Month: January 2025

I’m ashamed to be an American after witnessing the bullshit Donald Trump just laid on America following the air tragedy in Washington D.C.

Before I go further..to the loved ones who just suffered this heartwrenching loss…my heart goes out to you. I lost my father-in-law twenty years ago in a sudden and unexpected airplane crash. It forever changed my wife’s life. Which in turn forever changed me. I know exactly what you’re about to go through the rest of your lives. It will never leave you. It’s far worse than Stage 4 cancer. Not even close. Take my word. Get a Bible, keep your family close to your heart, and a good dog wouldn’t hurt. A really good dog.

Since I married the daughter of a U.S. Air Force SAC Bird Colonel…over the years by assimilation I’ve become pretty well versed on some of nuances of aviation. For instance, a sitting second term President and his equally unfit just confirmed Secretary of Defense shouldn’t use the words ‘height’ and ‘elevation’ in an American presser like the one today. In American aviation the word ‘altitude’ would be the appropriate word usage.

Note: SAC or Strategic Air Command was the branch of the U.S. Air Force when the Soviet Union was America’s chief adversary. I’m not sure if Donald Trump or Partyboy Pete are aware of SAC and its history. So there’s that.

I’m not going write on here what I think will be the final verdict of this tragedy. But I have a very good hunch and it has absolutely nothing to do with the complete bullshit Donald Trump just laid on his MAGA base and the others who just voted for him.

This guy’s lack of ground level basic decency never fails to amaze me. Though…I am proud I helped him carry out his Execuive Order to Fire Mike Gundy. Somebody had to do it.

So basically…I thought it would fun to see the Al Campanis video from 1987 on race in baseball. Dusty Baker and Dave Roberts…any of you MAGA dipf–k racists? Yeah..that’s what I thought.

Or Mr. Trump..since the Super Bowl is just round the corner…do the names Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, CJ Stroud, or Jaden Daniels ring a bell…at all?

Whatever.

Wake up, America…before you really do lose your country.

Mike J

Stunning as it may seem…MJ of all the bloggers in the blogisphere was contacted by a ‘Deep Throat’ source from POTUS 47’s social media staff. They like my work. In fact, they want me to replace the highly pedestrian Joe Rogan as President Trump’s Special Czar Blogger of sorts even though I voted for Kamala Harris and would have voted for my neighbor’s dog over Trump.

They evidently feel my courage as a Stage 4 cancer survivor, plus my highly eclectic work might be a nice pivot from the usual 4th grade reading level drivel we observe from POTUS 47’s social media people.

So…this is what they shot me for my first Trump assignment: Mike Gundy Executive Order No. 1.

Dear Coach Gundy,

POTUS 47 just wanted to touch base with you following your winless Tier 4 level Big 12 football season. ‘We’ have certainly in the past years enjoyed your support in using-wearing Trump T-Shirts, Trump Hoodies, Trump Anglo Saxon Condoms, Trump Super Strength Viagra, and Trump Stuffed U.S.A. Thongs. In our book…you’re right there with the Markwayne Mullins and Tommy Tubervilles of Trump Universe. You’ve been GOLD…in a word.

But here’s the thing, POTUS 47 cannot have losers representing his brand who cannot even win one single conference football and get Walking Dog Pissed by the Golden Colorado Buffaloes.

Trump loved Boone and Carl Icahn… they were like debt leverage takeover brothers. POTUS 47 actually did several very ‘creative’ real estate deals with Boone. But the Trump brand simply cannot be associated with this winless level of performance.

Part of Trump simply wants to pause our relationship for the time being, but as we both know…that isn’t Trumpy enough for the MAGA crazies in Oklahoma.

So, consequently…YOU’RE FIRED.

DJT by way of MJ

Damn, I mean…damn. I cannot imagine how tough it is for you this Monday morning. That was one of the grittiest quarterback performances I’ve ever seen from a QB who didn’t actually hoist the trophy at the end.

