Emails in on Sooners, Tebow & DVR

The emails are in, and most OU fans have been talked off the ledge. Let’s get right to it.

Scott: “I read your blog the other day and yes, you were the punching bag! Even had to take on the Baptist preacher. I enjoyed that. Hopefully that’s calmed down, now that the stars are returning. When I was in Tulsa, a visiting preacher began his sermon by saying, ‘If you’re here today and new to Christianity, there are some things you need to know. One, Jews don’t recognize Jesus as the son of God. Two, Protestants don’t recognize the pope as the ruler of the church. And three, Baptists don’t recognize each other at Hooters.”

Now that’s a funny line.

John wrote, “Do you think the standard of comparison that everyone looks at between Wilkinson, Switzer & Stoops is the national championships? Three for Bud & Barry & one for Stoops — but Bud & Barry never competed in Big 12 championships nor BCS national championships for that matter. If the same format used for Wilkinson & Stoops was used, Stoops may have three by now – no playing USC, LSU and Florida. Win the Orange Bowl and you’re the champ.”

I think it all evens out. Bud might have won more with the current system. His 1949 and 1954 teams were fantabulous but didn’t get voted No. 1. And while Stoops has tougher conference schedules than Bud or Switzer in the ’80s, I don’t think he had tougher conference schedules than Switzer in the ’70s, plus Switzer played tougher non-conference schedules most of the time.

Derek wrote, “Of course there’s another way to look at OU’s mastery of conference play and failures in the big bowl: We have become Michigan north and Stoops is Lloyd Carr 2.0. Under Carr, the Wolverines were 122-40, they won or shared five Big Ten titles and the 1997 team won the AP national championship. Stoops has, what, six Big 12 titles and one national title? His record is 109-24 overall. In bowls, Stoops is 4-6, Carr was 6-7. Carr was 1-3 in BCS bowls, Stoops is 2-5.”

There’s worse things than being compared to Michigan.

After the Big Bowl, Kathy wrote: “Please go back to your own state, which obviously is not Oklahoma, and stay there. Why the Oklahoman would want a man with short man syndrome writing their articles is a wonder to me. Most of us in Oklahoma are positive, not negative, and personally we do not need or want outsiders who support other teams that are not from our state writing negatively about our athletes unless of course they have committed a crime. Don’t bother responding, I won’t read it.”

Hey, Kat, I don’t care if you read it or not. I was born in, raised in and still live in Oklahoma, and it hacks me off when other Oklahomans get mad because someone has the gall to report the final score. OU lost 24-14 and now has lost five straight BCS game and its national reputation has taken a hit. If you don’t like that, go stick your head in the sewer or go pray the rosary or go eat a whole chocolate pie. Just don’t blame me.

Jeff: “Jeers to the OU donor who sold seats 11,12,13 &14 on row 25, section 134 in Dolphin Stadium for the BCS Championship game. I know how much I had to donate for seats 15 & 16 only to have to sit next to four Florida fans. You, whoever you are, should at least have enough loyalty to sell to Sooner fans if you aren’t going to attend the game.”

Maybe donors should start their own investigative force and root out the infidels.

Lots of readers still wanted to talk about the Tim Tebow adulation society. Chance was put off by FOX’s reverence for Tebow: “I’m thrilled that Tebow is such a great person off the football field, and as a Christian, I’m excited about the ministry work in which he is involved. However, the continual praise the announcers heaped upon him was very annoying during the fourth quarter. I expected them at any moment to say, ‘Oh, if only I could touch the hem of his football jersey, then I would be healed!’ Also, showing the clip of his famous speech simply because he scored a touchdown, it was as if they weren’t calling a game, they were putting together a Florida Gators 2009 Championship DVD. I’m not even a Sooner fan. I’m a State fan, but I still found their Tebow man-crush disgusting.”

We could probably rewrite a ton of New Testament verses, but that would border on sacrilege.

Aron: “I’m an Okie living in Houston for 30+ years. Like what I’m seeing this year with all three most-publicized, very talented QBs coming back to school and all three seeming to be very high quality people. Please write a story about these three and their impacts on various areas they touch.”

You’re talking, of course, about Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, and you’re right. It’s about darned time someone wrote something nice about Bradford and Tebow.

Nathan, an OSU fan, found a counter point: “I agree, the praise to Tebow was certainly overdone. However, there has been more said about Tebow’s praises than any other over-the-top commentary this year, especially by OU fans, The Oklahoman and News9? If OU would have won the game, you could be guaranteed that those comments belonging to Tim Tebow would be slightly altered and Sam Bradford’s name would have been in their place, because that is becoming the state of current color commentating on television. PLENTY of games I was subjected to hear Sam Bradford be heralded at godlike status and the game that OU loses, there is all this complaining? Commentating has reached all-time lows this entire season. Nearly every color commentator in the business is completely nauseating on most broadcasts, especially Kirk Hirbstreit.”

It was about time we heard from the Poor Aggie Precinct. OK. I’ll play along. Give me one instance where someone said you would be a better person by spending five minutes with Sam Bradford. Here’s the problem, Nate. You make some great points about the overindulgence of network announcers. But when you frame it in the Poor Aggie context, your credibility dries up.

Some readers responded to my DVR column. “I would say the biggest advantage the DVR has over the VCR is you can watch while recording. That is huge. I use to tape an entire game and then rewind it for viewing. Now, we can go to church on Saturday evening and I never hesitate when OU is playing an evening game. Just come home and skip the commercials. I usually catch up by the second half kickoff. And skipping through the commercials brings up the No. 1 impact of the DVR in my house — I can safely watch sporting events with my children. No constant exposure to commercials selling sex, alcohol and mature theme movies/TV, etc. So, the DVR brought the family back to family entertainment in my house.”