Who's the Coach of the Year?

This guy!

"Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been named the winner of the 2011 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The award, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is selected by the members of the 1,200-member strong Football Writers Association of America."

Link.

While we're talking about college football: suck it BCS...

I Need to Keep My Mouth Shut

Naturally after bragging about Oklahoma State's football team (see the post directly before this one) they traveled to Iowa State and laid an egg, losing in overtime 31-37. After about five minutes of pulling my hair out I got over it. In the grand scheme of things life is far too short to get really worked up over a college football game. After the dust settled Saturday it turns out the Pokes aren't in too bad of shape! They still have a solid chance to win the Big 12, to play in the a BCS bowl, and if a couple of more teams lose, play for a National Championship. Thank you Oklahoma and Oregon for the losses yesterday!

I caught the second half of the OSU game at a bar on Friday night. After the loss, a few Sooner fans began chanting "Boomer Sooner" in the bar. This chapped my ass worse than the game itself. I had the pleasure of explaining to my Sooner friends last night after their loss to Baylor that karma is a bitch...

Finally, one last word about college sports. My friend Amy sent me the following article on my phone Saturday morning:

The details of what happened in between are a blur of tears and anger, sorrow and disbelief.

It had been 355 days since the Cowboys last fell on the gridiron but it had been more than 10 years since this close-knit community has had to deal with a far greater loss.

The tragic deaths of Oklahoma State women’s basketball coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna, as well as two other OSU alums, shook the OSU fan base to its core. Then a 37-31 loss to Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium poured salt in a much deeper wound.

OSU has suffered more than any school should and Friday just didn’t seem fair.

I typically travel to road games but, for whatever reason, I skipped the trip to Iowa.

Instead I found myself in Gallagher-Iba at a press conference that can only be described as surreal. It felt like a bad case of déjà vu as it was announced, yet again, that OSU had lost members of its basketball family in a plane crash.

No matter how trivial it might seem it the wake of tragedy, I found solace in the notion that the football team could provide some sort of quick relief, a minor painkiller for an ache felt throughout Cowboy nation.

Then the unimaginable unfolded in the Iowa plains.

OSU’s offense faltered. The defense stumbled. The special teams failed. And for the first time in nearly a year, a loss was marked on the schedule on the most painful of days for it to occur.

As I sat at my computer struggling to find the words to describe the indescribable events, I decided I needed to see something first hand before it would be possible.

I got in my truck and headed down the road to Stillwater Regional Airport. I needed to see the team land. I needed to see something positive, something important.

What awaited me at the airport was a touching scene that reminded me just how special the people of Oklahoma State truly are.

At 2:45 Saturday morning, the cold wind aimlessly ripped through the gathering of nearly 150 orange-clad faithful who were already frozen from the events of the previous day.

But then in the distance, a noise grew louder. It was the sound of the jet carrying the Cowboys safely back home. It is something we all too often take for granted but will be challenged to overlook again.

As the team exited the plane and approached a gate ill-fitting of the gathering on hand, the singing began.

“Proud and immortal

Bright Shines Your Name

Oklahoma State

We Herald Your Fame

Ever You'll Find Us

Loyal and True

To Our Alma Mater

O-S-U.”

Coach Mike Gundy smiled as he appeared to fight back tears. Todd Monken doled out a few hugs. Several players gave high fives and, amid the overwhelming despair, signs of happiness could be found.

The sound that overtook the howling winds and the insufferable hum of desolation was the sound of cheering, providing a soundtrack to recovery from the loss of a team and the loss of lives before it.

The words of the alma mater took on an entirely new meaning. Loyal and true, indeed.

Sure, the national title hopes were lost amid the throngs of cardinal and gold who stormed the field to celebrate the biggest win in Iowa State football history. But the cold dose of reality from the morning helped to put things in perspective.

Monken described the loss as, “… a hard one to take for a long time.”

Brandon Weeden expressed his regret that they couldn’t deliver a win to assist in the healing process from the crash in the Arkansas hills and called it, “one of the hardest days in Oklahoma State history.”

Monken then added, “It’s one thing to lose early in the year, but it's another to get to this point and see the light at the end of the tunnel. We're 10-1, and I don't know if I've ever been 10-1 and felt so empty."

But that empty feeling preceded the warm arrival that awaited them in the early morning hours. That emptiness found some relief.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it’s not a title this season, but it was a light nonetheless.

That light was provided by the Cowboy fans at the airport and by those who were there in spirit.

The football team might not have won Friday night but you, dear Cowboy fans, are already winners.