Even grittier than the sublime performance of two years ago when you didn’t get to touch the football in that overtime loss. In fact, that game made the NFL change its overtime protocol.

I’m fairly certain I’m not the only NFL fan hurting for you. You overcame the horrific mis-mark on that fourth and 1 which in itself was a game changer… to then lose this game on probably your best play of the game.

Josh, you can avoid a corner blitz and throw an off balance back foot pass right on the mark, but you can’t catch it as well.

It was brutal.

And again, after that dropped pass by your teammate…you never saw another play on the field.

Doubly brutal.

All I can say is this…Patrick Mahomes is the Tom Brady of this generation of quarterbacks. You are currently the Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton went through this very same dynamic with Tom Brady and those historic New England teams.

Peyton never surrendered and eventually beat Tom Brady and the Patriots and his first Super Bowl just like you’ll do at some point. Peyton even won a second ring as a game manager QB on that 2014 Denver Bronco squad which almost beat Cam Newton to death.

Trust me…the sun will shine again for you.

You are a champion QB just like Patrick Mahomes.

You will have your day.

DO NOT SURRENDER!

This is life, buddy. Sometimes life can knock you down really hard and this is when we find out about ourselves.

Mike J

I’m pretty amped for our two Conference Championship Sunday games today. Russell Westbrook struggled yesterday on ABC versus the Timberwolves, but so did every other member of th Nuggets. You have a game like that now and again.

Coversely, my Sooners won their second straight SEC game with a critical one point win at the buzzer inside of an overflow crowd inside of Bud Walton Arena. If you’ve never watched a game inside of Bud Walton Arena…you’re not really a college basktball fan. An incredible homecourt atmosphere. Kind of like a macro version of Gallagher Iba back when it was small and they had a DI basketball program under Coach Sutton.

My Sooners improve to 15-4 with a mid-week road game at Texas A&M and a home game on Saturday against a surging Vanderbilt squad. The game on Saturday will be my first game attended since the December 3rd game against Georgia Tech. I have consulted with Dr. Showalter and we agree if I wear my OU mask there should be no problem with me sitting on the floor. MJ’s chemo quarantine is officially over…as in done.

I like Philly if Jalen Hurts’ ankle is healthy today. Philly has the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley and the best offensive line in the NFL. It’s hard for me to pick the Cinderella Redskins given they have one of the league’s weaker rushing defenses. Note…I still call them the Redskins. It’s because of weakass lit-woke nonsense like this Donald Trump got a second term. Jaden Daniels…I love you, dude. But this could be a tough one for you.

I love Josh Allen as well. If the Bills were playing any other team in the AFC today…I’d be picking Buffalo. Unfortunately, they’re playing against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce inside of venerable Arrowhead Stadium. Another iconic sports venue.

So I’m thinking of a Super Bowl rematch of two years ago.

In honor of Toby Keith and Little Toby Keith it will be Toby Keith week thru Wednesday here at okcthunderground.com this week.

Enjoy the games.

Nirvana and Toby Keith on the same page…why not?

Mike J

This is awsome for me as an NBA blogger. My hometown Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the West. But Denver… the city which in a sese has become the place I feel more at home…has suddenly become the biggest storyline in the West has we veer towards the trade deadline and the All-Star break.

The Denver Nuggets appear to have found themselves in the aftermath of Nicola challenging his teamates in public. The Nuggets are too far back to catch the Thunder for the No. 1 seed in the West, but are right where they need to be as far as passing both Memphis and Houston for the No. 2 seed in the West.

This is a beautiful story for Russell Westbrook. I’m so happy for Russell. On my ballot…he’s currently No. 1 for NBA Comeback Player of the Year.

But Russell is only one piece of how the Nugs have turned their season around. Jamal Murray lost some weight and it appears his calf issues have improved. Jamal is on a tear. Every game he looks more like the same guy who was key in the Nuggets’ championship run two years ago.

Even Michael Porter has turned it up a notch or two. Same with Christian Braun who scored 21 points last night in a win over the Sacramento Kings. Same for Julian Strawther who scored 23 points two games ago in another Denver win.

