Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

A getaway day in Tulsa June 30, 2008 | Comment on this article

We took a getaway day in Tulsa. The Dish and I and another couple had tickets to Phantom of the Opera on Saturday night, so we made a day of it. The girls went shopping at Utica Square, we drove around some cool old-Tulsa neighborhoods, we toured Oral Roberts University and we figured up ways to make money on... Read More

The new emails have arrived June 30, 2008 Another round of emails, ranging from college football to the NBA. Greg wrote about Mike Gundy’s new job of ticket-seller: “I really hope OSU can find 25,000 more butts in the seats. Those 25,000 are likely student parents who have not participated in the past, recent graduates who get out of the habit of... Read More

Adrian makes for happy campers June 28, 2008 I spent Thursday at the Adrian Peterson Football Camp and came away with a slightly higher appreciation for football camps. Because of Peterson. Football camps are largely silly. Football camps are like football practice, in that no way they can be fun. When you go to baseball practice, you basically play... Read More

More impressive drafting by Presti June 27, 2008 The Sonics came up with three first-round draft picks Thursday night, and while two of them were in the high-rent, low-return district, don’t forget this NBA truth. The league is littered with starters who were picked late in the first round. There are 150 starters in the league, and counting injuries and... Read More

Beasley to OKC? I don’t see it June 26, 2008 We keep talking about a Michael Beasley to Oklahoma City scenario, and I don’t see it. Such is life when you have the No. 4 pick in a three-player draft. Oh, the NBA draft tonight is deeper than three players, but in the weeks since the lottery, the one consistent thread has been the elevation of O.J. Mayo into... Read More

Another windfall for OSU June 25, 2008 Another $28 million or so is headed to Oklahoma State athletics, courtesy of booster Malone Mitchell’s donation, and here’s an idea where to put the money: In the operating budget. Capital improvements are great. OSU needed an overhaul in the worst of ways, and Boone Pickens’ generous donations have made... Read More

Keep Sutton’s signature June 24, 2008 Eddie Sutton said Monday night he would be surprised if OSU removed his signature from the Gallagher-Iba Arena court. I would be surprised, too, and just contemplating it was a very unwise PR move. Eddie Sutton Court is in need of a paint job, so that’s always a good time to make any changes in color and style.... Read More

Legends of the fall June 23, 2008 Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com has compiled a list of eight “faces of the game” for college football. The four players and four coaches who have “defied the ravages of time.” It’s an impossible task, really. You might be able to work up a reasonable list of four coaches more epic than others, but four players?... Read More

Tiger-free world June 19, 2008 I love following the career of Tiger Woods. He’s great to write about, great to talk about and great to watch. But enough is enough. I’ve had two people tell me this week, it’s overkill. And I’m inclined to agree. Enough of Tiger. We had the great weekend. Then the playoff. Then the surgery announcement.... Read More

Celtics’ title a dash of parity June 17, 2008 The Celtics are NBA champions, and for a sport in desperate need of more parity, I guess it’s a start. Boston’s first NBA title since 1986 means that seven franchises have won the last 22 championships, and before Miami’s 2006 NBA title, that number was five of the last 19. Not exactly egalitarian. Truth... Read More

Spanning the world of emails June 16, 2008 Emails last week spanned the specter of sport. From home runs to the NBA to Big Brown, here we go. Michael wrote about my home run column, in which I said we have lost the ability to have a Ruthian moment. We just don’t care enough anymore about milestone homers. “You failed to mention what started all of... Read More

Hooray for Rocco June 16, 2008 You know how some people, after a sporting event, say something about there being no losers. It’s mostly nonsense. But this U.S. Open was an exception. Tiger Woods won his 14th major title. Rocco Mediate won the heart of every golf fan in America. This was golf at its best, from the wild Saturday to the... Read More

Ode to Father’s Day June 15, 2008 Our annual Father’s Day project is complete, and it’s one of my favorite things we do all year. A two-page spread with local athletes and coaches and personalities talking about their dads. My favorite element is the photos. They all are home photos; we took none of them. The photo of Gerald McCoy, smiling... Read More

Great weekend June 14, 2008 I start a week’s vacation today. I’ll check in with blogs every day but won’t be writing for the paper. And it’s a great weekend to be off. Father’s Day. U.S. Open with Tiger Woods hot on the trail. Can’t think of any better viewing for sports. I love golf’s majors as much as any sporting event.... Read More

NBA Finals indict Kobe June 13, 2008 These NBA Finals were supposed to be Kobe Bryant’s finest hour. Instead, they have indicted him. He’s not the superstar we thought he was. That’s harsh, but true. Kobe was a bust in Game 1, the Lakers’ a 98-88 loss, and an even bigger bust in Game 4 Thursday night, a 97-91 defeat in which LA blew a... Read More

Headed to the Memorial June 12, 2008 I’m about to leave for the bombing Memorial in downtown Oklahoma City. The memorial museum is hosting a seminar on the media and tragedy; I’m on the panel. Hard to believe it’s been 13 years since the bombing. In some ways, it doesn’t seem so long ago. But the memorial has become an indelible part of... Read More

Chatting with old Sooners June 11, 2008 The deaths of Jack Mildren and Tom Catlin the last couple of weeks has given me the opportunity to do something I really ought to do more of, and not just when an OU football legend dies. I love chatting with old Sooners about their youthful days. Yesterday, in about 20 minutes of time, I talked with Buddy Leake,... Read More

Quit ripping NBA format June 10, 2008 NBA fans and players and media continue to rip the NBA Finals format in which the team with homecourt advantage gets the first two and last two games, while its opponent hosts the middle three games. Critics say the format hurts the team with homecourt advantage, unless, of course, it hurts the team without... Read More

Big Brown big disappointment June 08, 2008 I watched the Belmont Stakes with racehorse owners Saturday. Not on purpose, really, but at a family reunion outside Ada, which is fairly significant horse country. My wife’s uncle raises quarterhorses, and a friend of his, who later in the day had a horse running at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, watched with... Read More

Readers reminded of Stoops’ bowl slump June 08, 2008 The email brigade this week centers on my column about Bob Stoops’ bowl malaise. Let’s start with a great email. David wrote, “I hated basic training in the Army back in 1972. Only a few years later and to this day, I can’t remember why. All I remember is the guys and the fun parts. In 1972, I didn’t... Read More