Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

OSU football: Mike Gundy doesn’t flee from the pressure October 31, 2011 | Comment on this article

OSU is No. 3 in the BCS rankings. That’s new territory for the Cowboys, but so far, they’ve handled it very well. Since beating Texas A&M, the Cowboys have been in the national spotlight. But they’ve routed Texas at Texas, Missouri at Missouri and Baylor at Boone Pickens Stadium. And it appears the... Read More

Big 12 football: 11-team conference creates issues October 31, 2011 A couple of readers pointed out to me that my idea for an 11-team conference has some flaws. Primarily, the nine-game conference schedule, which in its true form is impossible. I wrote about a possible 11-team conference in my Monday column. It’s mathematically impossible to play a nine-game conference... Read More

Bedlam football: Texas Tech stunners helps both OU & OSU October 30, 2011 The most stunning result in college football Saturday was Iowa State 41, Texas Tech 7. In Lubbock. A week after the Red Raiders ended OU’s 39-game home winning streak, they suffered their third straight home defeat, this time to a team that had been winless in the Big 12. Iowa State’s quality wins — Iowa... Read More

OU football: Most shocking defeats October 29, 2011 We’re about seven hours from kickoff of the only thing that can soothe fans’ shock of OU’s loss to Texas Tech: another ballgame. But before OU-Tech is not the most recent game in Sooner history, let’s try to put it into context for the most stunning defeat in Sooner history. Here’s my list of the 10... Read More

Big 12 football: West Virginia’s Big 12 history October 28, 2011 West Virginia is coming aboard the Big 12. Just what the Big 12 needed. Name-brand football. The geography’s a stretch, but the football is solid. That geography thing has kept the Mountaineers from too much interaction with its new brothers in Conference Chaos. Here is West Virginia’s history against Big 12... Read More

World Series: Game 6 the greatest ever? October 28, 2011 I met Steve Crawford this week. Well, that I remember, anyway. Crawford is the major league pitcher, notably for the Red Sox, in the 1980s, from the great hamlet of Salina, Oklahoma. My dad’s hometown, in Mayes County, about an hour east of Tulsa. Me and my twin brother spent our first birthday in Salina,... Read More

OSU football: Brandon Weeden Cowboys’ greatest QB? October 28, 2011 OSU hosts Baylor on Saturday, and the Bears sport the greatest quarterback in their history. I didn’t really run that past any Waco historians. But it seems likely, doesn’t it, that Robert Grifffin, who figures to finish in the top five in the Heisman Trophy, is No. 1 on the Baylor list? In 1995, Texas... Read More

OU football: What a difference three points make October 27, 2011 What a difference three points make. Or six points. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech 41-38 Saturday night, and while there are myriad reasons for the OU defeat, field-goal kicking is not a bad place to start. Michael Hunnicut missed a 39-yarder and a 28-yarder, the latter in the closing minutes, when OU trailed by 10.... Read More

Big 12 football: Five-way tie possible October 27, 2011 If you discount all the conference realignment madness, Big 12 football has been glorious this season. Three teams in the BCS top 10. Six teams in the BCS top 25. Two States leading the way — Oklahoma State and Kansas State, creating great stories and possibilities. But a conference that seems incapable of... Read More

Big 12 football: More madness in conference realignment

October 26, 2011 You can’t blame this one on Dan Beebe. The Big 12 tells West Virginia an invitation will be forthcoming, the whole danged state celebrates, then the Big 12 says, well, maybe. What a joke. What an absolute joke. Various reports say most of the Big 12 wants West Virginia, but some prefer Louisville, including... Read More

Big 12 football: Why West Virginia? Here’s why October 26, 2011 Funny world. One month, you think OU and OSU will be in a league with Oregon State. The next month, it looks like OU and OSU will be in a league with West Virginia. The Mountaineers’ entrance into the Big 12 appears certain; they certainly believe that in West Virginia, though the Big 12 is playing it cautious.... Read More

OU football: What does lack of focus look like? October 25, 2011 After Texas Tech stunned the Sooners 41-38 Saturday night, Bob Stoops talked about a lack of focus. How OU had a couple of bad practices during the week and even some poor pregame meetings on Saturday. OK, I can buy that. But exactly what does that look like? How is a lack of focus manifested? “You’re going... Read More

OU football: Tuberville rears his head

October 25, 2011 For going on two years, Tech fans and Mike Leach defenders and Tommy Tuberville critics have all been issuing the same declaration: Tuberville can’t win like Leach. If Tech beat Iowa State on Saturday in Lubbock, that statement will be false. At least in terms of winning percentage. Tech’s 41-38... Read More

OU football: BCS treats the Sooners very, very well October 24, 2011 Stunning results over the weekend. Saturday night, Texas Tech brought the Sooners crashing to Earth. A 41-38 Tech victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Sunday night, the BCS did what the BCS always does. Treated the Sooners very, very well. OU fell to No. 9 in the BCS rankings, which is very... Read More

OU football: Texas Tech was banged up, too October 24, 2011 Injuries certainly played a part in OU’s 41-38 loss to Texas Tech last Saturday. The Sooners played without cornerback Jamell Fleming, linebacker Tom Wort, defensive tackle Casey Walker, tailback Dominique Whaley and center Ben Habern. But injuries are no excuse. Texas Tech was missing key players, too. Two... Read More

OU football: Sooners finally see a passing attack October 23, 2011 After Texas Tech carved up the Sooners on Saturday night, Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said the Red Raiders were fired up to play the game because they figured OU hadn’t played a passing team all season. The Sooners certainly didn’t look like it, as Tech quarterback Seth Doege threw for 441 yards, completing 33... Read More

Bedlam football: Possible bowl opponents forming October 22, 2011 Now is as good a time as any to start watching for bowl developments as it pertains to OU and OSU. If both teams win out before Bedlam, their winner is New Orleans bound, while the Bedlam loser almost surely would head to the Fiesta Bowl, because of the Big 12/Fiesta relationship. You know who is waiting in the... Read More

OU football: Red-zone defense shines October 21, 2011 OU’s red-zone offense is not productive. That’s been well-documented. But less known is this: OU’s red-zone defense has been superb. The Sooners rank No. 1 in the NCAA’s red-zone defense statistics, and though I don’t favor the NCAA’s formula, the Sooners rank No. 2 using my preferred method. OU has... Read More

OU football: Mark Hutson gets his chance October 21, 2011 Mark Hutson showed up on the University of Oklahoma campus 27 years ago and immediately made an impact. Merv Johnson, who coached OU’s offensive line under Barry Switzer, called Hutson “by far the most proficient, sound and smart freshman lineman I’ve ever worked with. He plays like a senior, with his... Read More

Baseball: Happy 80th birthday, Mickey Mantle October 20, 2011 Today, Thursday, would have been Mickey Mantle’s 80th birthday. I’ve written a bunch about the Mick over the years. He was born in Spavinaw, in Mayes County, in 1931. My dad moved to rural Salina, just south of Spavinaw, in 1933. So I’ve always felt a tie to Mantle. But rather than me write about... Read More