Month: February 2024

I got back from Denver yesterday and it took all of 24 hours to get my legs back. We had a blast with the grandchildren and it was pretty much nonstop grandparenting Bedlam for eight days. Robert (4) and and Aubrey (3) were awesome.

Denver has pretty much become my favorite city…Deer Creek, Oklahoma ….not as much. I mean…culturally it’s like going from Hee Haw to the Boston Pops. There’s just so much to do. Never a dull moment. I hate to sound selfish…but I hope the kids stay in Denver so we can start visiting every month or so since I’m now cancer free and retired at the same time.

Other than the Bedlam win by OU at Stillwater… I did not watch or follow ANY sporting event for eight days. This is like a record for me since I was probably five years of age.

I didn’t watch any political news as well. Which was healing for me. A refresh if you will. It’s so nice nice being in Denver where people actually read books and don’t think Donald Trump is the second coming of Teddy Roosevelt or even Bush 41. So nice to be in a city where people actually frown upon the hanging of the vice-president… or the wanton killing of law enforcement officers. So nice to not have a former cage fighter serving as one of your U.S. senators.

I think you get the picture. At least Jon Stewart is back on Monday nights.

So basketball-wise it’s time for me to get with it a little bit today. The Warriors are at Washington today and the red-hot Thunder are at Houston tonight in a nationally televised game on TNT versus the Houston Rockets. These Thunder games on national televison are like a drug for me. It’s so nice to get an escape from the homery drivel expounded by Michael Cage, Little Nick Gallo and Boring Royce Young. These ecceptional young Thunder players desreve so much better than this bullshit.

From this point on with the Thunder…if I do in fact watch another Thunder game on that network…I will have to drink two Bloody Marys before tip just to get through the ordeal of the audio portion of the telecast.

Anyway…I’m glad Javian was clutch in overtime because OU seriously needed that road win to help its overall NCAA Net Ranking for the selection committee. On the video it appears that a very obese Cowboy dressed in bright orange was a tad upset when the Sooners celebrated in front of him. I guess the Orange Kip’s Big Boy expected another Drake Stoops tackle non interference call or something of the like. Que sera, Whopper Boy.

Hang in there O State fans….there’s always wrasslin’ and Viktor Hovland golf tournaments.

Enjoy the rest of this gorgeous Tuesday before the northerner hits sometime later this evening.

Cherish every day.

MJ

Man, oh, man, oh, man. I’ve sat back here at the okcthunderground.com studio and tried to restrain myself on this one, but given the spectacle/ debacle I witnessed this week in Fulton County… I cannot remain silent any longer.

Let me start with this…Ms. Willis, you must be kidding me. You cannot be serious. Perhaps in the world of the far left cupcakes who live in the make believe world of Lawrence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow this shitshow you and your boyfriend Nathan Wade have given us this week is called political courage and drama.

I don’t think so, Ms. Willis…. what Judge Jackson sees here are two lawyers who for reasons of greed, bad sex, and wanton bad judgment have ruined a gut cinch conviction in this Donald Trump obstruction case.

Are you serious? You called your elderly father to the stand carrying a ten dollar bill with him playing the racist card….cry me a river.

This WAS a strong case. Three different WHITE, MALE, REPUBLICANs, put their balls on the chopping block for you in this case and in return you and your boyfriend have turned this case into a shitshow case which seems more in tune with something Donald Trump would be involved with.

You and your boyfriend should not only be removed from this case, but you should also be given a public warning from the Georgoa State Bar Association for your completely unprofessional handling of this case.

If it were up to me…both of you would be remanded to municipal court duties for a year.

Save your faux anger for the hopeless zombies on MSNBC who sadly mistake anything on that network as responsible news coverage.

MSNBC as a news outlet should be taken as seriously as FOX ‘news’ Network. That being, if you put Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell in an elevator what you would have is an elevator devoid of one single serious political journalist.

Ms. Willis, please view the video above from my associate Judge Dan and please observe this Court isn’t a freak show like the one at MSNBC.

