I start what I would describe as the third leg of my Stage 4 cancer journey tomorrow. These two and a half years seem like a separate lifetime in itself.
I’ve learned more about myself and life in this time frame than the other sixty-five years combined. This may sound incredibly stupid, but in a sense looking back… I’m grateful this happened to me.
With the exception of me occaisionally trolling and ‘demonizing’ some of the Trump fake Christians on the internet…I feel as if my heart has softened and maybe even widened. I’ve been touched by so many wonderful people both at the Integris Cancer Center and the OKC Wellness Center that the list would easily fill a page. It seems as if every person has a journey story of their own.
My family has been wonderful. My inner core of friends are still with me, but I don’t ever talk the Trump fake Christian talk with them out of my love and respect for their loyal friendship.
With Stage 4 bone cancer there’s never this moment where you beat your chest and declare all out victory. You get up every morning and do things in a holistic manner and take little incremental victories as they come along.
When there’s a red light, you pause, work thru it and ease thru the green lights. Matthew McConaughey taught me that his book Green Lights. Even though Matthew is a Texas Longhorn…I’ve always loved him since his epic trial scene in a Time to Kill. I feel the Jake Brigance in me from time to time.
But most of all you ‘slowly’ learn to accept, trust, and have faith in God that at the end it will all be okay. Maybe even glorious.
But I will add there has to be the competitive part in your soul as well. You have to be a fighter and a believer in yourself. There are some times you have to draw a line in the sand.
Monday is December 9th. A big week for me on the cancer journey. I’ll just leave it at that for the time being. I really need to clear my mind these next 48 hours and start to put myself in a different mindset…a different place.
I watched way too much football and basketball this week. Way too much…even for me. I’ve pretty much stopped watching politics since the Matt Gaetz attorney general fiasco. I’m done chasing anymore Trump rabbit holes.
Except for the Thunder-Maverick game on Tuesday night…I’m sports fasting the rest of this week.
It’s too early for me to be absorbed in Christmas music even though it was cold in Deer Creek today. I sat for a couple of hours and lost myself watching the turkeys and deer come up to feed this morning. It was beautiful. Surreal wouldn’t be hyperbole.
I was in a different place today. Tons of reflection and thanks for all the blessings I’ve experience these past two years on the journey.
I was goofing around on the internet looking for the perfect song for my mood today.
This seemed a fit. A cover version of Landslide by Alice Kristiansen.
Minus the beatdown of Iowa State by Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship Game…I very much enjoyed watching the other three power conference championship games. Man, Cam Scattebo made Iowa State literally look like a high school team out there at Jerry’s World. I’ll be interested to see how he does in the playoff against a team from a conference where tackling is a thing. He’s fun to watch for certain though.
Georgia beat Texas in overtime with their backup QB having to sub for Carson Beck in the second half.
To me, Dillion Gabrial should be the Heisman winner with Travis Hunter coming in second place, but I’m guessing that might not be the case because of the unique resume Travis Hunter brings to the table playing both sides of the ball. But again, Travis plays in a conference lacking physicality and not much tackling in space at a high level.
But anyway, Oregon outlasted Penn State by a touchdown to win the Big 10 title with a perfect 13-0 season. I do question though how that Oregon defense will hold up in the CFPs.
Clemson stunned SMU with a walk-off 55 yard field goal to win the ACC title game 34-31 and gain the automatic bid.
And on Friday night…I made it to halftime of the Boise State-UNLV game before I became bored and switched to a west coast NBA game. I’m sorry, but that was not an exciting game as the Broncos beat UNLV 21-7 in what I would describe as a sleepfest yawner. I hate the blue grass–it makes me feeel sleepy.
Okay…so what I’m going to do to here is simply list my Top 12 teams without any regard for the four byes of which three should go to Oregon, Georgia, and Notre Dame.
1 Oregon
2 Georgia
3 Notre Dame
4 Texas
5 Tennessee
6 Penn State
7 Ohio State
8 Indiana
9 Arizona State
10 SMU
11 Clemson
12 Boise State
If the field was sixteen teams as it should be so as to do away with the four byes and just basically have a Sweet Sixteen for the CFP….I would have gone–13 Alabama, 14 South Carolina, 15 Ole Miss, and 16 the dog walk pissing Colorado Golden Buffaloes with Travis Hunter and Shadeur Sanders.
So, in essence..I would have had No. 1 Oregon going against Colorado in the round of sixteen. Ya think that would have drawn some big time television numbers?
I definitely think they should tweak this 12-team format next year, stop dicking around, and give college football fans what they want with a Sweet 16 for college football.
That’s it for me today. My Packers have to play the Detroit Lions this go round. This is where I find out about my Packers.
Hang in there, buddy. this is one of those life moments when things didn’t exactly go the way we had hoped they would.
Take an old man’s advice…this will forge you. Make you a better man. No bullshit.
First off, regardless of what the plethora of talking head podcasters may say, regardless of what Berry Tramel may think, regardless of what some of the OU fanbase may be saying….you’re going to be okay.
