this Leon Russell had quite a few songs I enjoyed and a line from one of them clearly defines how I find myself thinking about what is going on in the sports world lately. "I'm up on a tightrope...one side hate and the other side hope."

I can't stand Jose Canseco. The self proclaimed savior of MLB dropping names and insinuations about certain players and leaving his comments to trail in the wind with no real support. Only to claim that he is always right and that eventually all will work out and we will see that he is an honest and truthful man whose only concern is for righting the wayward actions of the players in his sport. I'm up on a tightrope hating that people actually read and listen to this buffoon as he spews accusations without proof. I'm up on a tightrope hoping that the media quits giving this moron air time and print space to feed his enormous ego and hoping he will simply talk himself into oblivion.

While I find them entertaining I don't really understand the "Coaches on the Hot Seat" menality or what prompts people to write this stuff. I understand that opinions are just that...opinions and that we are all intitled to our opinions. And maybe they would be more acceptable to me if they were written from an X's and O's perspective instead of from the "this coach is on the hotseat because he can't control his players" perspective. I'm up on a tightrope hating that there are people out there who think Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis is on the hotseat because he is the head coach of the NFL's version of Alcatraz and he can't control the players. He's a football coach...not a prison warden. On the heels of WR Chris Henry being released last week after being arrested on assault charges comes news that RB Quincy Wilson was waived yesterday. Wilson is another player with an arrest record for failing to disperse when requested by law enforcement officials after a wedding party last June and was charged with disorderly conduct. I'm up on a tightrope hoping that some semblence of common sense enters into this and people quit holding Lewis responsible for being a subpar babysitter and try giving him some credit for doing what he was hired to do...coach football. On the hope side of the tightrope would be hoping that at some time in the immediate future the Bengals quit drafting wanna-be thugs and mental midgets (no offense to short people intended) who don't know what accepted appropriate social behavior is, or simply choose to ignore it.

To that end I am having a harder and harder time accepting the concept that NCAA College Football Coach's ( or any sports coaches) should be saddled with the responsibility of disciplining student athletes who get arrested by law enforcement officials for any kind of reason. In order to maintain control of their programs coach's have to have a certain degree of power of discipline. I don't think you need to remove that from them. But when it comes to handing down discipline in situations of arrest I think the coach needs some help and guidance. I'm up on a tightrope hating that we are asking these coach's to be prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, jury and hangman...along with trying to coach a competitive football team and maintain the integrity and character of the institution, themselves, and the program. I understand that they make a lot of money and should therefore accept the lions share of the responsibility for their program. But this is a different day and age and the student athletes aren't from the "Sir, yes, sir!" school anymore. Nope...a lot of these guys are from the "I'm entitled to be here and do whatever I damn well please" school. I'm up on a tightrope hoping that sometime soon the ineptitude of the NCAA's disciplinary policies will become obsolete and that a system devoted solely to assisting institutions and coaching staffs in dealing with runaway behavioral issues ending in arrest or incarceration for student athletes is created. I'm hoping that this system will allow the coach to maintain control of his program while keeping him/her from the old "hotseat for lack of control" situation. I'm hoping this system will determine levels of inappropriate behavior that allow for the coach to discipline and then include an increasing gradient where different infractions are dealt with appropriately BY THE INSTITUTION. Put it on the system and the institution to deal with student athletes who break the law and are A.) accused of breaking some law, B.) arrested and charged with a criminal offense, and C.) acquitted or convicted. And make it as BLACK and WHITE as it can possibly be made by eliminating the hidden outs of an inappropriate action from consequences. Basically...you do the crime (student athletes) you do the time...and the coach is removed from the equation for disciplining said student athlete. You want your coach to have the final say...or any say in the disciplinary process if you do something wrong. Then you better skip class or a team meeting because if you get drunk after curfew, punch someone in the face and get arrested for assault...the institution you are attending based on recommendations of the system will determine your fate. Sound a little like Big Brother is watching you? Probably! But who brought it to this? Must be the coaches, eh! NOT!!!

Speaking of Black and White...racism is in our face now more than ever. I'm up on a tightrope hating that if it isn't then there is surely someone who will bring it there. Its no freakin' wonder we continually slip backwards in regard to race in this country. Does the media treat white players differently than black players? Do black students have better opportunities for scholarships to college than the middle class white student? Am I a better hockey player than Grant Fuhr was because I'm white and he is black? While racism is not something that can, or should, be ignored...I often find myself  wondering why it is raised in such insignificant arena's. Who is the better defensive lineman...the white guy or the black guy? What? In what context? Who is the better hitter, the white guy, the black guy, the hispanic guy or the asian guy leading off? In what context? Skin color, power, speed, contact potential, literacy? I'm up on a tightrope hoping that context is included in the question the next time someone asks who is treated better, white athletes or black athletes. In other words I'm hoping that the question is based on a little more specific criteria than the color of skin or the generalized cultural background of those in question. At least then I won't feel like my intelligence is being called into question if I respond appropriately. Fuhr played in the NHL...I did not...enough said!