Aaron Gordon is the TSN guy on this team He’s the bluecollar lunchpail worker who in essence is a version of a more offensively skilled Nick Collison. Nick was a better passer, Aaron is a better scorer.

Peyton Watson still needs to pick it up a notch as a bench versatile big, while lo and behold the aged veteran Deandre Jordan is filling the role Jeff Green played two years ago on the championship team.

It’s a team deal, but we all know it’s Nicola who drives this Nuggett bus. He had something like his fifth consectutive triple double last night and is now averaging a triple double for the season. Plus, he heaved in a near full court bucket at the end of the first half last night.

But what makes me happiest of all is that Russell Westbrook’s smile is back. He seems at home…finally.

The only thing I’m going to add about the Thunder’s home loss to an injury decimated Dallas Mav team last night…is that the pressure of winning 70 games no longer exists. The Thunder in these games without Isaiah have found out who in reality may be their co-MVP–that being Isaiah Hartenstein. The Thunder are not the same team without his rebounding and physicality.

Get well soon, Isaiah. Your mates need you.

Note: Russell and I both love Carrie Underwood, but not as much after the debacle on Monday. Here’s the thing though…apparently MJ has a better sound system on his blog than Trump could put in place for his Inaugural. And this guy is going to fix immigration, the debt, the New World Order, and our trade issues…I don’t think so.

But this is for Carrie. She’s married to a hockey player…I’m giving her a mulligan. I could care less about that punk fake tough Cowboy Jason Aldean. F–k that little redneck.

MJ

-Staff Reports-

I think most are now seeing the value of Shai Gilgeous-Alexxander to this version of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Without Shai, the Thunder late last week lost to a Dallas Mav team which did not have either Luka or Derek Lively on the floor.

The Thunder then beat up on the hapless Brooklyn Nets with Shai back in the lineup a couple of nights ago.

Then last night, the Utah Jazz who are arguably the worst team in the West visited Paycom Arena and it took every one of Shai’s career high 54 points to get the Thunder past the lottery headed Jazz.

It can’t be ignored that without Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor the Jazz pounded OKC on the boards last night by the count of 52-39.

I love Jaylin Williams but it can neither be ignored in almost twenty minutes of floor time he had but 2 rebounds against this Jazz team. Two rebounds in twenty minutes of play. I think if I were Coach Mark I’d pull JWill aside today at the team shoot-around and point out to JWill he had 2 rebounds versus the worst team in the Western Conference.

Hey, JWill…MJ loves you and was strongly advocating for the Thunder to pick you from Arkansas…but the Thunder need more out of you and your minutes than 2 rebounds in twenty minutes with Isaiah not available. Let’s see less smiling and some TSN (Toughness, Snarl, Nasty) tonight versus the Mavs without Derek Lively who’s a definite DNP. Command your floor space.

On a more positive note…I enjoyed seeing former OU player EJ Harkless getting some nice floor time for the Jazz last night. I loved EJ during his time in Norman. Porter didn’t use him correctly or in the manner Lon Krueger used EJ, but that’s on Porter.

Anyway…It’s good to see EJ’s NBA career moving in the right direction. Anyone who needs a 10th or 11th roster spot filled with a wing who’s tough as nails defensively and can at times hit the open three should maybe give EJ a look if he’s available at some point this season. Yeah, maybe even someone like Calvin Booth… the GM of the Denver Nuggets.

Dallas at OKC tonight still without Luka and Derek Lively.

I had hoped this second version of Donald Trump would be a more decent human with some sort of human introspection attached, but clearly not the case as we’ve now witnessed POTUS 47 release even the most violent January 6th felons. You know….the ones who dangerously assaulted law enforcement officers on one of the darkest days in the history of the United States.

You know..the types who we’re now going to be arresting on our Southern border to prevent acts of terrorism in our country.

Originally… I had planned to post something in mid-week in regards to Carrie Underwood’s beautiful rendition of America the Beautiful. But now I seriously wonder if I’d be trolling her decision to sing at the Trump inaugural event.

