Oklahoma State: college football's X-factor
7/22/2009 6:32:00 PM
Entering the 2009 college football season, Oklahoma State could be considered the most prominent national X-factor.
The Cowboys seem destined for a Top 10 preseason ranking, but there are glaring uncertainties:
* Can new defensive coordinator Bill Young devise a way to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks? Last season, OSU managed only 15 sacks – the Big 12's lowest total. Can Young squeeze a 30-sack performance from the Cowboys' front-seven personnel?
* Last season, OSU was 93rd in total defense. In order to sustain a Top 10 poll ranking, must the Cowboys jump to No. 50 or better in total defense? Not necessarily. Oklahoma was No. 5 in the final 2008 AP poll. The Sooners were 68nd in total defense. Oregon was No. 10 in the final poll. The Ducks were 82nd in total defense. If the TCU Horned Frogs can lead the entire nation in total defense (as was the case last season), why can't Oklahoma State rank, say, 45th? Obviously, TCU's Mountain West schedule doesn't compare to OSU's Big 12 challenges, but the Cowboys can't become a true national player until they dramatically improve their defensive product.
* Can the Cowboys overcome the loss of Brandon Pettigrew? You don't often view the departure of a tight end as being overly damaging, but Pettigrew was a great college player. He not only was a weapon in the passing game, but he was a tremendous blocker (especially on option plays) and for three years was a brilliant performer on special teams. There's a reason he was a first-round draft pick.
* OSU has no clearly defined No. 2 wide receiver. What if Georgia limits Dez Bryant to four catches for 68 yards? Is any other Cowboy receiver ready to make winning plays?
* Can Zac Robinson stay healthy for an entire season?
Olin Buchanan, a former Austin American-Statesman sports writer, now covers college football for Rivals.com. In a column last week, he presented lists of "possibly overrated" and "possibly underrated" teams.
Topping Buchanan's "possibly overrated" list: Oklahoma State. (The list also included Ole Miss, Penn State and Southern Cal.)
Topping his "possibly underrated" list: Georgia. (The list also included Rutgers, North Carolina State, East Carolina and Colorado.)
The quest for Wayman Tisdale music
6/3/2009 4:12:03 PM
On a couple of occasions since the passing of Wayman Tisdale, I visited several major retailers in attempts to purchase some of Tisdale's jazz CDs. I already owned some, but now want the entire eight-album catalog.
In Tulsa, Tisdale's hometown, his music is very difficult to find. It's easily attainable on Amazon or iTunes, but you would think that maybe one enterprising local music seller would stock up on Tisdale inventory.
For several days after his death, there was considerable media coverage of his music career. There might be Tulsans who now are intrigued and would purchase a Tisdale CD.
After you've heard "Can't Hide Love" or "One on One," you're hooked. "Can't Hide Love" is Tisdale's cover of an Earth, Wind & Fire classic, and it is the song that his band played as his casket was carried into the BOK Center.
His music should be sampled not because Wayman was a popular local guy, but because he was a brilliant musician and bandleader.
My interview with Pete Rose
5/10/2009 10:48:19 PM
One of my favorite events on the sports calendar is Tulsa Charity Fight Night, in part because I've gotten to interview people like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Thomas Hearns, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Mickey Rourke, Jake LaMotta and Buster Douglas.
For last week's Fight Night show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, baseball legend Pete Rose was at ringside. Charles Cotton, owner of VIP Limousine, and I picked up Rose at Tulsa International Airport. As of August, it will have been 20 years since Rose, because he had bet on baseball, was dealt a lifetime ban from the game.
Clad in boots, jeans and a flannel shirt bearing a Cincinnati Reds logo, Rose gave the Tulsa World an interview that lasted nearly an hour:
Rose on the Manny Ramirez 50-game suspension: "What's the deal with Manny Ramirez? . . . Man, 50 games is a hefty suspension. First, you have Alex Rodriguez, the best player in the game, admit to (using performance-enhancing drugs). And now you have Manny, the best hitter in the game, get suspended. This is a tough time for baseball. I'd hate to be the commissioner."
Tulsa World: If you were the commissioner, what issue would you first address?
Rose: "Well, I'd reinstate me. I just wish they'd give me a second chance. It's sad to think that a guy can't get a second chance. I keep my nose clean, and I think I'm the best ambassador that baseball has."
Tulsa World: If you were to invite Commission Bud Selig to lunch, for a man-to-man talk about possible reinstatement, would he accept the invitation?