This university, this athletic department and this community will overcome tragedy once again and the reason is you. There was undeniable proof that Oklahoma State will again rise above.

I know I will remember Nov. 18, 2011.

I will remember the pain of losing cherished members of the Cowboy family. I will remember watching OSU’s football championship dreams fade away. But most of all, I will remember how lucky I am to be a Cowboy and to be associated with people like you.

One sign at the airport terminal struck me in particular.

“KB and MS would be proud.”

There is no doubt.

It's always good to keep things in perspective. The artice above can be found here.

Ride 'em Cowboys...

10-0!

I've been a little hesitant to write anything about Oklahoma State's football team this year as not to jinx them. With only two games left in the season I think I'm ready to do some bragging. With their win over Texas Tech Saturday, OSU moved to 10-0 on the season, the best start in school history, the previous best being 9-0 in 1945. They've also achieved their highest AP, Coaches, and BCS rankings at number 2. How did we get there? See below, the two games in bold is where I needed resuscitation:

Sep 3 Louisiana-Lafayette W 61-34
Sep 8 Arizona W 37-14
Sep 17 at Tulsa W 59-33
Sep 24 at (8) Texas A&M W 30-29
Oct 8 Kansas W 70-28
Oct 15 at (22) Texas W 38-26
Oct 22 at Missouri W 45-24
Oct 29 Baylor W 59-24
Nov 5 (17) Kansas State W 52-45
Nov 12 at Texas Tech W 66-6
Nov 18 at Iowa State 7:00 PM
Dec 3 (5) Oklahoma 7:00 PM

Obviously we should smoke Iowa State on Friday night which really leaves one competitive game left on the schedule, the dreaded Sooners in the annual Bedlam game. What's on the line in the last game of the season? Nothing much, just a chance to play for the National Championship in New Orleans! Also at stake is OSU's first Big 12 crown, a Heisman Trophy for Brandon Weeden, and another Biletnikoff Award for Justin Blackmon. No pressure.

What do the locals think of all this Oklahoma State success?


If it is the end of the world I could go out a happy man with a 12-0 regular season record... Go Pokes!!

Red River Shootout

Fall is in the air and that means it time for the annual Red River Shootout between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas! Being an Oklahoma State fan I really don't have a dog in this hunt but I do get so amused by the trash talking going on all week, especially on Facespace, between Sooner and Longhorn fans. I usually root for the Sooners since Texas is a vile, evil place and the home of George W. Bush. Here is an example of some of the things I've seen on Facespace this week, having predominately Oklahoma and Texas friends:




And my favorite courtesy of my friend Jason:

‎"And I shall de-horn the wicked." Psalm 75:10. BOOMER! SOONER!

Of course we all know who the best is...


Go Pokes!!

Football rivalries, one of the many small things that make life worth living!

Thursday Night Football

I'm not really a fan of Thursday night college football but I have no choice to watch Oklahoma State take on the Arizona Mildcats. It's actually a pretty nice game and a rematch of last year's bowl game between the two teams. We won the last meeting by the way...

I predict the Pokes win tonight by at least 14.

Any football fans out there?



Pictures from last weeks game in Stillwater. If you look really hard you can see me, I'm the one in orange...

Orange Power!!

10. More. Days.

I know the video is a little cheesey but I'm so pumped about the 2011 college football season. I just found out I have tickets to the first game of the season! Commence foaming at the mouth...

Go Pokes!!

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

And I can't believe it's already March! There's a lot going on this month.

First up I'm heading to Colorado this weekend for a family ski trip. I'm going to try really hard to not "disturb the peace" and stay out of jail!

Mardi Gras is the 8th, unless you're Mel and the Captain and inadvertently celebrated last Tuesday. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Of course the 17th is St. Patrick's Day. The last time I can remember "celebrating" this holiday was freezing my ass off with my niece a couple of years ago waiting in line to get in to Baker Street Pub and Grill. Do Catholics have to forgo celebrating green beer day due to Lent? If I were Catholic I would give up Lent for Lent.

The prince of darkness and all that is evil, also known as Timmy, celebrates his 31st birthday on the 6th. I'm working a wedding with him the day before, we'll see if either one of us survives...

Last but not least, March is March Madness time! The greatest sporting event since the blood baths at the Roman Colosseum. My Cowboys still have a slim chance to make the big dance. Though they enjoy a decent RPI, their record in the Big 12 is a big turkey. If they can beat the dreaded Swooners this weekend and make some noise in the Big 12 Tournament, I think they might just get an invitation.

So what does everyone else have on tap for March?

11 Win Season!

The Oklahoma State Cowboys achieved their first 11-win season with a thumping over the Arizona Wildcats last night in the Alamo Bowl! It's a good time to be a Poke!

