State once competed for conference championships and made runs at the Final Four and packed crazy crowds into its venerable arena. And no one believed it would ever end.
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Then it did. For almost 20 years, Kansas State basketball went dormant. Two NCAA Tournaments in 18 years. No NCAA wins.
That's a handy history lesson as we analyze why Sean Sutton no longer coaches Oklahoma State basketball. The Cowboys rode high for 15 years under Eddie Sutton. You know all the details, how a proud basketball tradition was reborn, and a fan base embraced a sport like few other campuses have done.
But it's not perpetual. It's not automatic. It's not self-sustaining. In the same way that K-State hoops could derail, so could O-State hoops. And it's not easy to get back on the track.
In 16 home games this season, OSU averaged 8,647 fans through the turnstiles. That's 5,000 shy of capacity. Of course, skipping games against Prairie View and East Tennessee State could be considered a sign of good taste.
But in eight Big 12 games, OSU averaged 10,697 fans. That's 3,000 shy of capacity.
Only one game all season, Bedlam, was full. Kansas drew 1,633 less than capacity. Texas A&M and Texas were 3,000 shy. Baylor and Colorado were each more than 5,000 fans shy of full.
Since Gallagher-Iba Arena's expansion in 2000, it hasn't always been packed. But it never has been like this, and that's got to be a concern to OSU ticket-sellers.
The fans were voting.
"Empty seats played a role,” Cowboy athletic director Mike Holder admitted Tuesday in announcing Sutton's firing.
My emails can be a decent barometer of public opinion. OSU fans aren't afraid of voicing their views. Wednesday, OSU fans ran about 2-to-1 in support of Holder's move.
But their voices already had been heard. They voted with their lack of presence at Gallagher-Iba.
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Don't you ever get tired of the same old tired drivel and the 'bandwagon' fan comments. If that were the case, how do you explain the consistency of OU outdrawing OSU over a 70-year period, even back to the days OU was playing in a 54,000 seat stadium in the 60s? It is called denial. It is called rationalization. For you, it is called stupidity. Last time I checked the color of money paid for tickets was the same for alums and 'bandwagoners'....Of course, I realize for someone who is a graduate of Silo Tech that is a tough economic fact which is difficult to grasp. Now, get back to work and mow my lawn.
I like Danny. He is fun to laugh at. I mean, a part of me feels bad laughing at him because it is kind of like laughing at a retarded kid. But, you just can't help but laugh regardless.
Nice to see that Danny is on here still making people mad about stupid crap! Nice post Barry, I am sure that Danny doesn't know how to look up anything past Wikipedia. Nice posts to you to Randy. I like the way you think.
Danny, that was NOT an expression. That was a line in an Ogden Nash poem that was a play on words from the original expression. If you are going to look up references in Wikipedia between posts, at least try to read it all before you display your ignorance.
Anyway...it has been fun, making fun of you. What is it you like to call it? Smack? But since you obviously can't keep up with me intellectually, I'll just have to say....SAYONARA! GO POKES!!
Danny...You disappoint!! You totally did not catch the meaning! I didn't say anything about the wonderful work he is doing at OSU. I was referring to what he flushes AFTER meals and drinks!!! That education you got at Cameron is a Big Plus!
I am aware of teh 2 meanings. It is just that the meet meaning came about in the 1600's! The depression was a few HUNDRED years after that...NINCOMPOOP!
Randy, are you aware of the two meanings? this expression actually used to be 'We can't make both ends meat'.it originated during the depression (or at some distant time in the past when times were tough) they had to resort, when they made their sausage, to stuffing more filler into one end than the other and meat in the end you could more easily untie to make it look like it was all sausage.
: : Then, over time,, the expression turned and people started thinking of it as meaning 'both ends meet(ing). Before you act like a d-bag atleast do all the research.
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Apr 4, 2008 at 11:13 am
FYI Danny the brain: The "meat" interpretation is spurious. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase originally referred to making the two ends of the year meet. (Think fiscal years.) French has a similar phrase, "joindre les deux bouts de l'an."
To blame Mike Holder for this train wreck is to ignore who set this thing in motion originally. The guy who started this is Holder's predecessor by naming Sean "Head Coach Whatever". If they truly wanted him to be the OSU head coach - then he should have been encouraged to go to a mid-major and learn his craft and establish a proven track record as a head coach. Then come back. As it is now, the guy who started this promptly up and left so he was not around for the crash, no matter how good Sean becomes - he will never be able to come back. Remember, every player Sean has - he recruited. Every one. No "big man" - his fault. Not enough quality players - his fault. McDonalds All American who has showed up for only 5 games in 2.5 years - his fault. Three NIT 1 and out appearances - his fault. Media love child - your fault.
