Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

OU football: Stoops prefers tailbacks on kickoff returns? August 31, 2011 | Comment on this article

Bob Stoops listed his candidates to return kickoffs and mentioned five guys. Four tailbacks and one receiver. Only Trey Franks is a receiver. The tailbacks Stoops mentioned were Roy Finch, Dominique Whaley, Brandon Williams and Jonathan Miller. “All our fast guys that can run,” Stoops said. “I prefer not to... Read More

Big 12 football: No Notre Dame

August 30, 2011 Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick reiterated his school’s commitment to independence Monday, telling the Austin American-Statesman that the Irish’s priority is committed to staying in the Big East for other sports and going at it alone in football. Some thought the Big 12 would at least have a sales... Read More

OU football: Mark Mangino visits the Sooners August 30, 2011 I ran into Mark Mangino on Tuesday in the OU parking lot. He’s in town all week, visiting the Sooner practices and staying for the Tulsa game. Mangino, in his second year out of coaching, still lives in Naples, Fla., but tries to stay involved in football. Last week, he was in Kansas, where his son, Tommy,... Read More

OU football: TU will miss Johnson on kickoffs August 29, 2011 The University of Tulsa apparently will be without star receiver Damaris Johnson on Saturday against OU at Owen Field. The Golden Hurricane might miss Johnson most on kickoffs. Johnson was suspended by TU coach Bill Blankenship last week after Tulsa police questioned Johnson and arrested his girlfriend, alleging... Read More

College football: Dud openers for Thursday night August 29, 2011 The week we’ve all been waiting for finally is here. College football kicks off on Thursday night. But it’s going to be a little anticlimactic. What should be a rousing start to a season instead will be a dud. In the coming weeks, ESPN Thursday night football will provide some really solid games.... Read More

OKC history: The Myriad’s first sporting event August 28, 2011 The night of Nov. 1, 2005, was huge for Oklahoma City. The displaced Hornets hosted the Sacramento Kings in the first regular-season NBA game in OKC history. The Ford Center was packed and began a progression to what we see now, with the Thunder an Oklahoma City staple and an NBA success story. But Hornets-Kings... Read More

Bo Overton: A China adventure August 27, 2011 Bo Overton was not at the OU basketball alumni weekend. He was needed elsewhere. Overton this week began coaching in China, a team called Liaoning Hengye of the China WCBA. Overton played at OU for Dave Bliss and Billy Tubbs, then was an assistant coach for Sherri Coale. This is Overton’s first coaching gig... Read More

Big 12 football: SMU wants in August 26, 2011 Oh great. Here we go. Houston wants in the Big 12. And now SMU. Can Rice be far behind? And I am not making this up: Some OU fan from Dallas emailed me, making the case for North Texas. Are you just trying to send the Sooners screaming toward the Pac-12? I’m against Houston’s admission. I don’t want the... Read More

College football: Northeastern State to play in front of big crowd in San Antonio August 26, 2011 Northeastern State once drew some good crowds to Gable Field in Tahlequah. Maybe still does. But the RiverHawks — I still want to call them the Redmen — will open this football season in front of a crowd unlike any in school history. NSU plays Texas-San Antonio in the Alamodome, the inaugural game in UTSA... Read More

Big 12 football: Golden age is now for best programs August 25, 2011 I made an offhand comment in my Thursday column that the five best programs in Big 12 football, excluding the exiting Aggies, are all as good as they’ve ever been or better. I said OU, Texas and Missouri are as good as they’ve ever been, while OSU and Tech are better. I didn’t have room to go into deep... Read More

OSU football: Thursday night game vs. Arizona draws the short straw August 25, 2011 For the third straight season, Oklahoma State hosts a Thursday night football game, this time Sept. 8 against Arizona. The Cowboys hosted Colorado in 2009 and Texas A&M in 2010 in great Thursday night games. And this one might be, too, you never know. But no matter the result, OSU won’t get the same bang... Read More

OSU football: Kendall Hunter making waves August 24, 2011 Oklahoma State has lived up to its Tailback U. reputation in recent years. But the Cowboys — nor anyone else — haven’t lived up to the standard set in the 1990s by Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas. Good luck with that. But the Cowboys do keep putting running backs into the NFL. Tatum Bell rushed for 2,773... Read More

OU football: All access shows another side of Ryan Broyles August 24, 2011 ESPN’s All Access show with OU football revealed a different side of Ryan Broyles. Since emerging as a superstar, Broyles has shown a pleasant, low-key personality that belies his ultra-competitive nature on the field. But in the hour-long show Tuesday night, Broyles seemed to be king of the talkers. The... Read More

NFL: Exhibitions just don’t work August 23, 2011 Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine and her boss pick up the Russian writer, and Elaine starts talking about Tolstoy, and how he really wanted to call War & Peace something different? War: What Is It Good For? I’ve thought of that several times in the last couple of weeks, trying to watch NFL... Read More

OU football: Roy Williams joins radio crew August 23, 2011 Roy Williams is joining the OU football radio broadcasts — he’ll co-host some of the pregame show and do some sideline analysis during games — and while you never know how someone will do, Williams has a chance to be very popular with the Sooner fans. He’s already got the pedigree. In my opinion, Williams... Read More

Big 12 football: Iowa State-Iowa trophy draws scorn August 22, 2011 These are not great times for Iowa State football. The Cyclones are sweating the potential breakup of the Big 12. And now, the new trophy for the winner of the Iowa State-Iowa football game is being widely panned by people in the great state of Iowa. The Cy-Hawk Trophy once featured a football player and a... Read More

Thunder: Perkins should start talking August 22, 2011 I was like everyone else. Massive disappointment in the Kendrick Perkins story from last week. The Thunder center was charged in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas, with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Perkins has proclaimed his innocence, through a public-relations spokesperson. I have no idea... Read More

Vacation over: Let’s talk sports August 21, 2011 Yep, I’m back. Been gone a week, except for a random column on Tuesday (I owed Jenni Carlson a makeup day). I usually blog once or twice a day, even on vacation, but the gods were against me on this trip to Colorado. Shaky Internet at the cabin just this side of Wolf Creek. Backlog of assignments due for our... Read More

OSU football: Who calls the uniform shots? August 13, 2011 It’s a big mystery which football uniforms OSU will wear game to game. It’s an equally big mystery on who will make the uniform decisions. Mike Gundy is coy, saying he doesn’t want to do it. Certainly OSU doesn’t want Nike calling all the shots, though you figure the Oregonians will have their finger in... Read More

Big 12 football: Why A&M’s exit would spell doom August 12, 2011 Some want the Big 12 to persevere if Texas A&M leaves for the Southeastern Conference, either as a nine-team league or by adding one or three new members. Here’s the problem with that. The Big 12 status took a major hit losing Nebraska. Losing A&M would do the same. With no ready replacements, with the... Read More