Link

Congrats to a Couple of Pokes!

Biletnikoff Award winner (and All American) Justin Blackmon, top wideout in the country.

Lou Groza award winner Dan Bailey (the man with the golden shoes), top kicker in the country.

Congratulations Pokes! I'm so ready to kick some Arizona ass at the Alamo Bowl on the 29th!!

66 Years

The last time Oklahoma State beat Texas in Austin was in 1944. Here's what was going on in the world:

Franklin D. Roosevelt was President.

America was in the middle of World War II in Europe and the Pacific.

My dad was four years old.

I was 29 years from being born.

George Lucas was born on this year.

A gallon of gas was 15 cents.

Sunscreen was invented.

Kind of amazing, no? I think the Pokes are going to drop another football monkey off their back tonight! Go State! It's a good time to live Orange...

Hell Yeah!

Got a package in the mail today. My brother is the man!!

Happy November

October came and went quickly didn't it? Did everyone have a good Halloween? I ended up spending "gay Christmas" at the OU/Colorado game, otherwise I really didn't do anything special for the holiday. No treats this year, only a trick early Sunday morning.

There's a lot going on in November this year, the war on Christmas kicks off soon, the most wonderful time of the year! I'm really ready for some "fall" weather still. We've had amazing weather in October but I'm definitely ready for a cool down. Upper 30's and lower 60's today, that's a start. I think I just want to wear some of the winter clothes I bought recently. On tap for this month:

November 2nd: Election day, finally. I'm so sick of hearing about this election I could just puke. I'll definitely be voting but I'm afraid progressives are about to take a bath this mid-term. What I'll be most displeased about is the loss of the House of Representatives to Republicans. Speaker Boehner? Oh lord. I'm less concerned about the Senate, it's an already broken institution and a slim majority by either party will make little difference.

November 7th: Daylight Savings. One of my favorite days of the year! Who doesn't love an extra hour of sleep? I know I do but I consider sleeping one of my most passionate hobbies and an art form.

November 25th: Thanksgiving! One of the better holidays around I think, primarily because I get two days off, Thursday and Friday. I also like going out to the clubs on Thanksgiving night, it's a good time to run in to people who aren't usually out or who are in town for the holiday.

November 27th: Bedlam! For those unfamiliar with the term, bedlam refers to the annual Oklahoma/Oklahoma State game. Yearly I get my hopes up for an OSU win and most years I'm disappointed. With the game at OSU this year I think a change for a Cowboys win is a little better than usual. Hopefully the game will determine who'll win the Big 12 South and move on to the Big 12 Championship game.

I'm sure I missed something in this post but those are the highlights for me in November. What does everyone else out there think of the month ahead? Any interesting plans or stories for November?

Happy Football Friday?

Why are college football games being played on Friday nights these days? My beloved Oklahoma State Cowboys (finally ranked at #22) go on the road to face the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns tonight on ESPN 2. So it's cool that I'll get to see a televised game that shouldn't normally be televised; this game will be over for the Cajuns as soon as the first kickoff is made. It isn't cool that I really won't have any games that I'm interested in on Saturday. OSU will have already played and the dreaded Swooners of Oklahoma have a bye week.

Oh well, at least the Dallas Cowboys will back from their bye week and playing on Sunday! Happy football weekend to all the fans out there. My Pokes improve to 5-0 tonight. Sweet.

Today's question: do you like the inclusion of Thursday night and Friday night games in college football?

College Football Season is Here!

At least for me and the teams that I follow! It couldn't be a better day for it, high temperature today, 83 degrees.

Games of the day:

Utah State vs. (7) Oklahoma: Really Sooners? Nice opening game. Not. I expect this game to be out of hand for the Aggies about two minutes in. While I'm not a huge Sooners fan, I'm looking forward to being at the game, they're always a lot of fun, well when OU doesn't schedule a school for the blind. Sooners by 35.

Washington State vs. Oklahoma State: Since I'll be in Norman I won't get to catch my beloved Cowboys on television. Boo. Anyways, it will be interesting to see how OSU's offense performs with a new quarterback and revamped offensive line. Even being a young team, OSU shouldn't have too much of a problem with the lowly Cougars. Pokes win by 17.

Everyone enjoy the greatest time of year and have a great Saturday!

2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament

We're literally minutes away from the start of the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament. I've go my computer ready to go so I can watch the games at work, though it will interfere with my blogging, sleeping, reading and Internet browsing at work, I'm willing to make the sacrifice. Rather than making 32 picks and more thereafter, I'm just going post my Final Four picks.