Rose: "I don't know. I was wrong. I bet on my own team to win every night. Yes, I was wrong, but there comes a time when you've got to get over it. On Aug. 24, it will be 20 years. Twenty years. I mean, there are guys who kill people, and they get released after eight or nine years. Everything I got suspended for, I did it as a manager. Not as a player. You need a commissioner who's not afraid to push the button. If the commissioner were to reinstate me tomorrow, and make me eligible for the Hall of Fame, the pluses would outweigh the minuses. Baseball is a better game if I am in it."
Rose again on his lifetime expulsion: "A drug dealer, an alcoholic, a spousal abuser – they all get a second chance. Give a gambler a second chance. How many major-league ballparks have casino advertising signs? About 14 or 15. What kind of message does that send? Be consistent."
Tulsa World: You reside now in Los Angeles. Each weekend, you are in Las Vegas to sign autographs at the Field of Dreams store in the Caesars Palace mall.
Rose: "It works in Las Vegas because of the fluctuation of people. Every day, it's a different crowd. We do very well. My numbers are amazing. A lot of my customers are women – maybe 70 percent. They buy for their sons, their dads, their granddads and their husbands. The husbands are off gambling, and the women are off shopping. They see Pete Rose and think their husband would like an autograph."
Tulsa World: In 2002, you were not allowed to participate in the ceremony to mark the end of Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. But the next day, you hosted a softball game at Riverfront and drew a crowd of 42,000. Did you do that as thank-you gesture to the Reds fans, or to remind Major League Baseball of your enduring popularity?
Rose: "I wasn't invited to the last game at Riverfront, so I rented the stadium from the city and did a softball game. A bunch of former Cincinnati greats – Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and other guys – against a bunch of All-Stars like Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Andre Dawson, Ozzie Smith and Gary Carter. We sold 42,000 tickets in two hours. We got beat 15-4, but nobody cared about the score. None of the fans left the stadium. There was a microphone at home plate, and Bench, Morgan, Perez and myself all spoke, and then we all walked off the field together. It was cool."
Tulsa World: Before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series, each living member of the All-Century Team was introduced to the crowd at Atlanta. You received a standing ovation. Why were you allowed to take part in a Major League Baseball-sanctioned event?
Rose: "You know why? Money. Because MasterCard sponsored it, and MasterCard wanted me to be involved. Last year, the Reds' Hall of Fame had a Pete Rose exhibit at the Cincinnati ballpark, and baseball approved it because it took in money."
Tulsa World: You're constantly approached by autograph-seekers. Does it get old?
Rose: "It never made sense to me to see a guy strive to become famous, and then treat people badly when they recognize him. Sure, there are times when I'm trying to talk on the phone or eat dinner, and it's not the best time to do an autograph. But I try to accommodate people the best that I can. There was a period of time in Cincinnati when I ordered a chef salad at almost every meal. If I ordered something hot, I knew it would be cold by the time I got around to eating it. Everybody else in the restaurant would finish their meal, and then come get my autograph. It's just part of the territory."
Tulsa World: Do you ever find a batting cage and hit baseballs?
Rose: "Sure, sometimes I do. I like to work with kids. I'd like to coach somewhere, but I can't afford to go to some college or high school and coach."
NFL draft: In 1960, OU's Boyd collected NFL bonus in $20 bills
4/25/2009 10:36:46 AM
The NFL draft begins this afternoon, and Georgia's Matthew Stafford will collect a guaranteed $41.7 million from the Detroit Lions. The rookie-year money wasn't quite so grand for Bobby Boyd, Jerry Ostroski and Steve August:
Bobby Boyd
In 1960, there was no ESPN and very little coverage of the NFL draft. As Oklahoma quarterback and defensive back Bobby Boyd and his wife Wanda had breakfast at their home in Norman, Boyd read a newspaper. He was astonished to discover that he had been drafted the previous day by the Baltimore Colts. He was a 10th-round pick (No. 119 overall).
When Boyd negotiated his rookie contract, he got a salary of slightly more than $9,000. He received a $1,700 signing bonus – in cash. In $20 bills.
For the Colts, Boyd was a nine-season starter at cornerback. The last two games in which he played were Super Bowl III (Baltimore's loss to the Joe Namath-quarterbacked Jets) and the January 1969 Pro Bowl. In nine years, Boyd had 57 interceptions. In his 12 seasons, Deion Sanders totaled 48.
