Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

Slow start for the Big 12 December 31, 2007 | Comment on this article

The Big 12 is off to a slow start in the bowls; 1-2, with Texas beating Arizona State in the Holiday, but A&M losing to Penn State in the Alamo and Colorado, predictably, losing to Alabama in the Independence. I’m a big believer in using the bowls as a gauge of conference status. We don’t get enough games... Read More

Bob Stoops’ twin December 30, 2007 It was a memorable day at OU football practice on Saturday. First, I had a great chat with the FOX broadcasters. Pat Haden was as interesting and open as anyone I’ve ever interviewed. I don’t get too sentimental, but it’s always cool to talk to a college football hero from the 1970s. The ’70s were my... Read More

Insignificant sideline personnel December 29, 2007 Do you remember when Barry Switzer was in Dallas, and DFW columnist Randy Galloway stayed on Switzer’s back? Galloway called Switzer “Gunsmoke” after a gun was found in Switzer’s bag at airport security. But do you remember the other nickname Galloway penned for Switzer? “ISP.” Insignificant Sideline... Read More

Valley of the cold December 28, 2007 It was chilly last year when OU played in the Fiesta Bowl. It’s even colder now. I know, you don’t want to hear from someone in Phoenix, griping about the temperature, when it’s snowing and 34 degrees back in Oklahoma. But it’s remarkable how chilly it’s been in the Valley of the Sun since we hit two... Read More

Wild day in the Valley of the Sun December 27, 2007 Wednesday was one of the wildest days in my professional career. Sometimes people think sportswriters live glamorous lives, and I guess they are right. But sometimes that glamor comes at a cost of some grit and stress. Let me take you through Wednesday. 4:30 a.m.: Wakeup call to head to the airport. I got ready,... Read More

Christmas games December 25, 2007 It’s Christmas morning, and I’m waiting for my granddaughter to wake up so we can start playing. She will have homefield advantage; we’ll be playing her games — Barbie car, little tikes kitchen — not mine. I got to play a little of my kind of games last night. My brother — a 40-year-old business... Read More

Welcome home, J.J. December 24, 2007 Sunday was quite a day. My son-in-law, J.J., got to come home, before he ships out for Iraq. He’s in the National Guard, part of the group of the 45th, the Thunderbirds. Eight days in Oklahoma, then he goes back to Fort Bliss and heads to Baghdad. Thirty minutes at the state fairgrounds, where the buses from... Read More

What to do for Mike Reed December 23, 2007 I’ve been besieged today with emails from people wanting to know what they can do for OU linebacker Mike Reed and his family, who are struggling financially while he tries to get his degree and play football. And here’s my answer. Go help someone else. If you really feel moved to reach out and do something,... Read More

Congrats to the Colonel December 22, 2007 Somewhere in the third quarter of the New Orleans Bowl on Friday night, someone on the Florida Atlantic sideline walked over to Howard Schnellenberger and appeared to say something. Then Schnellenberger zipped up his pants. His Florida Atlantic Owls led Memphis something like 37-27 at the time. Vintage Colonel.... Read More

Bad night for the Cowboys December 21, 2007 Sean Sutton called OSU’s loss to Oral Roberts “embarrassing,” and he was right. But he didn’t know how right he was. Getting blown out by the Golden Eagles was bad enough. But anyone who watched both games of the doubleheader saw a vast difference in the two games. OSU-ORU seemed like a... Read More

An All-College idea December 20, 2007 OK, here’s my idea for the All-College. Bedlam. A doubleheader. Women, then men. OU-OSU. OSU-OU. Cowboys vs. Sooners. Sooners vs. Cowgirls. At the Ford Center, a few nights before Christmas. Basketball in this state needs a serious surge of energy. Bedlam would do it. The coaches want no part of it, of... Read More

OU-Virginia Tech not that attractive December 19, 2007 Interesting soap opera on the failed BCS switch. The BCS tried to pit Oklahoma-Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, giving college football a 3-4 matchup instead of Virginia Tech-Kansas in the Orange and West Virginia-OU in the Fiesta. It’s too bad the commissioners voted down the plan, but only bad for the... Read More

Coaches lacking loyalty December 18, 2007 In today’s Oklahoman, I wrote about coaches who don’t finish out a season with their teams. This morning, I’ve received a couple of responses from OSU fans and no doubt will receive more, upset that I fingered Larry Fedora for leaving the Cowboys but no Sooner assistant for one of their similar crimes. Of... Read More

Bailing on the BCS December 17, 2007 West Virginia has lost its football coach for a BCS bowl, and Oklahoma has been down this road before. Mike Price resigned as Washington State’s football coach before the 2003 Rose Bowl to take the Alabama job. Price agreed to stay on for the Rose Bowl as co-head coach, with his defensive coordinator Bill Doba,... Read More

Heupel the winner? December 14, 2007 On KREF radio yesterday, Toby Rowland asked former OU quarterback Paul Thompson who on the Sooner staff would be the best head coach. Thompson said Josh Heupel. Interesting answer. Heupel, by seniority, is on the bottom of the OU pecking order. By title, he is far down. But expect Heupel to quickly move up. Bob... Read More

Sumlin continues Sooner trend December 13, 2007 It happens like clockwork. Every odd-numbered year, Bob Stoops loses an assistant who becomes a head coach at another Division I-A school. Today, it’s Kevin Sumlin, the OU receivers coach who will be named coach at Houston U. on Friday. Good for Sumlin. Houston is a good mid-major job. The Cougars are poised to... Read More

Sad sight in the neighborhood December 12, 2007 Sorry for the delay in posting. I’ve been out of commission for awhile. On Monday, my power went out early in the day. No Internet. No email. No television. No heat, no land phone, no electricity, either. Strange, strange day. I was back at work Tuesday but way behind, so the blog had to wait. But I thought... Read More

Waiting for the Mitchell report December 12, 2007 Wednesday morning, I started reading the story on the George Mitchell report due out Thursday on baseball’s steroids investigation. Then I stopped reading. I realized I didn’t care. Didn’t care what that story said, didn’t care what the report revealed. Just don’t care. I’d like to care. I once cared.... Read More

Remember the Alamo City December 09, 2007 Big 12 football fans got a splendid gift last weekend in San Antonio. First, just getting to be in San Antone for the conference title game. Second, getting to compare a venue like San Antonio with a stale venue like the Big 12’s been playing in recent years: Kansas City, Houston, Irving, Texas.San Antonio is a... Read More

Southern Miss a solid job December 08, 2007 Last September, I was given an assignment. After Appalachian State upset Michigan, we did a big project on college football upsets, and how the little guy isn’t so little anymore. I was asked to identify the next Boise State. The schools that could rise up from mid-major status and knock off a big boy in a BCS... Read More