After Tonight's Game

What a great game. And not just because OU won, it was a well-played game by both sides. I just want to say two things.

First, if OU does go on to jump Texas in the BCS rankings, and thus miss out on a trip to the Big 12 Championship game, you have to feel for them. I hate them, and I am always happy when they lose out, but at the same time, you have to feel sorry for them. All they've done is have an incredible 11-1 season, in the strongest and most dangerous conference-division in all of college football, with an amazing Heisman finalist (if not the eventual winner) at quarterback. Yet they still might not even make a BCS bowl. Whether OU goes or Texas goes, one incredibly deserving team is going to get the shaft. However it turns out, that's unfortunate.

Second, OSU fans, if you could get your heads out of your butts and learn to care about more games than just the OU game, and if you could get your team to play with the same heart in every game that it plays with against OU, this whole rivalry might actually mean something to both sides. I mean, if you could do that, you'd be a serious contender in the Big 12 every year. You'd be able to say, "if we beat OU we have a shot at the National Championship." You'd be more than a rest stop for good coaches before moving on to "better things." With your team's talent this year, and with the grit and determination they showed tonight, they could have beaten just about anyone else in the country. Yet, here they are again, sitting at 9-3 and disappointed at losing their biggest game of the year (their only game of the year, every year). Think about it. Quit looking to beat OU, and start looking to beat everyone.

Thanks for reading along.

Some Words For This Week

(DISCLAIMER: This blog post will be entirely about college football. Mostly OU football, and some general college football. So if you're not interested in these subjects, thanks for stopping by and feel free to come back another time.)

Like nearly everyone outside of OU's locker room, I was not expecting to see that game. I was expecting the 48-44 game. Oh sure, I hoped to see the game we saw...perhaps even dreamed of seeing the game we saw. But expected? No way. It was the best crowd I've seen at Owen Field since the 2000 masterpiece between OU and Nebraska, and that's only because I was at that game. It was also the most complete, most dominating effort I've seen out of OU since...well, since OU beat Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl to capture their 7th National Championship.

So all that being said, a few thoughts from last week's trouncing of Texas Tech by my Sooners, and this week's game against OSU:

What the H-E-double-hockeysticks is a personal foul for "hitting a defenseless receiver"? This mysterious call came when Nic Harris put a clean-but-solid lick on a Tech receiver and dislodged the ball late in the game. I've been watching football at all levels for as long as I can remember. I also happen to be something of a rules fanatic when it comes to sports, and especially sports I love. I regularly explain rule interpretations to fans around me when I am at games, or to my friends and family when I'm watching with them. I know aspects of the rule books for baseball, golf, and football that guys who've been playing or calling those sports since before I was born don't know. I've seen plays identical to that one countless times over the course of my football-watching life, and I don't ever remember seeing a call like that. Ever. NEVER EVER. So to see call I've never seen or heard of pulled out, a suspect judgment call in a highly-emotionally-charged game, made me angry.

I know how to officiate. I'm not necessarily better (or worse) than other officials. I also know how officials think. I know that officials are guys who prefer games to be honest and fair. Officials (myself included) hate to see games get out of hand to the point of ridiculousness. So I know what that referee was thinking when he saw that clean-but-solid hit delivered by Harris. He saw gratuitous effort and enthusiasm, to the point of unsportsmanlike behavior. However, as an official you are also taught to A) be consistent, and B) officiate "situationally". Everyone in the place knew that OU needed style points in this win. Everyone knew that the crowd and the team were the most hyped-up they've ever been. And as I said, I've never seen that call made in 30 years of watching football. So I can't agree because the official failed the test on both points A and B above: it's not consistent to make a call that has never been made on similar plays, nor to make that call given the situation.

OU will have a big, tough test this week. It's an important game. I want OU to win, and win as big as possible. I happen to believe that OU will win this one by at least 7-14 points. But can we lay off the talk that "Bedlam" is some kind of awesome rivalry and belongs among the greatest in sports? The OU-OSU rivalry game has NEVER meant as much to OU fans and players as it does to OSU fans and players, and it NEVER will. It doesn't matter if you whine and cry to get the game played on Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter if your team is good or not. OU wants to win every game it plays, because OU has championship dreams, not dreams of having its first 10-win season EVER. (Seriously, if OSU happens to win on Saturday, it would be the first time they've won 10 games in a season. It's a shame for them the same can't be said for losses...see the 1991 season record here.) Check out the record of this "rivalry"...OSU would need to win the next 63 straight OU-OSU games to bring the series to even. Ask every OSU fan who their traditional rivals are, and you will get a solitary answer from every fan: OU, and there would be no others. Ask any OU fan who they believe their traditional rivals are, and you'll get two answers: Texas and Nebraska. OSU might come in a distant third...maybe. How can you have a rivalry when the series record is so one-sided, and when only one side actually gives a crap about it?