The Honorable Judge Jackson

This made me cry, but in a very good way. This season has been a brutal struggle for Klay and the Warriors. Draymond losing his mind. Andrew Wiggins’ up and down play. The death of an assistant coach who was loved by his players. Plus, a multitude of injuries.

As we hit the All-Star break the Warriors are one game above five hundred and in the tenth position heading towards the goal acheiving portion of the season.

These Warriors have pissed away so many games with mentally loose play its too much for me to deal with at this point.

But here’s the thing moving forward…it appears the Christmas elves did indeed find a way to repair Draymond. Johnny Kuminga has evoled into this beautiful butterfly of a player and become a star. The rookie Brandin P has been good enough to replace Klay as a starter.

Young guys like Moses Moody, Lester Q, and Trace Jackson-Davis embrace their place as roles players. Gary Payton Jr. is finally healthy. Dario and Kevon the Moral Compass can fill alternative needs at the center position in situational situations when Draymond needs a blow at the starting center slot.

Of course there’s the best shooting guard in the history of the sport of basketball named Steph Curry as well.

And now maybe…Klay becoming the Sixth Man at this juncture of his basketball journey.

I think the goal for the Warriors has to be like last season and to strive to work their way back up to the sixth seed if possible. The Warriors have the third easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. They open the back half of the season with sixth very winnable home games. These guys have to be locked in and make a move right there and then. Even with the blown game against the Clippers the other night…these Warriors have won eight of their last ten.

As far as the Thunder podcast…I’ve decided to pass. They’re my fifth favorite team in the West. There’s no reason for me to have a podcast for my fifth favorite team. I don’t live and die Thunder games any longer. Heck…I probably only watch one out of three Thunder games even though they have the most exciting young team in the league.

They lost me even though their future the next three years appears to be incredible. Maybe its more than just the team. Maybe its partly the whole Trump phony fake Christian aura the whole city seems to embrace.

I mean, in 1995, the bombing of the Murrah Building was the most heinous act of domestic terrorism in the history of the United States. So how could it be these very same people embrace a dubious domestic terrorist like Donald Trump by an almost 80% plurality. I just cannot connect those dots. Maybe I should call Sam Anderson and have him explain it to me.

If your heart is not there…it’s just not there. My basketball ball heart is elsewhere.

We’re heading off to the Rockies to be with our grandchildren and I’m going to take a break from basketball for several days. Even from both of the Sooner teams.

Have a great All-Star break.

MJ

I need to start engaging again on the Thunder a bit and this is something I’d like to blog about. At the trade deadline… Tre Mann along with Bertans and Micic were traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for 14 year NBA vet Gordon Hayward.

From the Thunder perspective. I don’t see this as a real big deal given the shaky health of Gordon Hayward. But Hayward is on an expiring contract of about $30 million due I think…and at the worst the Thunder are taking on a short rental and then going to dump his salary I would think.

Tre Mann is a great kid in my view and I really found it perplexing he could never garner any real minutes with the Thunder this season. I guess he just didn’t fit the defensive mold of what Presti was looking for in one of his rotational guards. That’s a tough rotation for sure, and at least this way… Tre has a very real opportunity to show the league what he’s capable of doing if he’s given real game minutes and a role on a nightly basis.

To me, the big winner in this trade is Tre Mann. As for the Thunder it in no way changes my view on their prospects for the rest of this regular season and beyond. I just hope Hayward’s minutes do not reduce the roles of Aaron Wiggins, Isiah Joe, or Kenrich Williams. Those three guys have earned every minute they’ve gotten to date and from my view all three deserve tangible roles heading into the goal acheiving portion of the season.

I just don’t see Gordon Hayward at this point in his career being a game changer for the Thunder. But it’s nice Sam Presti made this move for Tre. Such a classy kid who did everything the right way during his stay in OKC. Like I’ve stated here on the okcthunderground.com blog many a time….the Thunder are the premier AAA/quasi major league franchise of any of the four major professional sports leagues.

