The Stars Are On The Air

As you might have heard, I have taken over the play-by-play reins for the Oklahoma City University men's and women's basketball teams.
The men's team is 6-5 while the women are 7-2.
I am looking forward to an exciting season in the Sooner Athletic Conference. This is the top level of NAIA Division I basketball.
Kudos to the coaches, players, OCU Athletic Director Jim Abbott, OCU Sports Information Director Rich Tortorelli and all involved for running a great program.

The Hornets In Baton Rouge . . . OUCH!

Just a note about the Hornets' Louisiana homecoming. Only 7,300 fans showed at LSU's Pete Maravich Arena. Supposedly, they turned the lights off in the upper deck so the empy seats would not show up on television broadcast.
Before I get hate mail from every NO fan, listen to me. It's not your fault. Your state is struggling after a huge natural disaster.

OKC beginning to look . . . Major League

I attended the Hornets/Spurs game on Sunday (Dec. 18). I helped with our coverage at WWLS The Sports Animal. I figured I would write a column for the blog as well. The photos of the game are from my lovely wife (a huge Spurs fan, she was mad at the outcome!).

OKLAHOMA CITY ‚– Remember the Cavs?
Most people in OKC vaguely remember the city’s last professional basketball team (The ABL's Oklahoma Storm played some games in OKC but mainly play in nearby Enid). They folded after a championship season in 1997, playing their home games in the Myriad (now the Cox Convention Center).
Fast forward to 2005.
Just a few yards away in the Ford Center, some of the best basketball players in the world were in Oklahoma City and it wasn‚’t just for an exhibition game.
The Ford Center was packed with Oklahomans that are usually concerned with who is the starting quarterback just south at Norman.
There was no Sooner talk this night in the Ford Center, as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets beat the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs 89-76.
It was a big league atmosphere. It was also a packed, loud atmosphere, something the Hornets (11-13) haven‚’t had in their few visits back to their home state of Louisiana.
Only 7,300 plus showed up in Baton Rouge for a contest with the Suns.
In OKC, 19,297 showed on a dreary December night to see the Hornets explode in the fourth quarter. The crowd was the largest to witness a sporting event in the Ford Center. (Unofficially, it is a state record as well for basketball games. OU and OSU only seat around 13,000 in their arenas.)
“It was electric in there tonight,‚” Hornets forward Rasual Butler said. ‚“We have one of the best sixth mans in the NBA.‚”
The noise level was deafening in the fourth quarter as the Spurs (19-5) broke a 69-all tie at the 8:12 mark. The Hornets went on a 10-0 run before Duncan finally made a driving layup at 03:58.
With each big shot and each San Antonio turnover (they finished with 23), the crowd rocked with excitement.
‚“The crowd was unbelievable. You know, they really motivate us,‚” Hornets rookie point guard Chris Paul said. ‚“It go so loud one time. I think it was out of a timeout. I had to walk right up to Speedy (Claxton) and get in his ear to talk to him.‚”
What does this mean?
Oklahoma City is ready for the NBA? Maybe.
New Orleans isn‚’t ready to get the NBA back? Probably.
Of course it helps that the talent level and excitement is higher in the NBA than the CBA, but I think Oklahoma City learned something.
You get out of it what you put in it.
The minor league (Triple-A) Oklahoma Redhawks set a single season attendance record this past summer. The minor league (Central Hockey League) Oklahoma City Blazers lead their league in attendance.
Time will tell. Will the seats be filled if the Hornet languish at the bottom of the Southwest Conference? Will it be a sellout if the Sooners are in the hunt for another BCS title? What if Oklahoma State is in the Elite 8 or Final Four in basketball again?
No one knows, but Oklahoma has the NBA and the major league sports world scratching its head: What‚’s going on down there?

No. 8 Texas A&M Kingsville Slips Past Unranked Bronchos, 41-38

EDMOND, Okla. -- I always seem to blog after the games in which we lose.
(Game Summary from BronchoSports.com)
UCO trailed early 14-0, but came back to take a 38-28 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Upset time, right?
Remember, this is Kingsville. UCO's arch nemesis.

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Joel's Sports Meter

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As I watched the Javelinas score 13 unanswered points, I couldn't help but think back to our history with these guys. TAMUK leads the series history 17-4. In 1998, we beat Kingsville during the regular season convincly, 38-9. In the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, Jennifer and I watched as the Javelinas pulled out a 24-21 overtime win over then No. 1 ranked UCO as we got drenched at Wantland Stadium. (TAMUK was later forced to forfeit that game due to an inelgible player -- but our playoff run ended.)
They have our number (plus a lot of talent as well).