This being a traditional rivalry week, I've seen two different rankings by two different folks that ranks college football's traditional rivalries. The so-called Bedlam series is nowhere to be found on either list. In fact, on one of the lists, it ranks the top 15 rivalries, and STILL there is no "Bedlam" on the list. What's that tell you?

So sorry, Pokes fans. This week's game is a big game, but there is no special meaning to me. I want OU to pound you into the ground...but not because they're playing OSU. I want OU to pound every team they play into the ground. If OSU fans would ever take football seriously and look at championship rather than just "beat OU" every year, perhaps they'd actually be worthy of regular respect. Win or lose this week, I will feel the same way, and I will feel much like I did after the elections...glad that everyone will shut up about how "big a rivalry" this is.

How pathetically desperate do those Texas fans look? 45-35 signs everywhere? Flying a freaking plane with the OU-Texas score over this week's game in Stillwater?? Why not do what you can to make yourselves look even more classless and idiotic than you already do? So on that note, here are a few jokes we came up with last night during the Texas-Texas A&M game:

What's 45-35? The IQ range of the average Texas fan. (My uncle Glen came up with this one.)

What's 45-35? The average SAT score for a student at UT.

What's 45-35? How long Texas fans will be crying when OU beats OSU and ends up in the Big 12 Championship against Missouri.

What's 45-35? The number of seconds the average college football fan will take to decide that OU is better than Texas.

What's 45-35? The average margin-of-victory range of OU over the teams it's played this year.

Since the Texas people want us all to fixate on scores, let's look at some other scores:

Texas 45, Baylor 21, in Austin. -- OU 49, Baylor 17, at Baylor.
Texas 49, Texas A&M 9, at Austin. -- OU 66, Texas A&M 28, in College Station.
Texas Tech 39, Texas 33, at Lubbock. -- OU 65, Texas Tech 21, in Norman.
Texas 28, OSU 24, at Austin. -- OU ??, OSU ??, in Stillwater.

Oh, and Texas' best road win was against now 6-5 Kansas on Nov. 15th, 35-7.

What happens if OU beats OSU, in Stillwater in what is OSU's most important and coveted game every year, with OSU having two weeks to prepare, by 14 or more? What say you then? How good will that 45-35 from a month and a half ago look then?

And if OU wins, then goes on to blow out Missouri in the Big 12 Championship on a neutral field? Will you still doubt then?

Sure, OU still has to do all this. But they are fully capable. They are focused and humming, I mean REALLY humming, for the first time in a long time. How could you not see the Texas Tech game and believe it's possible? My honest opinion? I think this is OU's year. I think that since the loss to Texas, they are a completely different team, especially on defense. I think Brent Venables has his groove back. I think OU is ready to do what they have failed to do in their last two attempts: win the BCS Championship game. Everything is going the right way. I am concerned, sure. But for some reason, this year just feels differently than those other years. Give us anyone you want. Give us Texas again. Give us Florida. Give us Alabama. Give us Penn State (there's some precedent there, eh?). I think OU does it this year.

Thanks for reading along.

I Don't Get To Do This Very Often

I try to send out positive examples in the world, as well as the negative ones, but the trouble is that for every one positive example there are about 3.2 million negative ones. (Who says the human race won't destroy itself?)

In the spirit of positive role models for everyone, I put forth Myron Rolle. Mr. Rolle is the latest Rhodes Scholar from Florida State University. He found this out just this past Saturday, in fact. Oh, did I mention that Mr. Rolle is ALSO an All-American candidate at safety for the Seminoles? Did I further mention that Mr. Rolle is black? Mr. Rolle is a much better example that Mr. Obama of how America still works. Do you think Mr. Rolle could have succeeded by merely chatting up the right people, as Mr. Obama did? How about by simply saying the right thing at the right time, as Mr. Obama did? Mr. Rolle has a 3.75 GPA to this point in his academic career. He obviously has a real academic pedigree to make that GPA worthwhile, unlike many football stars, else the Rhodes people would never have considered him for a scholarship.