I’m actually proud of the fact that you never surrendered, never quit, never made the obvious excuses which you could have made about the offensive line and the absence of your top six receivers during the SEC portion of the schedule. Never backed down from the toughest OU football schedule….EVER.
You hung in there and took every blow. Every punch. And let me share this thought with you…three of OU’s former QB Heisman winners in Jason White, Sam Bradford, and Baker Mayfield would have struggled mightily with the supporting cast you had this season on the offensive side of the ball. Kyler, Jalen, and Caleb Williams may have been able to outrun them, but even then…they would have eventually succumbed as well.
You never pouted, never quit, and in the end beat f–king Alabama 24-3. Guess what…Jason White, Sam Bradord, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams never beat Alabama, Georgia, or LSU combined… ONE TIME.
Never.
See where I’m going with this?
You did…. and by what I witnessed last week-end in Baton Rouge…you were one of the few Sooners who showed up to play in the season finale.
So here’s what I would say if you would allow me to be your Uncle Mike…when you pick your next school don’t pick an SEC school unless it’s Alabama, Georgia, or LSU who all usually have NFL caliber offensive linemen and receivers.
If those three slots aren’t in anyway possible….I’d strongly urge you to pick a Big 12 or ACC an school as your next destination. At the top of your list I would put SMU, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech…and possibly one of the Arizona schools.
Or my darkhorse pick for you….the Kansas Jayhawls with Coach Lance Leopold.
My thought on this is if you don’t have NFL caliber around you…then why would you play against SEC talent with one arm tied behind your back.
Look at Dillion. He has a chance to win the Heisman and a ‘ship…even with Oregon.
Take care of yourself, Jackson. Walk tall, walk proud. You never surrendered. This will work its way out. Take it from an old man.
All this avuncular advice made me think of my favorite all-time Cat Stevens song.
Last week or so…I wrote that the system in which this tournament picks its Great 8 teams is somewhat flawed in that the goal should be to get the best eight teams so far THIS SEASON into the quarterfinal round before the Final Four convenes in Vegas.
We now have four teams still playing while Boston and Cleveland will be absent from the field. Instead, the East will have Milwaukee, the NY Knicks, Atlanta, and Orlando. Yawn.
None of those four teams interest me all that much and Atlanta even has former OU guard Trey Young. The East without Boston is a total wash for me as a passionate NBA fan.
The West is a different matter. OKC, Houston, and Dallas are all trending in the right direction and all three teams interest me heading into the quarterfinals. Golden State is now mirred in a six game losing streak, but if Steph plays… that at the least should somewhat mitigate the Warriors hosting a quarterfinal game. I would have Golden State as narrowly holding on as my No. 4 seed, with Dallas the No. 2 seed, and the surging Houston Rockets the No. 3 seed.
Are these Houston Rockets last year’s Indiana Pacers? They could be. But we’ll have to see if they hold together during the entire 82 game marathon.
To me…the best game of the whole tournament could be in the quarterfinals in the West when the Thunder host the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavs. That’s a game for certain I will not miss.
I will neither miss the Golden State – Houston game, nor the Western Conference Final. These three games are must watch NBA games for El Prez aka Miguel J.
As far as the games in the East…I might be channel surfing trying to find a more attractive college game.
BTW…I saw my No. 21 Sooners for the first time in person on Tuesday night as they beat Georgia Tech 76-61 in the SEC-ACC Challenge to improve to 8-0 for the season.
SEC Challenge results…SEC 14 – ACC 2. Duke at home upset Auburn, while Clemson upset Kentucky.
Jeremiah Fears and Jalon Moore give Porter Moser by far his best one-two combo since he became the OU coach three years ago. If these two guys stay healthy there’s enough around them for OU to get to the Big Dance even in the brutally basketball tough SEC.
Much to Big 12 commish Brett Yormak’s dismay…the SEC has usurped the Big 12 as the No. 1 college hoops conference.
And let me share this thought with you…as this game in Norman concluded…I heard nary a single gloating SEC chant in the building. And when OU dominated Alabama a couple a weeks ago in Norman…I didn’t hear any of that either.
The fact of the matter is…the only time I’ve heard that nonsensical bullshit in earnest was at the last Bedlam game in Stillwater when O State slid by OU and improved its Bedlam record to 20-91-7. I repeat…20-91-7. I refuse to mention the Drake Stoops takedown as an excuse. It never should have come that.
Am I trolling or busting your balls, O State people?
No not at all. But here’s what I would say. There is a message in this. Don’t worry about OU. Take care of your own business. Your football program, like I was two years ago with my Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, is in a catastrophic mode. Not a good place.
Focus on what O State can do to win a single game next season in the uber soft Big 12 .
I think my next blog post will be on Jackson Arnold entering the transfer portal as he just declared yesterday. Like with Dillion Gabriel…I genuinely like both of them as young men and wish nothing but the best for both of them. In fact..I would say from this point on…I’m pulling for Dillion and Oregon to win the inaugural national championship playoff.
Have a beautiful Thursday and pass along the Christmas spirit with each person you meet today.
This is all so demoralizing for those of us still in our naive cocoons of fantasy who want to think the concept of the Rule of Law and Justice for All are still viable concepts within our American democractic society.