Everywhere you look…there’s former Thunder players either winning NBA rings or perhaps getting to win one this season if Kawhi Leonard stays healthy and the LA Clippers continue on their upward trending pace….three more graduates from the AAA Thunder.

Sam Presti could bang that bell three times if the Clips win a ring and Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook win a ‘ship. I’m not being sarcastic here. Not at all. If you’re a major league baseball player or an aspiring NBA player who got drafted by the Thunder….this is a great place to hone your skills as a Dodger or a Thunderer for a couple of years and then get traded to a real major league city with real major league ownership with guys like Joe Lacob, the Gronkes, the Miami Heat mafia family, Steve Balmer, etc.

You’re not going to win championships in this league without big-time ownership and a big-time fan base which has the disposable income to keep your arena full.

Just several weeks ago, I checked the NBA attendance standings and the Thunder were in 24th place. Think about that. On my MVP list I have SGA in second place currently. I have Chet as my Rookie of the Year. I have JDub as my non superstar that every GM in the league covets most, and I have Coach Mark as my Coach of the Year.

If the most exciting young team in the league with those guys doesn’t place your team in the top eight in NBA attendance…what would?

But me…I’m just crusing through this NBA season. This doesn’t concern me. I have the Denver Nuggets, the resurgent Golden State Warriors with a freshly medicated, rebuilt Draymond Green. I have Austin Reaves bringing out the best of LeBron and Anthony Davis…. and I’m almost certain the Boston Celtics won’t choke this time around in the Eastern Conference.

When this season started I said these two things about the Thunder…I said if they could finish in second place in the Northwest Divison and win a first round playoff series for thr first time since way back in 2016 when Kevin Durant was carrying this city on his back…those two accomplishments would mean the Thunder had a really nice season.

Those two goals appear to be very reachable from my perch. Very reachable.

So you Thunder fans get out there and fill your current slum-dump arena. The billion dollar palace is on the way. We all know this current arena is a shit arena, just like the one Seattle had before their NBA was stolen from them…. but don’t ignore this wonderful young team.

Seriously, support your local team…even if half of your city can’t read a at seventh grade level.

Maybe tomorrow or Thursday…I want to blog about the rebirth of Johnny Kuminga and the radiant Golden State Warriors.

Tre Mann, I’m happy for you. You’ve escaped and I’ pretty certain from what I observed from you this Summer League….your future burns bright. I feel like your second uncle or something, kid.

Have a beautiful Tuesday evening.

Uncle Mike

I’m proud of OU in that when it mattered…they did make the plays needed to win this extremely ugly basketball game. I mean…this was a very ugly game otherwise. This O State team is so bad offensively what they do is like when a bad boxer just grabs and clutches all night long to in essence give themselves a ‘puncher’s chance’.

As someone who truly loved watching Eddie Sutton coached teams, watching this shit breaks my basketball heart.

And that’s exactly what Mike Boynton did in this basketball game. O State shot 18% from the field in the first half, but ‘interestingly…O State found itself on the free throw line almost all game long ON THE ROAD.

OU received three technicals in the second half. Mild mannered center Sam Godwin received two techs early in the second and basically fouled out with around fourteen minutes left in the game.

As I wrote here on this blog before…when I hang around on the floor after games wearing my fake ESPN pullover… I usually talk to some of the parents of the players. Sam Godwin and his family are about as cool of a group of family as I’ve seen at OU since the other Sam…Bradford, won a Heisman. They are total class. His mom is wonderful. Sam got his second technical while on the bench with four fouls waving a white flag after a teammate made a shot.

Fellow teammate Otega Oweh, received a tech after one of his teammates made a shot and I believe for the first time in either the history of college basketball or the NBA…Tega high-five a teammate and exclaimed, ” Fuck, yeah.” Whoo…never seen that before on basketball court.

Anyway…OU is now 18-6 overall and 6-5 in the brutal Big 12 Conference. The Sooners with the two wins last week climbed back into the 21st spot in the Coaches Poll while the absolutely red-hot Lady Sooners won their 9th straight with their win at Ames and are now in first place in the Big 12. This marks the first time since 2014 that both the men and women have been ranked at the same time in the Coaches Poll Top 25.