So, he works his butt off in class and works his butt off on the field, and has managed to achieve something truly special. That is really something to celebrate; regardless of your color, gender, or creed, your work ethic and character still count. Congratulations, Mr. Rolle...you will likely be more successful within five years' time than I will be at retirement. I hope you do something truly memorable and wonderful in our world to make it a better place. I have no doubt that you will.

There's Mandatory Sterilization...

...then there's "You're a disgrace to the human species, so we're revoking your license to live." I still don't see how there are so many who believe capital punishment is a bad thing.

Disgusting.

(Hat tip to Heidi for this one. I have a few longtime readers out there...feel free to drop me a line if you spot something interesting. I'd love to post it.)

Baby Names

Hello, Bronx Mowgli Wentz...

Why do celebrities have to be such dorks when it comes to picking baby names? (Of course, half of his friends and classmates will likely be named Barack...so what's worse?)

Another Unexpected Difference

I've noticed another difference between life here in Oklahoma and life in Colorado, specific to my workplace. Here at BancFirst, we have a lot of charity activity going on. We have a group of folks here who do all sorts of breakfasts and lunches and activities for the whole group, with the purpose of pulling in money for various charitable activities. We're finishing up a food drive today for Thanksgiving that's been going on for two weeks. We have two Angel Trees here that you can go grab an angel and get a gift for a needy child. Even our company as an organization takes a direct role; when I filled out my HR paperwork, I found out that you can contribute to the United Way, and doing so gets you an extra vacation day per year as a reward. We are practically deluged with opportunities to give here, for several different causes.

On the other hand, I don't recall ever having that many charity opportunities at any places I worked in Denver. A couple of companies I worked for did have some sponsorship programs, where they would match a verified gift to a legitimate charity up to a certain amount per year. But there were no internal drives, no extra incentives (aside from the corporate match, if available), no organization-specific programs like we have with United Way, and no groups of workers doing things to drum up support. Now, that's not to say that it never happened or doesn't happen; Coloradans can be very generous, just like other people. And I'm not really sure why it's so different here. It is very noticeable, though, and in a way, makes me even more proud.

What's The Argument Here?

Al Gore came out with this today.

No one disputes that climate change could have a tremendous effect on human civilization, even leading to the collapse of whole societies or nations. What IS in dispute is whether humans are causing climate change.

As we move towards solving the climate crisis, we need to remember the consequences to civilizations that refused to take environmental concerns seriously.

WHAT? Does he think the Mayans affected climate change as he claims we are today? Is he trying to link his modern-day "human-caused climate change" crusade to this story about the Mayans? Sure, they were an advanced civilization, but nothing compared to our own, in terms of technology. Could they have understood something like climate change, or even conceived it? Working in security, I see FUD all the time, but sometimes it's so incoherent as to actually be very funny.

(And for the record, the Mayans didn't "disappear"; their descendants continue to live quite happily in the jungles of the Yucatan to this day. I know because I've seen them myself, on one of the most interesting vacation trips I've ever taken. I'll tell you that story some time.)

This Is A Disgrace

More proof of the need for mandatory sterilization of some human beings.

The Virtual Double Life

Say what you want, but the Guitar Hero: World Tour commercial with Derek Jeter, Tony Hawk, Michael Phelps, and Kobe Bryant is HILARIOUS! It's so good to see that advertisers are still able to come up with great commercials.

Owen's Spoon

Owen is becoming more independent every day...and quite willful, if I may say so. (Heidi and I are wondering where that came from...neither of us is certainly willful.) He has learned how to use a spoon, and he enjoys it very much. It's very cute to see him scoop a couple of Cheerios into his spoon and carefully lift them to his mouth and dump them in. He loves using his spoon so much, in fact, that he will go to the silverware drawer, open it up, and grab a spoon, just so he can carry it around the house like a toy. It's really funny to watch, and he's so proud of it. On the other hand, Heidi and I are pleased to see he's so easily amused. He also is really smart; his fine motor skills are very impressive. And those words are slowly coming more and more frequently. He says, "Night, night" and "Dada" fairly regularly, and "Mama" and "more" on occasion.