There is no equal justice in this country. There is no concept of justice for all.
Of the people, for the people, by the people. Who’s kidding who here?
The concept of justice in America circa 2024 is how much justice you can afford and how much sway your net worth can keep charges from ever even being filed and completed in a court of law.
My thoughts on Hunter Biden are pretty much the same as my thoughts on Donald Trump.
Both of these humans should be serving time in federal prison….perhaps together in the same soft federal facility. Maybe they could garden together to see if they could iron out their individual destructive tendencies… to themselves and our society as well.
Trump should serve maybe three years for his collective Jan. 6th crimes and Hunter Bidden should serve maybe one year for his sundry list of tragedies and crimes. I read his book, his narration… Beautiful Things. Just in reading HIS book, I would give him a year minimum regardless of the charges he was recently convicted of.
Like the U.S. Senator from Colorado Michael Bennett (Dem.) said, “This was a horrible decision by Joe Biden..and is nothing more than a further erosion of our collective rule of law for all Americans regardless of race, sex, or economic standing.”
Joe Biden…this is a classic example of why the far right and others in this country, me in this instance included, believe portions of the Democratic Party have no concept of what the hard working Average Joe on the street thinks of our current rule of law.
This has been the talk of late and it turned into reality on Monday as it was announced the Washington State offensive coordinator will assume the task of rebuilding OU’s historically bad offense from the 2024 season.
I would assume this means he joins the staff immediately for OU’s bowl preparation at the least as an observer in place interacting with the staff in whichever minor bowl the Sooners land after this weekend’s conference championship games. It would make sense in that all the bowl practices would be aligned with moving the offense into spring ball with a head start.
It would not surprise me a bit if Washington State sophmore quarterback John Mateer follows Ben Arbuckle to Norman as well. I believe the transfer portal opens on December 9th and it will be very interesting to see what transpires there with the OU quarterback position in relation to not only Jackson Arnold, but Michael Hawkins as well.
I don’t know what this means for the other OU offensive position coaches at this point.
But we do know this…OU’s offense was brutal this season. The worst since the John Blake days. Brent Venables has now gone 6-6 in two of his three seasons as the OU head coach. I love Brent Venables’ story not only as a football coach, but as a man as well. But the storied OU football program has high standards and a third season of 6-6 would probably put Coach Venables right there with Gary Gibbs as a former great OU defensive coordinator who didn’t pan out as the head coach in Norman.
I hope that’s not how it goes. So we’ll see.
We’ll also see how all this fares for Jackson Arnold as well. I think he’s a great young man and will still turn out to be a very good quarterback. He had to lead an offense which in effect lost its top six receivers thru the course of the season and had a shaky offensive line at best.
The transfer portal opening next Monday thru the month of December will be a trip in itself to say the least.
I’m going to watch OU play Georgia Tech tonight and get my mind off OU football for at least a week or two or more. It was an interesting first SEC season for certain. But everyone should have known this was going to be a tough transition from the finesse Big 12 to the cage fighting SEC…so I would think all now understand the difference between SEC and Big 12 football. There are no soft spots. None. Every Saturday is a cagefight.
I’m worn out. I need a day off from sports or Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 binge watching. I need some inner peace today.
First off congrats to the LSU Tigers for their win over OU on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. OU played a decent first half against the Tigers, but much like in the Ole Miss game in Oxford…didn’t showup in the second half. You don’t showup for a half in the SEC…you get your ass beat. That’s a fairly simple axiom.
You know… even in the fourth tier Big 12 it is tough to win against the better teams in that league if you can’t establish a run game, give up a touchdown off a kickoff, and have a complete disaster on a trick play in the third period when the game was still somewhat up for grabs. Bauer Sharp, dude, leave the quartebacking to guys like Garrett Nussmeier.
Garrett clearly got my MVP helmet sticker in this game for his incredible perfromance in coming back from that big-time hit he took on his right shoulder in the second period. I thought for certain he was done, but he came back and threw the ball with incredible accuracy the rest of the game. That is one tough young man. He must have been a hockey player in a previous life.
Otherwise, it was a great week-end for me. My Green Bay Packers improved to 9-3 with an easy win over the Miami Dolphins. My OU Sooners basketball team shocked the college basketball world by beating Providence, Arizona, and Louisville to win the Atlantis Big Boy Mowers Championship on Paradsise Island.
My wife and I have been there twice. It’s an awesome place. My wife is not thrilled with the Cozumel exit idea, but says ya to the Paradise Island alternative. I’ll be eye scanning the beaches to see if Huner Biden is there as well. Hunter Biden…if I were you–I’d not only leave the country, I’d exit the continent. Seriously. Buy a MAGA ballcap and keep your shades on for the rest of your life, buddy. These fuckers are crazy.
I also loved seeing my first dog piss walk live in a college football game. My guess is…sometime later this week it’ll be announced Mike Gundy is getting a half-million dollar pay increase. Boone, buddy…phone home. You are massively missed in Payne County, Oklahoma.
The Thunder game in Houston was incredible last night in Houston. I think I’ll blog on that game tomorrow morning.
I’m off to the gym with my MMGA red self-made ball cap on.