WEIRD PLAY: In the first quarter, UCO kicker Jason Dixon had a kick blocked. The ball ended up near the left hash mark -- and no one touched it. Most of the players thought the play was dead. But, the whistle had not been blown. A smart TAMUK player picked it up and rumbled far into Broncho territory.
Both teams thought the play was dead and numerous players were shuffling on and off the field.
After the dust settled, the head referee ruled the return was good. There were also offsetting illegal substition penalties on both teams (for all the extra players shuffling on the field thinking the play was dead.)
Unfortunately for UCO, I think the ref was right. No one blew the whistle so the play was not dead. I tried looking through the NCAA rules on a play like this, but I'm more confused now than I ever was.
My theory:The offense can not advance a blocked kick, but it is a live ball (kind of like a punt before the kicking team downs the ball).
Not sure if that is right, but whatever the rule is, that was a weird play.

Broncho-Man?!?

Jennifer told me if I ever painted my belly that she would kill me.
You should all be very grateful.

Defense Wins Championships . . . But An Offense Helps

Is OU that bad? Or is Texas that good?
Yes.
Texas ended its losing streak to the Sooners with a 45-12 rout of Oklahoma Saturday (Oct. 8) at the Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma's defensive secondary was battered by Texas quarterback Vincent Young. Besides giving up the big 80-yard run by Jamaal Charles, OU's run defense wasn't bad.
OU held Young to 45 yards (below his average of 77). Charles ended up with 116 yards thanks to his big run.
The secondary seemed to struggle (especially when they played zone defense). Young was 14-of-27 with 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. (In the first four games, Young had only thrown 7 touchdown passes.)
The OU defense didn't receive any help from the OU offense. With Adrian Peterson playing very little (3 carries, 10 yards) because of high ankle sprain, redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar (right) could not get the Sooner offense out of first gear.
Will Texas play USC for the title game? Probably.
Will Texas beat USC? Maybe.
Hopefully the Sooners will continue to improve and win a bowl game. All is not lost in Norman. Remember that, Sooner fans.

Even Cats Need The Good Book

Bronchos Fall in Homer Opener

EDMOND, Okla. -- Jennifer and I went to the home opener for the University of Central Oklahoma (our alma mater). We've got a streak with UCO football. We've been to every home game for quite a few years. We even travel to Weatherford to see them play Southwestern.
The Bronchos (1-2) looked very inconsistent. Quarterback Justin Allgood had the fourth-best passing game in school history, hitting 22-of-39 attempts for 397 yards. However, Allgood threw two interceptions.
That was the key in the 44-31 loss to West Texas A&M -- missed opportunities.
UCO was 3-of-6 inside the red zone while WTAMU (3-0) was 5-of-5. Tailback Seymore Shaw, who transferred from nearby D-1 school Oklahoma State, also lost a fumble.
West Texas A&M quarterback Dalton Bell took advantage of great protection from his offensive line, throwing for 463 yards.

Bell completed 32 passes and used eight different receivers -- at times, picking apart the Central Oklahoma secondary.
It was a great experience at the newly renovated Wantland Stadium. Most of the renovations are new skyboxes, press boxes and a concourse area. They also added better box seats and reserved seating. The outside of the stadium also been bricked in. It was a very nice finish to the many improvements in recent years (new turf, jumbotron scoreboard, etc.).
The biggest improvements to Wantland in the past years are the turf and the visitors' bleachers.
The natural grass at Wantland took a beating. All three Edmond high schools play at UCO. By October (especially if it rained), it was like playing football in the mud.
The visitors' bleachers used to be up above the bowl area of the stadium. You might as well watch the game from another county. This year, they built stands on the hill of the bowl. It is much better looking and I bet you have a much better view.
Below is a view of the press box in 2004.

The Bronchos are on the road for 2 weeks. They return home for Homecoming on October 1 against Southwestern. They're a big rival and Jennifer loathes them.
Oddly enough, the best man at my wedding -- Jerome Alexander -- is a proud Southwestern grad.

Hard Drive Failure vs. Sunburn

This week, I had the opportunity to compare and contrast a major hard drive failure with a major sunburn.
Great week, huh?
To your left, you can see my old hard drive (left) turning over the good data the new hard drive. After many hours, I think I got 80% of what I had on my mammoth 300 gb external drive.
My day at work on Friday started normally. After trying to upload the weekend promo on KISS FM, my hard drive began to fail in many areas.
So began my quest to get the audio off of the bad hard drive.
And, my expensive quest to buy a new 300 gb external drive.

