Aug 24 in LandThieves History...

On Aug 24, 2007, the gruesome details of the alleged altercation between Michael Beckett and Brian Thomas came to light. Trial is set for later this year. This is all Bush's fault.

Stolen Thoughts 8-21-08

• The folks at the blessed alma mater aren't making it easy for Jarboe to get a fresh start at Troy.
• Erin Andrews graces Thursday nights on ESPN again.
• TT coach - I mean former Sooner assistant - Mike Leach is contemplating recruiting in Jamaica. Someone should tell him that you can't get there from Love Field.
• Charles Barkley is going to have a televised colonoscopy. Reminds me of an line I read in a fine booked title "It's only a bruise", where the doc is taking the temp of an o-lineman rectally. Doc says, "Could you fart and give me a clue."
• Howard Schnellenberg apparently did say the Horns weren't tough. It's video'd and everything.
• Ben Mauk's appeal is being reconsidered by the NCAA. Cincy is a top 25 rated team. With him as QB, the Sooners game on 9-6 gets tougher.
• Bob Stoops is worth every penny. So Joe C and David B say.

Football season kicks off a week from today. I can't wait.

More Reveille 8 Coverage

Reveille VII has her own unique perspective on Topeka's most recent export.

Carnac the Magnificent

The answers are:

a) TCU Football Coverage

b) John McCain endorsement

c) Letters to the editor complaining about Kevin Blackistone's departure

The question was:

Name three things you won't read in the Dallas Morning News.

Heyyyooooo! Be sure and tip your wait staff. I'll be here all week.

Top 10 Victories during the Blake Era

The Daily Oklahoman is doing a big "Bob Stoops @ 10" thing this week. To supplement their superb coverage, I thought I would provide a little different perspective. For you, the loyal reader, I submit the Top 10 Victories of the John Blake era.

1. Oct 12, 1996, Texas - This was JB's first victory. The Sooners were pathetic in the four games prior to this. They were coming off losses to TCU, San Diego State, Tulsa, and Kansas, and UT was ranked.
2. Oct 19, 1996, at Baylor - this victory was significant because it was a) Blake's first two game winning streak; b) kept the unbeaten streak alive over Baylor. The Sooners came from 10 points down in the seconf half to beat Baylor. Pause for a moment to let that sink in.
3. Sep 6, 1997, Syracuse - this game was an absolute thriller to watch. Demond Parker ran for 200+ yards. OU blocked a field goal at the end of the game to seal the victory. You woulda thought we won the national championship that day the way we reacted in the stands.
4. Oct 18, 1997 Baylor - the Sooners intercepted a two point conversion with 28 seconds left to secure a one point victory.
5. Nov 22, 1997, at Texas Tech - John Blake is undefeated in Lubbock as a head coach. I wish Stoops could say that.
6. Sep 5, 1998, North Texas - The largest margin of victory during the Blake era. The Sooners were down 6-0 after the first quarter. QB Patrick Flether went 5-5 for 84 yards and a score.
7. Sep 12, 1998 at TCU - I was actually at this game with TexPoes. I have never been more embarrassed about winning a football game. OU was 5-19 passing. The best pass play was an interception...the Sooners threw a pick and the TE, whose name escapes me, stripped the ball from the defender after the pick and the Sooners went on to win the game. The weather was horrible. This also concluded the only three game winning streak of the Blake era. LDT was held to 22 yards on 10 carries. The teams combined for 15 first downs.
8. Sep 27, 1997, Louisville - I remember two things about this game: a) I about got in a fight with a gent sitting in front of me over a chairback; and b) the Cardinals had a receiver named Arnold Jackson. He caught 3 balls for 16 yards.
9. Nov 9, 1996, at Boone State - this was Blake's only W against our intrastate rival. Of course, at that point, Tulsa was a rival as well, and ECU would have been if they were in Division I.
10. Nov 21, 1998, Texas Tech - Conspiracy theorists believe Spike Dykes was paid by fellow Big 12 coaches to lose the game in an effort to save Blake's job. Fortunately for all of us, it didn't work.

Honorable mention (hey there were only 12 wins to analyze):

i) Nov 14, 1998 over Baylor and ii) Oct 31, 1998 over Iowa State. I have blocked both these games from my memory. However, I would bet money that the Pride of Oklahoma dressed up in costumes and played La Bamba at halftime of the Cyclone W.

Drug Testing Suggested for Fox Sports.com

Ran across the inevitable Top 10 up and coming coaches list.

Todd Dodge, UNT coach, is listed as an up and comer. That I have no issue with, I'm actually a fan of his. The twist is that his next logical step as a coach is Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator. The folks at FSN believe that Dodge will leapfrog Heupel on that front? Seems like they've been playing the Summer Olympics Drinking Game a little bit too much.

I also ran across an article today (courtesy of a link on the Tulsa World site) that ranks Briles as the 7th best coach in the Big 12. And he hasn't even coached a game yet (never mind the fact it's a Sorting News column from April 08). That's like saying Bo Pelini is one of three coaches in Bugeater history to have never lost a game as coach.

The Daily Oklahoman is slobbering over the HeadVisor this week, as Stoopsy is in his 10th year as Sooner coach. To all you Poke fans out there, I'm sure they'll return the favor when Gundy makes it to year 10. Be warned, however, that you've only had one coach since WW2 last 10 years, and that was Pat Jones. If memory serves me correctly, that's five years with Jimmy Johnson's recruits, and five years sinking the ship, or as statisticians call it, "reverting to the mean".

Boone State and the Number 8

Last year at this time, we surmised that Boone Pickens was trying to get American football started in China. This summer, while watching too much of the Olympics, the talking heads of NBC won't stop blabbering about 8 being a lucky number in china. This just further supports the theory from last year. To extend, I submit for you:

As Washington State - W
Houston - W
Missouri State - W
Troy - W
Texas A&M - W
at Missouri - L
Baylor - W
at Texas - L (they will start out with a double digit lead and lose by 20; it's a tradition)
Iowa State - W
at Texas Tech - L
at Colorado - W
at Oklahoma - L

This puts the Pokes at 8-4, a vast improvement over the 7-6 records the past two years. Coach Hair Gel will then get a 7 year contract extension, which will cover him until he's 48, which is a multiple of 8. It's just creepy.