OU812
OU812 #boomersooner
The Cast
Date: 10/09/2019
FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN
BACKGROUND: This started as a long-winded numbered blog. It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog. Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain. I lack time. So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing. Let’s see who makes the cut. Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness. I feel the need…the need for speed. Let’s turn and burn.
SETTING: This is written Wednesday evening after fixing up the Air Bnb much later than intended, watching a marriage compromise show, and finally some baseball. On Thursday night I see magic, and Friday I head to Dallas right after work, so it has to happen tonight.
- EVERGREEN 1: Sometimes the response can even steal the thunder from a nasty letter. Dave Petersen, a Penn State alum, is now famous for all of the wrong reasons after sending a letter to Penn State football player Jonathan Sutherland, telling him his dreadlocks had to go, in so many words. You probably know this story, so I won’t bore you with details of what was in the letter. But, I will say a few things on my reaction. Before I looked into this, the only thing I thought of was how a guy like this could not only think these thoughts, but then TYPE them, and then PRINT those out, and then put them in an envelope and sent it through the old school mail. At some point along the way, someone had to read it that said “Whoa, man, this is OFF.” But, then I looked into it more. First of all, the guy has written local newspapers about tattoos, babies on planes, Muslims, etc., so this is just one of the things on the list. He probably shouldn’t feel the need to voice these ideas. And he has no kids to filter him. And, when asked about the letter, he called out two other universities and THEIR players (FSU and Miami). But, let’s not dwell on Dave. He has his own problems. What I loved about this story was reactions. Sutherland’s fellow players posted the letter and were offended. Coach Franklin gave one of the most on point pressers that moved me, and handled this with class and dignity. But, then so did Jonathan Sutherland. Dave P. probably didn’t know the kid was a top-notch student, captain of the team, and someone Franklin wouldn’t mind his daughters marrying. The kid’s social media response was respectful, intelligent, and way above the feud. Classy. You picked on the wrong guy, Dave. You shouldn’t write that to anyone, but you picked one that makes you look extra bad. Go back to your backyard shed with Big Ten football on the tiny TV and be quiet.
- EVERGREEN: I have teased this before. I went to UVA, which doesn’t have a football “history” if you will. Moments of glory, kind of a rivalry with VA Tech, some Sunday athletes, and basically a party at the football game when I was there. Then, I married into a Sooner family. After trips to Norman, a Sugar Bowl, a playoff loss, and one trip to Dallas, I now understand what true collegiate football history is. And, Bedlam is cool and all, but the Red River Rivalry/Showdown/Shootout is where it is at. The fan bases truly hate each other, and it is amazing. And this year is special. Oklahoma had a title in 2000. Texas got theirs in 2005. Then, a break by both teams, with Texas dipping much lower than the Sooners in those years. And in the last Dallas showdown I witnessed, Texas was more the spoiler. This year is different. Texas had mad preseason hype, and Oklahoma had the press of the Hurts transfer. We thought Texas blew it at home against LSU, but now LSU looks like one of the best teams in the nation. That loss might not be so bad. We know at least the offense of Oklahoma is one of the best, as they are running over everything in their path. And now the teams collide. In Dallas. Neutral field. The winner still has a playoff chance. The winner still has a Heisman Trophy candidate on it. Orange, Crimson, football love, fan base hate, and some of the most unhealthy food you can eat at the State Fair of Texas. So, although UVA was easily my best decision in my life outside of my wife, it wasn’t a football mecca. But, I will be there this weekend, with grease dripping from my mouth, hoping to say Boomer Sooner a lot more as the day goes on rather than just in the morning before the game. It is the only place where Matthew McConaughey won’t be tripped for his early career acting. It is Texas vs. Oklahoma, and this year will be epic once again. But, a little MORE epic given the team’s standings. Here is a video that my wife sent me this week: https://www.facebook.com/1687100124867798/posts/2501168050127664?sfns=cl