The sunburn story started last Saturday at Lake Texoma. The guys in my Sunday School class had a campout at the Sheppard Air Force Base Recreation Annex in Whitesboro, Texas. Lots of waterskiing (I suck at that), tubing (better, but I still fell out of the tube once) and jet skiing (Okay, I am not bad at this.)
But, I didn't use enough sunscreen.
So, my back started to blister up (Sorry, no photos). A trip to my doctor was in order.
He said I had first to early second degree burns on my back. He applied some creamy stuff (the actual term I'm sure) and gave me some pain medication so I could get some sleep.
Now, I'm excited to be peeling on my back and recovering nicely.
So, which is worse -- major hard drive failure or a major sunburn?
In this case, I will go with sunburn. Sure the hard drive was a big pain, but not being able move your back and sleep normally really stinks.
Plus, people at work kept patting me on my back. Not because I'm doing anything special, but because people do that when they talk around Citadel OKC. We're all friends.
Apply that sunscreen, kids and remember to back up your files.

And The Carport Came Crashing Down

We had some severe weather here in OKC last week. One of the storms brought very high winds. These winds brought some of the carports in our apartment complex crashing down. Luckily, it wasn't the carport where Jennifer's car was parked.

You can click each photo for a larger version.

Day At The "K"

Here are a couple of photos of Jennifer and me at Kauffman Stadium at a Royals' game on July 23. Jennifer even bought a KC hat (She's a Red Sox fan). Jennifer's best friend, Becky, lives in Lawrence, KS.



Here's a shot of the field after the game. For some odd reason, I have always wanted to be on a grounds crew.



You might ask yourself why this pic is important. We named one of our cats Angel Berroa. The real Angel Berroa's mug is up on the video screen as he came to the plate.

Royals Offense Comes Alive

As usual Rob Neyer and Rany pull out the great stats on the revived Royals . . .

33 games under Tony Pena: 117 R, 176 RA (3.55 R/G, 5.33 RA/G)
17 games under Bob Schaefer: 89 R, 115 RA (5.24 R/G, 6.76 RA/G)
14 games under Buddy Bell: 78 R, 63 RA (5.57 R/G, 4.5 RA/G)

What has happened is that the offense, which had scored fewer runs than any team but the Pirates when Pena was fired, has been one of the most unstoppable lineups in the game since The Mustachioed One abandoned his team and fled local jurisdiction orders back to the Dominican. In the 31 games since Pena resigned, the Royals have averaged 5.39 runs per game. Do you know how many teams in baseball have scored 5.39 runs per game this year? Two: the Rangers and the Red Sox. The Royals have quietly moved from 29th to 20th in the majors in scoring.

I agree with Emil Brown, who told the Kansas City Star's "Stat Guy,""I don't want to figure it out. If I figure it out, it might end."

Dean, DNC Doesn't Get It

Last week, Howard Dean called Republicans "pretty much a white, Christian party" and saying they "never made an honest living in their lives."

Sorry, Mr. Dean. It may be boring or not up to your standards, but I make an honest living. I am white (stop playing the race card) and I am a Christian (Why ridicule my religion?)

Dean has spent almost his entire adult life as a physician and a politician (outside from college and a few years as an investment broker). I won't doubt his skills as a doctor, but every time he talks I feel prouder to a be a conservative Republican.

Insults and petty politics won't accomplish much. I think we've seen plenty from the Dems.

Yet Democratic Leaders Don't Seem to Get It.

Remember this in '08.

Radio Geek

That's what I am. A radio geek. My wife can tell you how many times I get excited when I hear great production fx, great jingles, promos and sweepers (see, I am already speaking Greek to the non-radio person.
I recently came across this top of the hour jingle for Z100 in New York. I have always been a Dave Foxx fan. He is the Creative Services Director. I have learned so much from him and others (Jeff Berlin at KISS 108 Boston, Jeff Thomas formerly of KIIS in Los Angeles, Eric Chase of 93-3 FLZ fame in Tampa, etc.) Foxx and RealWorld nailed it with the top of hour jingle.
If you're in Top-40 (or CHR) radio and don't get excited about the thought of talking up this ramp in New York City -- check your pulse.
Here's the link.
P.S. Joe Rosati rocks!