Gehra, is that really your name speaking of drinking beer, looks like someone close to you may have had one too many the day you were named. Its like when I try to say your name, there is bread stuck to the top of my mouth, geeeeeickrrraa. I love all the insults, but that does not take away from the fact about osu being a second class, and you geeeeeickraaaa being totally classless. You wont find any kind of rocket scientist here you are right, you wont find anykind of orange blinders either, get a life osu bashers your school isnt that great.
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Apr 4, 2008 at 9:13 am
If the fans were voting on Sean, what does it say about Mike Gundy that T. Boone Stadium hasn't had a single sellout--not even for Bedlam--despite having far fewer seats than old Lewis Field had?
Berry, Why don't you write a story about the comspicuous lack of fans at Lloyd Noble. That place is a ghost town unless they're playing OSU or Texas.
Of course, Berry can't write unflattering articles about OU because he'd be biting the hand that feeds him.
James H - quit complaining about ticket prices - the price of Big Macs has also risen over the years but you still buy those by the truckload don't you? Come on - tell the truth.
And the OU game wasn't full - it was close but there were still plenty of empties. The home game against Texas was pitiful - the general admission sections had empty seats for about the top 30 rows. I've never seen a home conference game with attendance that poor. What was even worse that night was the performance on the floor. It was only a 2 point loss but the OSU offense was too painful to watch. One shot clock violation after another with perimeter passing until a 3 was launched with 1 second left or the clock expired. That's wonderful coaching isn't it?
James in Mariette is incorrect. My family have held bball season tickets since before expansion, going back to he late 80's. There are plenty of OSU grads and athletic supporters to fill GIA at the current prices if the product is good. The product under Sean was painful but for the KU game this year, and there was plenty of blue at that game. The bottom was losing to an average OU team away, and then at home before a packed orange house. If the Pokes were a top 20 team contending for a big 12 title it would have been packed. Also, a little advice to Mike Holder: book Saturday afternoon games and fewer Monday and Wednesday nights. We get the worst conference schedule every year in this regard. If the next coach wins this storm will pass quickly like all Oklahoma weather.
Barry, Really like your writing, etc:however, you missed the real reason for empty seats.....Money. Thing are relatively tight for the average Joe/family and prices just keep going up and the value of the dollar keeps going down.
I had season tickets to OSU bball since 1992. I turned them down this year for two reasons: 1) another price increase, and 2) the team was going to suck. Okay, and one more reason...I knew I would watch almost all of the games on TV. I missed only two. Oh, and one more...the price of gas. Okay, so that's four reasons.
Gehra - Danny loves OU, so he can say whatever giibberish he wants and be cool...so he thinks. Robert and Gehra - He went to Cameron, you won't be finding a rocket scientist in him.
OSU football game average attendence=38,6700. OU football game average attendence=82,000. OU football game average attendence of bandwagon fans=44,000. 82-44=36,000 actual OU grads and true fans.
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Sean Sutton resigned on Monday as head coach of the OSU basketball team. by BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
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Don't you ever get tired of the same old tired drivel and the 'bandwagon' fan comments. If that were the case, how do you explain the consistency of OU outdrawing OSU over a 70-year period, even back to the days OU was playing in a 54,000 seat stadium in the 60s? It is called denial. It is called rationalization. For you, it is called stupidity. Last time I checked the color of money paid for tickets was the same for alums and 'bandwagoners'....Of course, I realize for someone who is a graduate of Silo Tech that is a tough economic fact which is difficult to grasp. Now, get back to work and mow my lawn.
: : Then, over time,, the expression turned and people started thinking of it as meaning 'both ends meet(ing). Before you act like a d-bag atleast do all the research.
Of course, Berry can't write unflattering articles about OU because he'd be biting the hand that feeds him.
And the OU game wasn't full - it was close but there were still plenty of empties. The home game against Texas was pitiful - the general admission sections had empty seats for about the top 30 rows. I've never seen a home conference game with attendance that poor. What was even worse that night was the performance on the floor. It was only a 2 point loss but the OSU offense was too painful to watch. One shot clock violation after another with perimeter passing until a 3 was launched with 1 second left or the clock expired. That's wonderful coaching isn't it?