Berry Tramel

Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel

Big 12 football: No plans to add championship game February 28, 2013 | Comment on this article

The Big 12 got everyone excited a month ago when it admitted that it would ask the NCAA to change the rule that required conferences to have at least 12 schools in order to stage a football championship game. But clearly, the Big 12 has no immediate interest in a conference championship game, and commissioner Bob... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Nuggets try a different system January 22, 2013 George Karl’s experiment continues. He’s still saying you can win an NBA championship without a superstar or three. Karl’s Denver Nuggets are 25-18, good for sixth in the Western Conference, but Denver has played a tough schedule. It wouldn’t be crazy to say the Nuggets will check in at No. 4 or No. 5... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant, Westbrook dominating the ball January 21, 2013 Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook dominate the ball for the Thunder. Generally, that’s a good thing. But sometimes, it backfires, like the Thunder’s 121-118 overtime loss to the Nuggets on Sunday night. Durant did not shoot well or play well. Westbrook started off strong but then tailed off. When both are... Read More

Stan Musial: Readers remember

January 21, 2013 I wrote about Stan Musial for my Monday column. You can read it here. It struck a chord with readers, as you might suspect. I thought I would share some of their responses. Jim: “I have an advantage over you in that I am 13 years older. The world opened up to me when I was nine, in 1957. I listened... Read More

NFL: Fresh faces getting head coaching chances January 21, 2013 NFL owners and team presidents and general managers are quick-triggered: 23 head coach changes the last three seasons. But give the decision-makers credit in this regard. They don’t fire coaches just to bring in retreads. Eight NFL franchises replaced coaches this off-season. Seven of the eight never have been... Read More

Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops’ halftime adjustments January 18, 2013 I’ve got a reader who’s been on Bob Stoops’ case for several years, and his primary charge is Stoops’ lack of second half adjustments. So I did the research. Here it is. Stoops is 9-21 when trailing at halftime during his OU career. When tied at halftime, Stoops is 7-4. Which makes him 17-25 overall when... Read More

Lance Armstrong: Psychopath, story-perpetuator

January 18, 2013 “Again, just trying to perpetuate the story. And hide the truth.” OK. Who said that? See those words on a blank page, and I’d bet most people would guess that Manti Te’o had come clean. But it was Lance Armstrong, talking to Oprah on Thursday night. That was Armstrong’s response to her question of... Read More

NFL predictions: Conference championship games January 18, 2013 We’re down to three football games, and two of them come Sunday. The Super Bowl semifinals. Always a little depressing to know there’s so little football left. 49ers at Falcons: San Francisco 30-20. Is Jim Harbaugh getting enough credit for a wildly-controversial move? Benching Alex Smith in November for... Read More

Power Lunch Chat with Berry Tramel: 11 a.m. CST January 17, 2013 Power Lunch Chat with Berry Tramel 1 Show / Hide Archive Comments The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post Lxxiv on Jan 17, 2013 @ 6:36 pm Everyone is high on TCU right now, but everyone was high on W. Va. Last year. Right now the most accurate prediction for who wins the BXII... Read More

Manti Te’o: What if he had won the Heisman

January 17, 2013 Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o didn’t win the Heisman Trophy. Some of us were wishing he had. Seemed like it would be good for a defensive guy to win it. Seemed like it would be good to quell the runaway momentum of all things SEC. Seemed like a great feel-good story. Oh my goodness. How thankful we now... Read More

Oklahoma football: Keith Jackson honored with NCAA Silver Anniversary Award

January 17, 2013 Keith Jackson spent six NFL seasons with the great Reggie White. Four years as an Eagle (1988-91) and two years as a Packer (1995-96). And Friday night, when the NCAA honors Jackson with its Silver Anniversary Award, the words of the late White will resonate with Jackson. “I have to sum it up with words from a... Read More

Bedlam basketball: Differences in the roster

January 16, 2013 OU’s 77-68 Bedlam basketball victory Saturday showcased one major difference in these two teams. While the Cowboys clearly have more top-tier talent — Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and, when he plays with his head right, LeBryan Nash — the Sooners have more good players. Sometimes the former is preferable.... Read More

College football: Chip Kelly’s departure could be good news for some schools

January 16, 2013 Oregon’s Chip Kelly is headed for the NFL. He’s taking over the Philadelphia Eagles, and a remarkable success story continues. A guy who spent 1994 through 2006 at the University of New Hampshire, none of them as head coach, now is head coach of one of the NFL’s flagship franchises. And that could be good... Read More

Oklahoma State football: A guide to Purdue football history December 27, 2012 OSU plays Purdue on Tuesday in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, and man, do we know very little about the Boilermakers. Purdue and OSU have played only once, in the 1997 Alamo Bowl, won 33-20 by Purdue. Purdue never has played OU, Kansas, Colorado or Texas Tech, . The Boilermakers have played Baylor once (winning... Read More

College football predictions: Pre-New Year’s bowls December 26, 2012 Time to predict the 16 bowl games played between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Of course, some of us can remember when there were less than 16 bowl games total. Little Caesars Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan. Chippewas 41-30. My vote for the worst bowl. A 7-5 Sun Belt team against a 6-6 MAC... Read More

Oklahoma City Thunder: Scotty Brooks’ fatal mistake December 26, 2012 Kevin Durant drove to a dunk that drew the Thunder within 96-95 with 44 seconds left in the game, and you thought maybe the Boomers’ all-game climb might end in glory. Thought the Thunder might knock off the Heat in front of the biggest crowd in Miami indoor history and a snowed-in, nationwide audience watching... Read More

Oklahoma State football: Stopping third downs December 26, 2012 Mike Gundy says OSU’s defensive collapses in the second half of the season can be contributed to failing to defend the pass on third down, primarily 3rd-and-4 to 3rd-and-8. Medium-range yardage. “We couldn’t stop OU’s two inside receivers, couldn’t put pressure on Landry Jones, so we got gashed,”... Read More

Merry Christmas, 2010 December 25, 2012 To celebrate Christmas, I am sharing my Christmas Day columns, a tradition that started in 1996. Here is the 2010 version: A Christmas story, every year: The crusty old coach gathers his players each December. He’s usually barking instructions about the zone blitz, the defense he virtually invented, or how to... Read More

Merry Christmas, 2011 December 25, 2012 To celebrate Christmas, I am sharing my Christmas Day columns, a tradition that started in 1996. Here is the 2011 version: A Christmas story, 1999: Phyllis and her son had a tradition. They would color together. Color in a coloring book, date the page and keep it. Starting when her boy was small and continuing... Read More

Merry Christmas, 2003 December 25, 2012 To celebrate Christmas, I am sharing my Christmas Day columns, a tradition that started in 1996. Here is the 2003 version: A Christmas story, 1998 and 1999: The little apartment in the Dominican Republic was sparse. But the four American missionary roommates dressed its front room with yuletide. One mother had... Read More