Gosh, maybe Carrie and Jason Aldean could now do a special America the Beautiful video with an accompanying visual video of these felons physically assaulting the defenders of our nation’s capitol.

Yeah, I mean, these Trump felons who with a 30-1 human body count advantage had the sheer human courage to assault these men who were simply doing their jobs. Maybe…Markwayne Mullin could join you two on the video and lip sync as well. That might just be the right down home Oklahoma touch.

Ms. Underwood…I love your music, but right now I’m seriously questioning your adult judgement.

And, hey…don’t feel alone. JD Vance looks even dumber that you do right now in that he clearly agrees with me in that the more violent offenders on January 6th should not have had their sentences commuted. No way. No how.

Hey JD…we now see clearly where your opinions rates on the Donald Trump food chain list. He used you to win the three states in the Rust Bucket, dude. Hillbilly Elegy resonated with these people even if it was a novel.

Joe Rogan, comment, buddy? Brett Baier, you were a part of this as well, slick? You two guys had a part in this in retrospect.

But again…I feel almost certain the Trump Christians will maybe do something like create an 11th Commandment which says something to the effect…”Thouest can assault law enforcement officers when it helps Donald Trump try to steal an election from Sleepy Joe Biden because President Trump couldn’t man up and admit he lost by around 7 million votes.”

I have to stop myself here. Seriously. One of the key things in my hollistic Stage 4 cancer life is to remove all of the unnecessary stress from my life of which I have no control. Anotherwords…Mike J has absolutely no control whatsoever on what Donald Trump does.

So. I stop myself here and say ‘Serenity now’.

How sad and pathetic. You can’t teach an old new tricks. Clearly.

Mike J

When I first saw Russell had joined the Denver Nuggets…I thought there was a chance this might work for both he and the Nuggets.

The obvious first reason is he’d be playing beside Nicola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The other reason I thought he and coach Michael Malone would be a fit at this stage in Russell’s career as he attempts to add the one missing piece to his NBA Hall of Fame career. That being an NBA championship ring.

So far the fit has been better than both Michael Malone and Denver GM Calvin Booth could have hoped for.

Earlier this season the Nuggets basically stunk despite Nicola perhaps having a better season than in any of his three previous NBA regular MVP seasons. Nicola has been superb…add this to the resume–he’s hitting 49% of his threes to compliment the other always excellent components of his game. There is no one in this league at the center position even remotely close to Nicola given the constant health issues with Joel Embiid.

Let’s call it like it was…Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were not playing up their standards or the salaries they’re receiving as the second and third stars of a team which easily won the NBA championship two years ago.

Leadership comes in multiple packages. Nicola is generally a laid back dude with no major ego issues. But he felt the need to address this with the press and make his feelings known to his teammates. Those being, “I can’t do this alone. We need you guys to play up to the level of your game and earn the money you’re being paid.”

Jamal has finally kicked it in. It appears the calf issues and about 10 pounds of weight have been addressed. Michael Porter…I’m not sure about. The Nuggets need his three point shooting deperately given there’s no way in hell Mike Malone wants Russell out there chucking threes at a 28-29% clip. So we’ll see how Calvin Booth feels about Michael Porter Jr. at the trade deadline. Bruce Brown back to the Nuggets from Toronto? I’d take that deal with the Raptors adding another role wing shooter to make the dollar numbers work.

As of this morning the Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the league only 1.5 games out of the second seed in the West. Only the young Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies stand in their way. Houston is still too young is my take. Ja Morant still has a lot of time on his hands to let his team and city down again with some of his off the court bad decisions before now and the end of the NBA reular season. I hope all of that is behind him. He’s such a great talent.

I like Denver’s chances of ascending to the No. 2 seed in the West if Russell can stay locked in on what his teammates in Denver need from him on a nightly basis as the games mean more coming down the stretch.

Russell doesn’t have to be the star. He doesn’t have to be shooting bad threes. He doesn’t have to fill the scoring voids he had in Oklahoma City with Steven Adams and Andre Roberson.