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Jerry Ostroski
In 1991, Ostroski was an All-American offensive lineman at the University of Tulsa. In 1992, he expected to be a third- or fourth-round draft pick. Instead, he was selected by Kansas City in the 10th round.
Ostroski didn't survive the first cut of Chiefs training camp, but pocketed a $15,000 signing bonus and used it to buy a used Ford pickup. Ostroski wound up playing nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills.
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Steve August
Ada native Jeremy Shockey was the 14th pick overall in the 2002 NFL draft. As a tight end out of Miami (Fla.), he got from the New York Giants a signing bonus of $3.3 million and a five-year contract worth $8.5 million.
In 1977, University of Tulsa offensive tackle Steve August was the 14th pick overall. His bonus amounted to $100,000, and his rookie salary was $37,500. The Seahawks also purchased for August a new car – a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V, blue with a tan top.
"It took me nine years in the NFL, as a first-round draft pick, to reach $1 million in salary and bonuses," August said in 2003.
With Calipari's exit, pressure on Wojcik intensifies
3/31/2009 7:46:22 PM
With John Calipari having left Memphis, the pressure on TU coach Doug Wojcik has tripled.
The 2009-10 season already was defined as potentially big for Golden Hurricane basketball. TU returns a pretty good team and the Conference USA Tournament will be conducted at the BOK Center.
With Calipari, Memphis would have been the league favorite next season and every season beyond. Without Calipari, who on Tuesday accepted the Kentucky job, the Memphis program could become relatively ordinary overnight. The 2010 Conference USA pennant race will be wide open.
TU fans are starving for an NCAA Tournament appearance. Wojcik has recorded a combined total of 50 victories over the past two seasons. Next year, ultimately, only one game matters -- the C-USA Tournament championship contest.
John Calipari will not be involved. Will Doug Wojcik?
Can Wojcik capitalize on the Calipari departure?
Ford drives OSU's escape from mediocrity
3/20/2009 2:04:16 PM
When a program loses its luster, it's tough to get it back. After three consecutive NIT first-round defeats, and after the Cowboys had fallen to 3-6 in Big 12 play this season, it seemed the Oklahoma State basketball program had sunk to solid mediocrity.
What OSU and first-year coach Travis Ford have accomplished since mid-February is remarkable. With Friday's 77-75, first-round triumph over Tennessee, the Cowboys savor their first NCAA Tournament victory in four years.
Byron Eaton sealed the outcome with 7.2 seconds left, converting on a do-or-die drive to the rim, drawing a foul and completing the 3-point play.
Down the stretch, the Cowboys skated on thin ice as Eaton, Terrel Harris and James Anderson each played with four fouls. Undersized post man Marshall Moses was a hero with 16 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds. Ford has done a marvelous job not only in getting such quality play from Moses this season, but in reestablishing OSU as a nationally relevant program.
Some OSU fans – Sutton loyalists, apparently – seemed hesitant to embrace Ford as the new head man.
After Friday's thriller – with the Cowboys dancing in the NCAA winner's circle for the first time since 2005 – Ford's approval rating surely has skyrocketed. Over the last month, has any coach done a better job?
After surgeries, OU's Barry to do 49th season of football radio
2/28/2009 7:36:08 PM
After basketball season ends, Oklahoma Sooner radio play-by-play voice Bob Barry Sr. is scheduled to have both hips surgically replaced (the left one in April and the right one in early June).
Barry, who turned 78 on Saturday, says he expects to be sufficiently mobile in time for his 49th season of college football play-by-play. OU's football opener is set for Sept. 5, when the Sooners face BYU at the new Dallas Cowboy stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"I've gotten to the point where it's very difficult to walk," Barry said. "I've always been very active, so this has been frustrating for me. The travel is such a hassle."
Barry had both knees eight years ago. His hip surgeries will be performed by Dr. Brock Schnebel, the OU team physician.
"Everybody I've talked to about hip replacement says that you bounce back quickly," Barry said. "The rehab on my knees was ridiculous. It was so tough. I expect this to be much easier.
"Who knows? Maybe I'll get to play golf again. I haven't played in two years."
On Saturday, Barry was in Lubbock for OU's basketball victory over Texas Tech.
Barry twice has served as the voice of the Sooners – in 1961-71 and since 1991. In 1972-90, he did Oklahoma State play-by-play. The OU-BYU game will be his 550th college football broadcast.
"I've enjoyed every season and every game. It's been a privilege to have done it for so long," Barry said. "I do know that I've done more OU football and basketball broadcasts than anyone else. I'm proud of that little stat."
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