Back to a fine day of watching some excellent 80s movies. I just finished Weird Science and now the original Back To The Future is on. Watching these is like stepping through a portal back in time...if you'll pardon the pun on that last movie.

Thanks for reading along.

Some Ups And Not Downs

I am still seriously concerned for the future of our country, and not because of economic concerns. However, rather than continuing to dwell on what's likely to get worse with our country, I believe I will try for some positive things in this post.

It's really cold here today. Not Colorado cold, but pretty darn cold, nonetheless. Not that it's bad; it's just the kind of semi-cold mid-Autumn day that I love here in Oklahoma. If I could keep the fireplace in our house going, I'd have it on right now, because it's perfect for it. You see, the fireplace won't stay on, though I have lit the pilot several times and was able to actually get some flames going, but something down in the works makes the entire system spontaneously shut down. And you know me...I am driven to fix things and have been trying to figure this one out for a while. But I digress.

I love coffee. I prefer plain, old-fashioned, non-espresso-based coffee. I go to the store and buy regular coffee, like millions of people still do. I have a plain, inexpensive drip coffee maker by Black and Decker. There are many people who insist that real coffee is only found at Starbuck's (or Peaberry, or Java Hut, or whatever your coffee shop of choice might be). I beg to differ, however; I come from a line that is proud to make decent coffee. Considering how badly I suck as a cook, my doing something in the kitchen with anything like competence is a source of pride. I rediscovered my enjoyment of coffee after I moved out from my first marriage, and I was quite fortunate to find Heidi; she might loathe coffee with every bit of her being, but she at least indulges my love of coffee. I prefer coffee made with arabica beans, because it tastes smoother and richer to me. However, I took a trip to New Orleans and visited the world-famous Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, where they have coffee with some chicory mixed in. I really like the flavor of that. I highly recommend coffee, coffee with chicory...or a trip to the French Quarter, for that matter.

OU has an off day today, so I'll just be taking it easy, trying to get some work done out in the garage (if it's not too cold), maybe watching some of the day's games. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer, so I might reserve my garage work for tomorrow. Amber and Sheldon might be coming over later this evening or tomorrow for some dinner. They had us over last week, and we would like to return the favor. Plus, their girls love playing with our boys, so it works well for everyone.

I'd like to say something to my Oklahoma readers. We all know that things are tough economically right now. If you are at all concerned for where you're keeping your money, I would recommend you go with my bank. You all know I work for Bancfirst now, and so I have an insider's perspective. And from what I see, our bank is very strong. I have no concerns whatsoever about my job or my organization. We have twice the amount of liquid capital required by the government. We did ZERO subprime lending. In fact, our financial practices are quite conservative, which has really helped us stay in a good position. We have no debt or leveraged transactions. This week, we turned down the government's bailout money, because it would actually be a worse deal for our bank and our customers if we were to accept it. We have over 80 branches around the state. Finally, we have money to lend and we want to lend it. So sorry for the shameless plug, but I do want people to know that there are banks and companies out there that are well-positioned even for difficult financial times, and my bank is one of them. So if you're looking for a solid bank that is and will be a good place to put your money, come check us out.

Well, Heidi's kicking me off the computer, so I'm signing off for now. Thanks for reading along.

Just An Idea

Why not dump Colorado off into the Mountain West, where they'd probably be a lot happier playing the likes of Colorado State (how about giving THAT rivalry game some real meaning, the way the Big 12 did for OU-Texas), Air Force (another in-state school right down the road), BYU, Utah, all those western mountain-oriented schools with whom the alcoholic potheads in Boulder would be much happier?

Who should we take in return? Definitely TCU. TCU was in the old Southwest Conference with many of the current Big 12 South members, and as another Texas school, would fit in perfectly. I never understood why the Horned Frogs got dissed by the Big 12, and for Baylor, no less. (How has that call worked out, Big 12 people?) Baylor's coming back, but they've been a perennial doormat since the league was founded, they were a perennial doormat BEFORE the league was founded, they will be a perennial doormat for quite some time, and they should never have been admitted in the first place. TCU's got some game, even beating Oklahoma to start the 2005 season. They also have some real tradition. They have two national championships in 1935 and 1938, and one Heisman Trophy winner, the late great Davey O'Brien, also in 1938. CU has one of each, and neither particularly noteworthy; the 1990 NC was a split with Georgia Tech (the only NC that CU has won in any sport that didn't involve riding on snow with long, flat boards on your feet), and the Heisman winner was Rashaan Salaam (who?).