If the OU men had only made their free throws down the stretch in the second half versus Texas Tech…they’d now be in a tie for second place in the Big 12. I hate to belabor the free throws, but OU was once again 15-24 from the line in this horrid Bedlam game which should not have been this close.

Again…this is me just thinking out loud talking to the OU team…”MAKE YOUR FUCKING FREE THROWS’ and make this easier on yourselves.

The Toby Keith Memorial before a sell-out standing room only crowd was beautiful. Myself and others cried again. The Baby Crawl at halftime was a big time hit. I will admit this was the first time I’ve ever gambled with strangers at a Baby Crawl and it was an adrenal rush. The crowd loved the Baby Crawl almost as much as the game.

Oh, look, I just got a notice that for using two ‘Fucks’ in this post this post I’ve been kicked off my own blog for the next twenty-four hours for th first time since I started okcthunderground.com. But….I had to write this game up this way because if Porter had said these things at his presser he would have been in trouble with the Big 12 higher ups for telling the truth about the officiating.

And me being the Ultimate Sooner as I am…. don’t want Porter to do a Billy Tubbs and say something like…”No matter how bad the officiating is…Please don’t throw things on the floor.”

It’s Billy Tubb’s Legacy Day on Saturday when the Kansas Jaywhawks come to Norman. There was never a dull moment with Billy. as in…never.

Billy…El Prez still loves you, brother. Looking forward to hooking with you in Hoops Heaven at some point. Be good.

Peace, MJ

It’s going to be a beautiful day of college basketball and Toby Keth music as I’ll be sitting seven rows from the floor just close enough to Mike Boynton to give him a warm smile this afternoon. The game is a sellout and basically this is another must win for the Sooners to continue making their resume for a spot in March Madness. This would be an absolute horrible loss if the Sooners fail at home against the worst team in the Big 12.

As far as the video above…I meant to post this earlier in the week… and then came the news of Toby Keith’s passing. This rendtion of Fast Cars at the Grammy awards literally stopped me in my tracks and I have to have it here on my subtle, nuanced underground blog in the heart of redneck America.

As far as the Smerconish Question of the Week as it was rendered in different wording…Should Jill Biden Tell Her Husband to Not Seek a Second Term?

Almost 35,000 people replied with almost two-thirds replying…yes, Jill Biden should tell her husband he’s too old to seek a second term as POTUS 46.

I voted yes as well and have been clamoring for such a move for at least six months. This in no way changes my opinion of Donald Trump because he is even more unfit than Boe Biden.

Donald Trump is not only too old…he’s a pathological liar, and a sociopath who in no way has displayed any remorse whatsover as to the fact five people are dead because of his premeditated insurrection against our democracy.

As I stated earlier on my blog… I would vote for my neighbor’s German Shepard ‘Harley’ or even a dead body or a slab of concrete before I would vote for Donald Trump for ANY OFFICE in any jurisdiction.

Next week I’ll present my list of about eight moderate Dems or Republicans I could seriously consider to be POTUS 47. Being I am at heart a Republican like Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt and just a touch left of center it will of course be a serious list which doesn’t include Mr. Pillow, Mr. Ed, Tucker Carlson, or Donald Trump.

But Joe Biden, dude, here’s the deal, when you and your handlers have to say no to a soft Super Bowl thirty minute interview which would reach over a million Americans because your team is afraid it could turn into a complete debacle….it is time to do as LBJ did in March of 1968 and go back to the ranch and enjoy life.

Joe, I think at the center of your heart you’re a good dude, but you’re just too old for the task at hand.

Now…I’m going to go have a brisk pre-Bedlam workout, then come home and take a jacuzzi before working forty minutes or so on my Toby Keith lyrics.

Life is good.

Have a gorgeous Super Bowl Saturday. MJ

I haven’t blogged too much this week despite it being Super Bowl week. I did go to both the Sooner mens and womens games this midweek and was gratified to see both teams play well and get wins.