The Olympics are coming up and the host country, China, is giving itself a bad reputation. So much so that protestors world wide are out in force condemning their actions regarding how they treat their citizens and those of Tibet. I'm up on a tight rope hating that the Olympics have become much more than the intended sporting events between nations and different cultures and that so much venom is being spewed into this situation that will change...absolutely nothing. Of course, political stands and the Olympics have become bedfellows with each other...since 1936...at least. I'm up on a tight rope hoping that at some time, hopefully in my lifetime, we can actually watch an entire Olympic Games without someone, or some organization, turning them into a venue to spout their rhetoric and political platforms on. Can anyone answer me this. Do World Leader's outside of those from the host country, attend the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games? I guess I have never really payed any attention to this but I don't recall ever seeing Queen Elizabeth or Margaret Thatcher or Idi Amin at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. And if they don't generally do this...then why is it such a big deal if our fearless leader doesn't attend them...as protest over China...if he isn't expected to be there anyway. And if they do...well...like I told someone else...some politician I would be, eh?

Local Focal

Did failure to hit key free throws do in Memphis? Probably as much as falling apart in the OT did. Kansas wins the National Championship by elevating their level of play and taking advantage of key mistakes by Memphis. Kansas handled adversity better than Memphis did and therefore won the National Championship in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The last time Kansas won this Championship was in 1988 when Danny Manning was their star. They beat Oklahoma in that game largely because they handled adversity better than OU...that and OU coach Billy Tubbs took his star, Stacey King, out of the game...not literally...but physically and mentally. King never saw the ball in the second half of that game while Manning was taking control. Tubbs didn't have an answer for whatever Kansas was doing and in that context King was never a factor after halftime. Players never even tried to get him the ball. This year missed free throws, a strong Jayhawk rally, a crucial 3-pointer and a lot of standing around in OT led to Memphis' demise. Congratulations to Kansas... AND to Memphis. There are a lot of teams who would have given anything just to be there.

If the Minnesota Twins are going to compete this year it is generally agreed that their bullpen, which is given credit as being one of the best in baseball, needs to be extremely effective all year. Well, they took last night off. Without Tori Hunter and with Michael Cuddyer out of the lineup this team may score less runs than it did last year and they showed some of that last night by leaving runners in scoring position all night. This prompted Manager Ron Gardenhire to comment that they need to learn to close teams out. Leading 3-2 against the White Sox going into the seventh reliever Matt Guerrier walked Jim Thome and allowed a single to Paul Konerko. Pat Neshek came on and allowed a single to Jermaine Dye that scored Thome and moved Konerko to second. He struck out A.J. Pierzynski but Carlos Quentin singled to center. Bases loaded. Next batter...Joe Crede. Bases empty. Grand Slam...Twins lose! This will happen but with their offense it better not happen often. Also last night...Tori Hunter...2 HR's and the last one was a walk-off Grand Slam. Painfull, eh!

Nick Schultz, Minnesota Wild defenseman, will miss at least the first round of the playoffs due to an emergency appendectomy performed yesterday. Schultz is considered a stalwart (love that word) on the Wild blueline and his absence could prove crucial to their playoff hopes against Colorado who move the puck extremely well in the offensive zone. So, now who cares if Derek Boogaard or Chris Simon have Ian Laperriere in their sights for his chippy, 4 shots to the head act on Marion Gaborik...AFTER the final buzzer on Sunday. The Wild now need to find a way to get past an explosive Colorado Avalanche team without arguably their best defensive defenseman. Still, I'm back up on that tightrope hating that guy's like Laperriere pull this crap and think they can get away with it. The unwritten rule about not attacking the other teams star has all but been erased and it is not at all like it used to be. Big bruiser goes after big bruiser. Wayne Gretzky had one fight in his NHL career and it was against Neal Broten of the Minnesota North Stars who mighht have had the one and a roughing penalty. It was like a cat fight with the claws trimmed to nothing. And I'm back up on the tightrope hoping that Chris Simon or Todd Fedoruk take this smarmy little turd on and smack him around a little. He already said he won't fight Derek Boogaard. "I won't fight Boogaard and he knows that," said Laperriere, 34, a 14 year veteran with 161 fights under his breezers. "The guy is 6'7" and 270 lbs. I don't want anything to do with that." Yet, he'll rain punches on Gaborik's head AFTER the game is over and chop him and whack him repeatedly whistle after whistle during the game. Getting and edge is one thing and being a cheapshot hack is another. He thinks Gaborik had it coming. "Go back to the March 17 game in Minnesota, they played Peter (Forsberg) that way," Laperriere said. "OK, they might not have punched Peter in the face 4 times like I did to Gaborik, but overall, Peter had a much tougher night than Gaborik had." Hey, dipstick, at least Forsberg didn't have to protect himself from an all out assault... AFTER the game was over. This is the bush league crap the NHL has to deal with quickly...not the regular heat of the battle fighting that has been an inherent part of the game forever. Yep, I'm on that tightrope hoping that...say...Chris Simon...pummles this little creep.

And that from a non-violent man such as myself...imagine!

And that's the bottom line...

Boomer Sooner!!!