Unfortunately, the Big 12 would never dump Baylor to bring in TCU, so I say, move CU to the MWC, take TCU into the Big 12, and move Oklahoma State to the Big 12 North to even everything out (which is probably the closest they'll ever get to a championship...they would RULE the North if they played in it). I think it would work great, and definitely make the conference stronger.

Thanks for reading along.

Heidi's Quandary

Heidi loves Camaros. (I can't say as I blame her.) She wants one. She loves the old ones and she loves the new ones. I would like to get her one.

And so, to her quandary, which I put to her tonight when we were talking about it before bed: "When we can afford it, do you want a brand-new one, or an old, restored one? They would likely cost about the same, whichever way we go."

She doesn't yet have an answer to that question. Again, I can't say as I blame her.

Example Reasons For The Boycott

If you need any examples of why I'm boycotting the media, here are a couple:

1. Discovery Health's expose on the pregnant man. Consider this: one hundred years ago, you would've heard about a "pregnant man" from a barker, and gone into a tent to see him at the county fair, where he would've been positioned between the Bearded Lady and the Two-Headed Cow. And Discovery Health is celebrating this? I suppose, as long as the freaks don't mind, no one cares. (On a tangential note, how can the same people who say we should "live in harmony with nature" be OK with a pregnant she-male?)

2. MTV's reality show "Paris Hilton's My New BFF". Do I really need to say anything more?

Random Thoughts, Serious and Otherwise

New wrinkle for OU: Sam Bradford's legs. We know his arm works great, but it's been astonishing and pleasing to see how well he can use his legs. Two weeks ago, it was two well-timed quarterback draw plays, this past week it was some nice scrambles, including one for a 14-yard touchdown. I wonder if Josh Heupel, the prior master of using his legs at the most opportune time, has been coaching Bradford a bit more down that path. It's a very good thing. That could be the difference between winning the Heisman or not, or between winning the national championship or not.

Red dirt...family...sunsets...the smell of rain...our great house...being home with my wife and kids. I love Oklahoma. I draw so much energy from everything here. Oklahoma is to me like the yellow sun for Superman. I draw energy from the soil, from the air, from everything here. This is my home.

And what else about Oklahoma do I really love? Braum's. For you poor souls who have never had Braum's incredible ice cream (not that trite soft-serve garbage that everyone serves, but real ice cream, good, solid stuff)...if you ever get a chance to stop at a Braum's, you better take it. They also have really good milk, and decent burgers, too.

I went out to chat with some coworkers while they smoked outside today, and I backed my leg into the butt container and got a smudge on my pants leg. Well, one of the ladies happened to have a Tide to Go pen, which took out the stain. Unfortunately, as with most positive things, there are a few negative side effects. The negative side effect of Tide to Go is the fact that it smells like vomit. That sure did well for me this morning, I tell you what.

I am boycotting the media. No news shows, minimal TV viewing. They represent vacuous city-dwellers. Look at the commercials they show. Look at the miserable excuses for shows they trowel out. Look at the news stories they cover. Anyone who doesn't live in a city is either a creature to be pity, or a moron to be ridiculed. They no longer represent me or respect my life, views, or opinions. So screw 'em...I can get along quite well without them. I strongly urge anyone who reads this to look critically, VERY critically, at what we get in our mainstream media today. I use that term in a straightforward way, unencumbered by baggage that it has accumulated over the past few years. Does what you get represent you? Or do you just take it, accept it, because that's what you're given? We live in a time of the greatest content choices for entertainment and information that the human race has ever seen. And what do we get? Myspace/Facebook, MSNBC, and the same crap over and over on TV.