The Lady Sooners are now winners of eight straight and one of the hottest teams in the country as winners of eight straight Big 12 games and standing at 16-6 heading off to play a very tough Iowa State team tomorrow in Ames. That will be a very difficult assignment. Very tough.

OU played much better on Tuesday night than they did at UCF and notched an 82-66 win over No. 17 BYU. The Sooners are 5-5 in Big 12 play and 17-6 overall. I would say right now from my perspective…this Sooner group needs to be more consistent and more mentally tough. I would probably right now assume the Sooners will be 18-6 after their game with a struggling O State team and 6-5 in conference play after tomorrow’s Bedlam…which isn’t horrible considering the toughness of the league. But you’ve got to go win tomorrow’s Bedlam game first.

I just got an email from the Sooner athletic department today stating they’re going expand on the celebration of Toby Keith’s life which they did on Tuesday evening at the BYU game. I thought Tuesday was pretty cool already in that there was a prayer before the national anthem with the lights down and eveyone’s cell phones lit up. It was beauftiful. Toby’s songs were played at every play stoppage with the overhead video board scanning the crowd as they sang along.

The video above was provide to me from my friend Thunder Chick over at the always uber soft, homery Daily Thunder. But I thought it was very cool and thoughtful she sent this to me considering my own situation. Every dude needs a platonic chick friend in their life. Jake Owen should have added that line in Journey of Your Life.

There’s a ton to be blogging about right now, but my pace this week was rather slow.

I’ve got great seats tomorrow for the Bedlam game.

So… go Sooners and god bless Toby Keith and his family. I can’t wait to enjoy the basketball and music as the game is a sellout.

I’m officially giving this song to my grand-son Robert (4) and grand- daughter Aubrey (3). I love them dearly. I get to see them ski next week. Very cool. Life is good. But everybody needs a dog and a song to sing on.

MJ

My heart is a little heavy today as I heard the news in regards to Toby Keith’s passing. I will admit it brought a tear to my eyes and a somewhat attached surreal feeling considering my own cancer journey.

I would think all of us who have been or are currently on this journey completely respect the manner in which Toby Keith handled his journey. His grace, strength, mental toughness, and just basic human kindness will accompany me as I contnue my journey.

Like Ernie Johnson…TobyKeith is/was someone I’ve looked up to for an example of how to deal with the journey and hopefully be and become a better human every day of the journey.

Toby was an avid OU sports fan and donor. He supported many causes including the fight against cancer for children…which I greatly admire. That’s one of the things which always pulls at my heart when I’m at the Integris Cancer Center. That being, how unfair it is children and their familes have to deal with this horrible disease.

It’s not fair, but it is what is.

Me? I’ve had a great life. I’m sixty-six years of age and truly feel as if I’ve already been blessed to the max regardless of when this journey for me continues at the next level. In fact….I can’t recall ever feeling better both spiritually and physically.

You literally take one day at a time and live it to the fullest. That’s the mantra.

I’ll be in Norman tonight for the OU mens game versus BYU. I’m sure there will be a moment of prayer for Toby Keith.

God bless you, Toby Keith.

I didn’t mean to double click the video. My bad.

MJ

Just an incredible weather week in Oklahoma after the bitter cold of the two preceeding weeks. I mean…I already have my early spring sun tan working….which is nice.

I’ve even taken the driver out of my golf bag and hit a few golf balls off our back porch into the deep woods beyond our property boundaries and into the woods. If I had a new right knee I’d be dangerous…just saying.

I’ve created this game called Mike Golf. So near the back of our property before the treeline begins…about a 160 yards from our back porch, I’ve created a golf green of sorts with an offcial cup and pen plus flag from which I borrowed from the now closed Silverhorn Golf Club. Dan Jenkins would be proud of me. I then place my ball in a position based on how well and straight I hit my driver from the tee box.

