Still plenty to talk about this summer

Columns

June 15, 2009

Still plenty to talk about this summer

Scott Nulph - Sports Editor The Stillwater News Press Mon Jun 15, 2009, 12:10 AM CDT

Seeing German Fernandez control, then dominate the 1,500-meter run Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was both extremely exciting and just a bit sad all at the same time.

Because as Fernandez crossed the finish line, you realized that he just accomplished something that no other Oklahoma State men’s track athlete has done in 23 years. Very, very impressive.

But I also couldn’t help but have another thought as Fernandez won his event.

When he crossed the finish line, Fernandez officially put an end to the 2008-09 sports season.

And he officially christened the start of what I not-so-fondly refer to as the dry season in sports. Some call it the dogs days but I like dogs so I won’t lump them into this painful slowdown.

Sure there are events to keep us busy over the next couple of months. There’s legion baseball, scattered golf tournaments and other “summer” events, but nothing like the daily whir of the everyday sports scene August through May.

The next two months in the sports season rarely holds our attention span, unless you’re one of the lucky ones to have your favorite Major League Baseball team still in contention. For me that’s the Minnesota Twins and they’ve been painfully mediocre this entire season.

But there are the rare few, however, that have a way to escape the dry season. The dry season becomes a little less overbearing when you happen to have a top college football program to talk about.

And what do you know, we just happen to have one of those, don’t we?

Oklahoma State, returning some of the top offensive talent in the country, has found its way into the top 10 in just about every preseason publication that covers college football.

The Cowboys will undoubtedly litter the Big 12 preseason media poll first and second teams, which will come out when the conference holds its media days July 27-30 in Dallas.

That’s plenty to talk about right there, enough to keep you from noticing that there’s not much else going on in the sports world.

But then there’s the schedule. Oh the schedule.

If ever there was the perfect schedule to match a team’s talent, it’s this year for the Cowboys.

Georgia at home to open the newly remodeled stadium won’t be easy but the Cowboys won’t be underdog, either. Then three straight highly winnable non-conference games before a bye week to recharge the batteries before Big 12 play starts.

Away games against Texas A&M; and Baylor sandwiched around a homer against Missouri won’t be a walk in the park but it’s not unreasonable to think the Pokes could be 8-0 when Texas comes calling Oct. 31.

And who knows what record OSU will have when they travel to Norman to meek Oklahoma to close out the regular season? Bedlam could have a whole new meaning that Saturday.

See what I mean. That’s easily a month’s worth of debate right there.

Sure the temperatures are about to get hot and it’s about to get a little dry when it comes to local sports. But thanks to OSU football, there certainly won’t be any drought this summer.

Just take a long, cool drink compliments of the Cowboys. You’ll feel better in no time.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Columns

Day: New format good for National Duals
New National Duals format gives a spark to collegiate wrestling.

February 20, 2012 1 Photo
Oklahoma State won't be a wallflower at the super-conference dance
Oklahoma State is in a good position if the Big 12 splinters.

September 5, 2011 1 Photo
Harold Sare: Is the United States governable?
Once in office unexpected events and simply the reality of the office may cause a candidate who wins office not to perform as he promised and to modify his approaches.

May 20, 2010 1 Photo
From Afghanistan: Army lottery
I stood and watched as each soldier came forward one at a time to pick their lottery ticket with their assignment on it and I could see the anticipation in their eyes. The mood in the room was upbeat as the crowd of more than 200 cadets was to find out their first duty assignment in front of all of their peers.

February 27, 2010 1 Photo
From Afghanistan: A piece of bread
I thought Americans are by far the most generous people on the planet. We give to churches and other relief organizations to take care of many people around the globe.
The Afghans on the other hand live in a broken society that is fraught with corruption and extreme poverty and are still willing to welcome people into their homes and offer them the biggest piece of bread or other food that they have available to them.

February 19, 2010 1 Photo
Adkison: The truth of campaign finance
February 18, 2010
Hargis: Research takes center stage at OSU
February 18, 2010
From Afghanistan: A dichotomy of a modern ancient society
This dichotomy between what we might call the ancient Afghanistan and the modern Afghanistan is nothing new to many underdeveloped nations around the globe.
The difference here is this country is embroiled in a counterinsurgency where the insurgents want to move the people backward and not forward into the modern era. The insurgents want to take the country back to a time where the people were less educated, had fewer opportunities and could be easily manipulated through coercion and force.

February 11, 2010 2 Photos
Vineyard: A republican deficit plan
February 11, 2010
From Afghanistan: Blood for the Body
These graduations demonstrate that the Afghan government, with the help of the coalition forces, understands they must establish sustainable systems to ensure the longevity of their forces. This small medical logisticians’ graduation was actually another monumental leap forward in that direction.

February 10, 2010 1 Photo
More Columns Headlines

Columns

Search Results

Still plenty to talk about this summer

Site Map

Contact Us