Speaking of such things, consider how empty a typical urbanite's life must be, to require some of the ridiculous iPhone apps from their commercials. "Solving life's dilemmas"?? If not knowing what song is playing on the radio, or not being able to figure out where to go eat are two of "life's dilemmas", I think I'd rather just put myself out of my misery. Loopt is interesting, but it really only works well if all of your friends are within about 1/2 mile of you...like, if you all lived in the city. I was talking to my cousin's husband Sheldon last night, about how sometimes it takes a while before we realize who we are and what we want. After many years of town life, I've decided I don't want to live in town any more, especially if it means I have to live close to weirdos who need an iPhone to figure out their lives.

A last related thought: I think Barack Obama did so well with "hope" and "change" not because of war or the economy, not because of gay marriage or Red vs. Blue. I believe he did so well because despite all of this content and information, the lives of the majority that voted for him are desperately empty. I think most of them are torn between wanting to have their brains off, or the more dangerous proposition: leaving their brains on. Do you need further proof? Ask yourself this question: why else would people who live in such close proximity to so many people, like your typical urban dweller does, need something like Facebook for friendship? Why do we need mind-candy like iPhones and Barack Obama to begin with?

We Sooner fans might get pretty serious over OU-Texas, as the ol' "nut-buster" story from last year proved. However, we do NOT throw down on someone and blow them away when we argue about it.

Well, not yet, anyway.

Thanks for reading along.

Points of Interest

Some points no one is talking about in the huge love-fest we're seeing...

There's lots of talk about what kind of President Obama is going to be. All we've got is what his campaign showed. Sure it might have been impressive and efficient, but it was also extremely oppressive. Think of all the media herding going on. Think of all the friends who were pushed as far back as they could be by the campaign, and who toed the line quietly? These are people not exactly known for silence: Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, etc. Known, LOUD radicals, yet Obama and his
people shut them up pretty efficiently. Ponder THAT for a moment, if you dare.

Next comes the attack dogs. I got sick of hearing about Karl Rove as the Antichrist for all those years, but look at the campaign and the media's treatment of Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber, or any "threat" to Mr. Obama and his "inevitability". Sarah Palin did nothing more than get tabbed as McCain's VP candidate, and they did everything they could to destroy her short of actually walking up to her and putting a bullet in her head! Joe the Plumber was approached by The One of his own (Mr. Obama's) initiative, and Joe had the audacity...the cheek!...to ask a tough question and express a difficult opinion. Mr. Obama took it in stride and gave us what I suspect was his most honest answer of his entire campaign. What did his people do? They did everything they could to destroy Joe short of actually walking up to him and putting a bullet in his head! (Yes, intentional redundancy for effect.)

Then there's the race card. I sincerely hope that, when all is said and done, people will be able to ask difficult questions of Mr. Obama and his team without having "RACIST" shouted at them. This happened far too often during the campaign. The One is going to have to come through, and he's not always going to do it in a good way. He's going to make mistakes, and he's going to have hard questions asked. He had better answer them.

I've already spoken about why I think Obama won't be able to bring America together, and this points back to the same argument. Obama's just another Democrat, and his campaign, while intelligent and very well-run, did the same things that all campaigns do. His own cries for a new political atmosphere were demolished by himself and his supported as quickly as he could build them up.

Trivia Time

(DISCLAIMER: This post...OU football...blah blah blah.)

I need something to get my mind off of Tuesday. I love trivia, especially historical trivia about Oklahoma and/or the Sooners. So how about some great Sooner trivia? Get your game on with these:

Q: When was OU's first undefeated season in which more than two games were played?
A: 1911. The Sooners went 8-0 in their 6th season under Bennie Owen. They tallied wins against Texas, Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State), Missouri, and Kansas, who was something of a powerhouse at the time.

Q: What is the highest single-game point total ever scored by OU?
A: 179, in Norman against Kingfisher College on September 29, 1917. Final score: 179-0.

(HISTORICAL NOTE: Kingfisher was apparently OU's whipping boy every year for its first 23 years of football. The two teams played 22 times, and though it managed three scoreless ties, in 1900, 1903, and 1904, Kingfisher never beat OU. The total points in all games: 1161-31, for an average of 52.7-1.4. OU won the last 10 meetings by a combined score of 850-0. After the above 179-0 game in 1917, OU won again 157-0 in 1919. It seems that the Kingfisher boys finally wised up, because OU and Kingfisher College never played again. Kingfisher College closed its doors in 1922, having never recovered from the enrollment drop that came with World War I, which I suspect also contributed to the lopsided scores during the last few games.)