- NFL (in fluid style): Lots of people looking to make fun of people rooting for the Rams this past Thursday neglected to think about the fact that we got two points, and the score was 30-29. The Redskins are the most exciting team in football. We don’t know who will coach them each week. We don’t know who will throw the ball each week. And we certainly don’t know what will happen when they play the also lowly Miami Dolphins this week. (If Snyder actually believes Gruden was the problem, then they are again worse off than I thought) It doesn’t pain me the Steelers lost to the Ravens. It pains me that we lost our QB, who already was the backup. It pains me that Tomlin valued the wind end in OT against one of the best kickers ever. And it pains me they had the game several times, and were in control. Oh, and it pains me I went money line when I could have taken the 3.5 and at least had something to be happy about Sunday. The good thing is that Devlin Hodges, after I Googled him a few weeks ago, looked cool and solid. God Bless Samford. Now, my Steelers have to try and do the same thing the Broncos just did against the Chargers, and home tome fans will have a direct comparison to tease me about. By the way? Steelers. Give Kaepernick a call. I would LOVE that idea. I was happy as hell to hear that Rihanna turned DOWN the offer to do the Super Bowl halftime show BECAUSE of how they are blackballing Kaepernick. The Cowboys just let Aaron Rodgers roll them at home when things looked bright, and now they go to New York, where Mr. Darnold is coming back to show some hope. I smell something. Kyler Murray won, but it is beginning to look like beating the Bengals means absolutely nothing…at all. Everyone was saying that the Colts beat the Chiefs in the trenches, and I am sure teams are watching that tape, but easier said than done, and I am sure the Chiefs are watching that tape too and will make adjustments. Just like the league was successful with Vontaze Burfict on, can we apply the same concept to Richie Incognito? Just get him off the field. Are the Raiders, after all the crap Jon Gruden got in the last year, somehow 3-2???? Wow. Love it. Even with an alleged non-handshake that did happen by a weird guy from Stanford, Baker Mayfield could have made a big statement in prime time on Monday. He did the opposite of that, and got an Ohio State guy to plant a flag on the field for him (that was hilarious). Point is this. His feistiness, energy, against-the-rules QB attitude becomes a little less cool every bad loss he has. Just saying, I love him, and he is great for the NFL, but he has talent around him now, and must deliver for the rest of the nation to embrace him. Finally, in case you thought AB was melting into the scenery, he posted today that the Pats still owe him money. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, good luck with all of that.
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL (in fluid, one-sentence style): Ohio State is pretty good. I am glad I didn’t tune into that “defensive masterpiece” between Michigan and Iowa. At the Swamp was the first time we have scene Mr. Nix from Auburn looked like the freshman he is, but in reality the whole team was making mistakes right and left. UCF is not only off their own national championship claim, but they are now losing left and right (side note that Cincy has REALLY turned it around after opening with Ohio State). Miami made sure we don’t spot anyone 14 points for the rest of the year…at home. You can tell it is the Tua and Jalen Heisman show right now, when Jonathan Taylor is just “keeping up” with 5 TD’s in another Wisconsin shutout. You won’t see too many punts at the 44 on fourth and goal, and especially from a juggernaut like OU…but it happened. Why is LSU-UF ESPN Gameday when this is the biggest Red River Showdown in YEARS?
- NBA:
- Zach Lowe is back writing about NBA, and it is fantastic.
- But it is true that preseason basketball is bad, but still better and more realistic than preseason football.
- Kyle Lowry might be missing some important teammates, but a $31 mil one-year extension should pay the mortgage.
- This whole Rockets-China thing is something that there are many angles to come from on. Yet, all my brain can think of is WHY Donald Trump feels like getting all over Kerr and Pop for their non-responses? Dude, Mr. President, don’t make everyone in sports hate you more than they already do.
- NHL: The Flyers are giving their fans at home the Rage Room/ Angry Cave. I think this might be the worst idea for 2019. Or, ever. I am from the Philly area. I can talk about their fans. I am a fan aside from the Steelers (I know, it is weird, but logical after the long story). And, they are some of the most knowledgeable and abrasive in the world, for better or worse. The team is giving the fans a room where they can dress in some protective clothing, walk in a room, and beat up, with a weapon of their choice, things like TV’s, glass, toaster ovens, etc. This sounds absurd. Well, let me rephrase, this is a brilliant “idea” that has too many sideways directions it can go to be actually opened in real life. It is officially called The Disassembly Room, and ready yourselves with harmless and harmful stories alike. At least people will have more material for Philly fans.