Anything I hit on the green inside of five feet is good for a birdie. Anything outside of that five foot radius is a two putt in Mike Golf. So ironically, I think the biggest cheater in the history of the game, that being Donald Trump, would probably love playing Mike golf since he normally picks up his ball from ten feet on the green.

It’s supposed to begin raining in Oklahoma later this afternoon so I hope all the ultra serious Trump Christian evangelicans in Oklahoma have gotten outside this week because Saturday and Sunday are going to be somewhat rainy. Both the OU men and women are on the road this week… so they both have tough assignments.

Go Lexey, go Jalen Moore!

I’m still… eventually going to write something Thunder related here at some point this basketball season and the podcast is still evolving in the second stage of the creative process.

Have a wonderful pre-Super Bowl week-end.

I love this song. It calms me.

MJ

What a great basketball game this turned out to be on Wednesday night inside Lloyd Noble Arena. The Sooners fresh off their impressive win over top ten Texas last week encored that win with a stunning upset win over No. 2 Kansas State by a score of 66-63.

This game had everything you would want in a game featuring the two teams atop the Big 12 standings.

OU came to play and the lead never stretched too far apart in this game as each team would answer a spurt with a spurt of their own.

This was my third time to watch the Lady Sooners this season and I’ve been impressed every time I’ve watched them play.

Coach Jennie B has this team team playing a very fast, very tough, very opportunistic style of play which is fun to watch. This group does not kill themselves with sustained boneheaded gaffes. These Sooners play with a very high BBIQ…very high. Coach B only had to use one timeout the entire game in that regard to settle down some turnover issues.

They’re not an uber big team, but they can fly, shoot the three ball, and play surprisingly good team defense given their size limitations. It’s a team with a nice mixture of youth and vet saavy which has gotten incrementally better each game.

I believe this marks the first time since 2004 the Lady Sooners have beaten two top ten teams in a season. I may need to recheck that one though in the Sheri Coale era.

It was a good crowd… very much into the game. A high BBIQ crowd. There was no nonsene after the game with the crowd doing the SEC, SEC chants like the Aggies did mockingly in Stillwater when they were gifted their recent Bedlam football win.

Just two teams who played a great game and have mutual respect for one another.

My favorite two players on the team are Sklar Vann who’s what I would describe as a power hybrid guard who can do her work with equal effectiveness inside or outside. She was my No. 1 player of the game and the Big 12’s player of the week last week. Very heady player who BTW was a Deer Creek girls’ super star before heading to the Sooners.

And my second favorite player would be the O State transfer Lexey Keys who is what I would decribe describe as the fastest player on the team who creates constant havoc with her hustle and can shoot the three ball pretty well.

I ran into her in the tunnel after the Cincy game and told her how much she reminds me of the Sooners legend Mookie Blalock off that Sooner 1988 national runnerup team. She just kind of smiled. I’m not sure if she knows who Mookie Blalock was or she just thought I was some crazy older guy talking nonsensical shit.

But last night after the buzzer, I ran into her again since I was sitting on the floor minus the fake ESPN hoodie, wearing my best Sooner hoops longsleeve pullover instead. We caught each other’s eye and I gave her a thumbs up the victory smile. She smiled back.

Just so we are clear…in 1988 Mookie Blaylock set the all-time NCAA Tournament record with 45 steals in the tournament.

Next up for the Sooners is Bedlam where I’m certain Lexey will be booed as a traitor. It it what it is. Play tough, Lexey.

Somewhere in the postgame celebration, I lost my driver’s license… I think I’ll go sun a bit and then work out before I get my new driver’s license later today.

Maybe I should write something about the Thunder tomorrow since we’re at the mid-point of their season and they’re in second place in the Northwest Division just like I said they would be. I’m proud of the Thunder. They’re now maybe my third or fourth NBA team….so I need to start giving them a littl love on here from time to time. If the Texas Rangers can win a World Series and the Las Vegas Golden Knights can win a Stanley Cup…who knows. Maybe the Thunder are on a miracle collision course of some sort if they improve thir roster just a bit at the trade deadline.

Life is good.

MJ