Q: What is the highest point total ever scored by OU against a team that is NOT Kingfisher College?
A: 140, in a 140-0 win in Norman against Southwest Oklahoma State on October 7, 1916.

Q: What is Oklahoma's highest point total ever scored against what would be considered a "name" team?
A: 103, in a 103-0 win against Arkansas in Fayetteville, on November 16, 1918. (I bet they had to sneak out of town that day.)

Q: Everyone knows OU holds the record for longest win streak in NCAA, winning 47 games from 1953 through 1957. Who is in second place, and how many games did they win?
A: The University of Washington, with a 39-game streak from 1908-1914. Interestingly, the 2nd-longest-streak-since-1920 is Toledo, with a 35-game streak from 1969-1971. This is #5 on the all-time list.

Q: Who is OU's greatest traditional nemesis, in terms of winning percentage (more than one game played)?
A: That would be Notre Dame. OU has played the Irish nine times since 1952 and has lost all but one of those. They got their money's worth in that one victory, though; that 40-0 pasting in 1956 is the most lopsided score in the entire series.

Q: You know 19 is my number. Who is OU's best player to wear it?
A: Though JC Watts wore it in 1976 (and changed to #1 afterward), and Joe Jon Finley wore it the past two years as a great tight end, the best might be Keith Stanberry, who did it the honor it is due as a defensive back from 1981-84. I hope that perhaps someday, someone will come along to make that number a great one.

All stats courtesy of SoonerSports.com and the nice folks at SoonerStats.com.

That's enough for tonight. BOOMER SOONER!

In This Uncertain Time

I am pleased to say there is a ray of sunshine.

I filled up for $1.89 a gallon this morning!! I paid $29.50 for my entire tank of fuel!!!

I LOVE Oklahoma!

On The Voting Line

I went to vote this morning, as most/all of you no doubt did, as well. The line was long, but everyone I saw looked extremely...well, there's no better way to say it: GRIM. No one smiled much. No one joked around, and there was very little talking except among voters who were obviously related. Knowing the percentage of Oklahomans who are voting for McCain, especially in my area of town, I suspect most of them were thinking the same thing as I was: "Am I casting my vote in a lost cause?"

Make no mistake: whoever wins, there will be a lot of very unhappy people. I don't see a whole lot of the "healing" and "reconciliation" coming that so many people (especially Democrats) are mugging for. As if it weren't already the pot calling the kettle black...just look at what happened in 2000. How high were the stakes then, compared to the stakes today? Yet eight years later, Democrats see this as an opportunity to "right that wrong"...they just can't let that go, and they spent eight straight years harping on it, fighting tooth-and-nail, insulting any non-liberal, non-Democrat. How much "healing" was accomplished during that time? How did those losers reconcile then and since?

All this talk of "good losers" and that sort of thing...what the heck do you think this is, a friendly tennis match?? Do you think we're playing for marbles here?!?!?! Now, admittedly, I'm very competitive and have never been able to lose with grace. My view has always been, you won, I lost, you got the reward and I didn't, so shut up and deal with it if I don't like it. And that's just for insignificant stuff like sports and games...this is people's lives we're talking about. This is the real deal, and real people, honest, hard-working fellow Americans, are going to be stomped on, marginalized, and ruined if Obama wins.

On the other hand, what if McCain somehow pulls out the upset, especially a squeaker or the odd lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-Electoral-College thing like George W. Bush? Lots of people will feel stomped on, marginalized, and ruined. How long do you think the riots will last? Did you go buy some ammo and stock up on water?

I might be wrong about all of this, and I hope that I am.

The Line of the Season

The line came during tonight's OU-Nebraska game. Nebraska had just committed its second turnover, on its second offensive play of the game, deep in its own territory and thus giving OU a chance to go up 21-0. ESPN's Mike Patrick let out this gem:

"What's next for Nebraska...locusts?"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I laughed about that one for 15 minutes.

After Halloween

You all know I'm not much of a Halloweenie, but I wanted to share the highlight of this year's festivities, and that was, Owen in his costume:



Yes indeed...Raggedy Andy. I don't usually use words like "cute" or "adorable" for the little guy, but they definitely fit in this situation. So spin up your girlie voice for this one: "Awwww, isn't he ADORABLE?? That's so CUTE!!" Thanks for reading along.