- MLB: Three things. First, the fact that Acuna doesn’t run in a PLAYOFF series is beyond disturbing. The kid has mad talent. The fact that he can’t run a ball out in a game where that run could have been needed, means he is not all there. Second, not to be a broken record, but I think it is ridiculous that MLB insists on having a one game playoff for excitement, and then turn around and play a FIVE game series against the best team on their side. It is unfair to the wildcard team, but also gives them a short series, where anything can happen, to beat a better team. That leads me to #3, which is the Rays-Astros. As much as I hate the five game series, HOW can you not be rooting for the team in MLB who not only has the lowest payroll in the playoffs, but the lowest in the entire LEAGUE? Wow. Late additions: What is one way to rest your pitchers in the playoffs? The Cardinals got 10 runs IN THE FIRST INNING tonight. Finally, the Dodgers-Nationals game is going on right now as I write this. But, let me say this. Underdogs are really, really cool and fun to root for, but the playoffs will be lacking a lot of talent and two of the best teams if the Dodgers and Astros don’t both advance.
- MISCELLANEOUS: A trainer during weigh-in for a women’s boxing match was attacked while on stage. That is weird and scary. Si.com’s new home page STINKS. Not sure about who is making those decisions, and although it looks different in layout than ESPN, there is a reason why that layout works. I am sad Tom Nalen left 104.3. I really enjoyed the chemistry between D-Mac and him, and loved his detailed football knowledge…and sarcasm.
- THIS AND THAT: I thought Terminator 6 would be something I would make fun of, but then I saw Arnold in the preview, and probably now will go see it first thing. It is sad when Joker is already getting violent protest backlash. They have to set the story up to face a superhero, folks. People need to die in a fake way. I watched Booksmart with my wife, as she alleges it is the funniest movie ever. It wasn’t for me, but it was definitely funny as hell and worth seeing once or twice. As I write this, the temperature is dropping to 30 with snow during the night. It was 80 and sunny today. Love CO. If you haven’t see Taylor Swift on Jimmy Fallon, the brief part about her laser surgery is worth it. Here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ_SFbaysHk Watching Caribbean Life was cool the other night, as it was about St. John, which we just came from. Too small for us to move to though. Given that I am the biggest Bourne fan in the world, I will tell you that there is a new Bourne being made, it may or may not tie into the Treadstone series that is being released, and it is not confirmed to have or not have Matt Damon in it. But, I am pumped about the possibility of all of that. A family died while taking a selfie off a damn in India. After reading the 2019 stats, it is astounding that half of the 220 or so people who have died globally doing selfies in 2019 are from the one country of India. That is insane. Finally, apparently Goodyear has posted its blimp on Air Bnb sites, although I am not sure how exactly that works as far as location. But, they did it.
- THE FILLERBUSTER: Great American Beer Fest was fun. I have the list of IPA’s I liked, but not listing them here. We tried to eat a cauliflower pizza on the weekend when lazy. We suddenly got energy to find something else. Assuming the storm isn’t bad enough to close stuff, Linds and I head to see an illusionist Thursday night. LOVE magic. SO much. This is the same guy we saw years ago that blew our mind literally. Lots of crowd split, stuff in box, sheet of paper in a light bulb on ceiling kind of stuff. I think Forrest Gump is so brilliant still because of how many stories are in the one story. Turning it on in between things on a weekend is dangerous. You just get sucked in, and never are bored. Going into Costco with free time and no list is one of the dumbest things I think a couple can do. I was stern the other day. Get me out of here. We are still new to this Alexa thing, and had NO idea about the Let’s Chat feature. Wow. That got weird and fun and off the beaten path quickly. Finally, next week I will be at a conference where Alex Rodriguez is speaking. But, I will again miss the cool speaker, because of work and stuff. I have other stuff to say, but when it snows when I am sleeping, then it means I am at work by 6am to miss ALL the traffic, at least one way. So, heading to bed…
- TWEET OF THE WEEK
ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT THIS WEEK:
- THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
- TRAVEL
- THIS WEEK’S LIST
- MY NUMBERS
- GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
- PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
- LIFEGUARD ENTRY
- COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The theme? It just came out. I started thinking about how I could incorporate the Sooners into some inside blog joke, and Van Halen just popped in my head. And it makes sense. Whether it be hopefully the Longhorns plans or the delicious fried butter at the Texas State Fair, OU football just ingested another good team hopefully.