Kansas (National Champion Pick)
Kansas State
West Virginia
Duke

Of course I'll be watching Oklahoma State closely but I don't have them advancing past the first round. In any event, go Pokes!

Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas men's basketball team beat the dreaded Swooners of Oklahoma last night to clinch at the very least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. This is the sixth year in a row the Jayhawks have won or shared the title! Truly amazing when you consider how tough the Big 12 is year in and year out in basketball. While I'm not a Kansas fan, I do have to give them their due for this achievement. Congrats Jayhawk fans!

Meanwhile it looks as though the Cowboys of Oklahoma State will be entering the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row under second year coach Travis Ford. The league's youngest team has struggled at times but they've had enough quality wins to make the big dance again. A couple of years ago I was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a Sutton coaching at OSU but given Sean Sutton's recent arrest in Stillwater it seems to be a good thing now. I expect a lot of good things from Ford and his teams over the next few years as they mature and continue to recruit well. Go Pokes!

I'll be making my March Madness predictions here next month. I can't wait, it's the greastest college sports season of the year.

Bedlam

Bedlam - a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion.


Go Pokes! Beat the Sooners!

Cowboys Win x2

Revenge! The Dallas Cowboys get revenge for a humiliating loss last year at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles that kept them out of the playoffs. Revenge is a dish best served cold (old Klingon proverb) and it was very cold in Dallas last night for Philadelphia. The Cowboys beat the Eagles (humiliated) for the second week in a row, the latest in the first round of the NFC playoffs. The Cowboys win was their first playoff victory since 1996! Right now I think Dallas is playing football as well as anyone in the league, especially their defense. Defense wins championships, right? If they can eliminate the pesky penalties that have plagued them all year, I really think they can make a run to the Super Bowl. How satisfying it is to beat the Eagles three times this season, a team I truly loath.

The other Cowboy win last night was Oklahoma State's basketball squad. They opened Big 12 play at home against 22nd ranked Texas Tech. After a slow start the Pokes went on to route the Red Raiders 81-52 and improve to 13-2. Top 25 ranking, how long? The Cowboys travel to Norman for Big Monday to face the dreaded Swooners of Oklahoma. I fully expect the Pokes to beat the ailing Sooners in Bedlam round one and pick up a difficult conference road win. Get out the tissue paper, Sooners, and let the crying commence! I really hope I don't have to eat those words...

As an added bonus, the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers last night at the Ford Center. If OKC continues to play as they have all season they should secure a playoff berth.

College Football Recap

Observations on the 2009-2010 season:

My college football bowl picks ended up at 15-17, just under .500. Not bad considering my lack of research on some of the games and my weakness for having faith in the Big 12 Conference.

Oklahoma State finished at 9-4 for the second straight season and participated in their fourth straight bowl appearance, a school record. I'm happy that the Pokes are consistently bowl eligible under coach Gundy but I'm a little weary at their inability to win "the big game." Next year is a rebuilding season but I think the defense will continue to get better under coordinator Bill Young and maybe the Cowboys will be a little more balanced between offense and defense.

The Oklahoma Sooners chocked most of the season finishing at 8-5. Who cares right? They had a lot of injuries and played with an inexperienced offensive line. The experience the younger players gained this season will help them tremendously next year. If moustache (Landry Jones) can continue to develop his skills at the quarterback position, there's no reason the Sooners won't be in the hunt for the Big 12 South.

I've got to give it up to the SEC Conference. For the most part they looked good during the bowl season. Alabama and Florida are the best teams in the nation, in my opinion. Too bad the real National Championship Game was really the SEC Championship Game.

The Big 10 was also really impressive in bowl games. I could be mistaken but I think they had the best record of any conference. I've also heard the talking heads mention that Ohio State may be the favorite for the preseason number one next season.

Farewell to the 2009-2010 season, it was a lot of fun! College basketball season kicks into high gear this weekend, for the teams I favor anyways. Big 12 Conference play starts this weekend. Go Pokes!

Cotton Pickin' Cowboys

College football bowl season is upon us. Later next week I'll be making my predictions for every bowl game. It will give me something new to blog about on Thursday's since Top Chef: Las Vegas is coming to an end for another season. Here is a list of this year's bowl schedule.

Obviously the bowl I'm most excited about is the Cotton Bowl. It features a rematch of the 2004 Cotton Bowl between Oklahoma State and Ole Miss (damn you Eli Manning!!). I expect a Cowboys win but they did struggle their last game of the year against the dreaded and most hated Oklahoma Swooners. We'll see how long they carry that loss with them.