I head to a work conference next week in Vegas. I will talk to you hopefully before I leave, but worse case when I am there (or on the plane there).
And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out next summer… Top Gun 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqVVswa420
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. Remember two things. First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf. Second, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.
I guess THIS should really be the blog picture, but the theme mystery sometimes is half the fun.
| THROW IT BACK IN THE POND |
| Lakers playing LeBron at 1 in practice |
| darnold health |
| Paris knife attack |
| Bernie Sanders health surgery |
| ballmer says arena on schedule despite msg |
| d’antoni first to challenge refs… preseason |
| Jarvis Landry out of protocol |
| Barkley Giants still hurt |
| obj lashes out on nfl fines |
| school booted from d-3 gets d-1 invite |
| Adams ruled out vs boys |
| clay Matthews breaks jaw |
| kanter harassed at mosque |
| ex-dolphins martin avoids jail, pleas |
| Diaz over Pettis ufc |
| fox leaves team usa |
| adesanya knocks out whittaker |
| 10k at Zions scrimmage |
| ggg wins vacant title |
| diggs fined 200k for absences |
| rockets gm tweet, china suspends work |
| big ben fined 5k for wearing apple watch sideline |
| clay matthews out month broken jaw |
| jerry, garret little darling flag |
| silver backs free speech for morey |
| gentry-don’t compare zion and lebron |
| man tried for fixing 2018 college hoops game |
| riley says sooners no horns down vs. texas |
| xfl teams to pick 71 in draft |
| titans fire kicker |
| Tyson gives Conor advice |
| pats release watson |
| DJ jones proposes to gf before mnf |
| Joshua brown killing |
| almost naked zlatan statue unveiled in sweden |
| bausby broncos couldnt move 30 min |
| durant says knicks not as cool with younger players |
| darnold cleared, jets have been bad |
| midseason xfers college football |
| harden westbrook hope to play in olympics 2020 |
| coach k supports cali pay law |
| art briles in trouble coaching high school now |
| ben simmons hits three in china |
| wnba finals |
| penny toler sparks fired gm drops n-word in speech |
| rays fan 24 13 inning win |
| A’s being threatened with Vegas move |
| duke detours five star jaemyn brakefield 4th |
| midnight madness starting, hoops coming soon |
| Cali power outages |
| trump impeachment |
| old school STDs on rise still |
| Nobel chemistry to battery trio |
Ramsey returns to jags practice
| gronk to debut fox analyst on Thursday |
| doink Cody parkey w titans now |
| ku snoop dog |
| Kelly bryant injury Missouri |
| duke comeback |
| ohio state uga tie in ap poll |
Ohio state band does crazy stuff again
Brian mccann retires right after loss
Burfict suspension upheld
Jim Calhoun accused of sexual discrimination
| solid gold toilet stolen Churchill’s birthplace |
| eastern equine encephalitis |
| red dirt country |
| good will hunting story |
| snoop |
| Gina angry music |
| snl fleabag, snl like mad tv now |
| babytoon shark tank |
| lizzo flute classical |
| Ecuador protests |
| watched wrestling don’t understand how like |
| berkley inn marty |
| didn’t know 12 washes waterproof, just spray stuff anyway |
| about to enter nba fantasy land |
| El jefe queso delicious |
| thought blue bear was a bar |
| ron-accidental party |
| staghead designs rings-new wedding ring possibly |
| butter burgers |