All Russell has to do is keep feeding Nicola, Jamal, and Michael Porter either off the pick and roll, the pick and pop, or the penetrate and kick out to the wings. Just keep doing what he’s been doing. Keep hustling on defense and do the little TSN lunchpail blue collar things.

In closing let me leave you with this stat…when Russell and Nicola have started games together this season…they have the NBA’s two highest individual +/ ratings.

Russell, I’m happy for you. Stay on track. This is fun to watch.

Good luck.

Mike J

First off, congrats to the Ohio Buckeyes on their win over Notre Dame on Monday night at the Peach Bowl to claim their first national championship since 2014.

This was a very deserving Buckeye team who beat Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame on their magical ride to the national championship in our first 12-Team College Football Playoff. All four of the Buckeye wins came over Top Ten teams. And you know what else they did…they pulled the Vegas spread in all four wins. Job well done, Buckeyes. But I still refuse to play your brutal fight song on my blog. Not a chance there. MJ is discerning in that regard.

I’m happy for coach Ryan Day. Maybe this will get the Ohio State fanbase off his ass for losing to Michigan. College football fans amaze me at times…even some of our teasipper crazies in Oklahoma.

Congrats to ‘Dame’ coach Marcus Freeman as well. His team after their shocking early season loss to Northern Illinois was one of the big positive stories this college football season. I’ll play your iconic fight song any day of the week. Nice fight back, guys.

I love Wake Up the Echoes ‘almost’ as much as Boomer Sooner. Boone should have bought O State a new fight song when he owned the univesity. Just sayin’. It might have helped with the brand.

This morning was brutal weather-wise in Deer Crrek. I woke up to 4 degrees on the day my third chemo infusion in this set of six was scheduled. Most of these Trump fake little wannabee tough guys in Oklahoma would have called in sick or rescheduled. Not a chance with MJ. I have too much repsect for Dr. Showalter. Too much repect for the procees of the journey. MJ is never a load management DNP. Never. MJ doesn’t tank either.

So as fate would have it…I was rewarded for my courageous actions and in what I would call an act of divine serendipity…this new little dog at Integris named Toby walked up to me…and gave me that same little dog wag each of my two black lab divas (Dakota and Pauli) gave me the first time we set eyes on each other.

I had some photos taken on my IPhone by one of my nurses which I hope to have posted on my cover page sometime later this week.

Now…I want to make certain I am in no way being disrespectful to Toby Keith because I have so much respect for his music and his devotion to ‘our’ Sooners.

So with me at the hospital moving forward this new magical dog who came into my life on a day I should have called it in will in my heart forever be Little Toby Keith or LTK.

I’m telling you faux Trump Christians in Oklahoma…for those of us who really believe–God does indeed touch the ‘sincere’ believers with his lovingkindness every day.

Eternally, MJ

Pinch me or maybe even strike me in the head with a 2 by 4. I cannot believe we as Americans are where we are this morning as Donald Trump stands on the cusp of being sworn in as the 47th POTUS in American presidential history.

To think that the same pariah who tried to overthrow a presidential election on January 6, 2021…would today become our 47th president is beyond stunning for me. It disheartens me as I close in on the final chapter or two in my life.

I want to be very careful moving forward on my blog as to not allow myself to use hyberbole or partisanship of any sort in my blogging during Trump’s second term. This should be easy for me though because I was at one time a moderate Rebublican and have been a pragmatic Independent since 2000. I repeat….I have never been a member of the Democratic party. I am not a lit-woke mofo in any shape, form, or fashion.

First thing…did Donald Trump win any kind of mandate moving forward? He did not. He did not win the popular vote by attaining a fifty percent threshold. He got torched in most of America’s urban college educated jursidictions, but slayed Kamala Harris in America’s rural counties across our country. Trump in fact, won 90% of America’s counties, but only 49.6 of the popular vote.

From my view, he did win a convoluted mandate on the Southern border because it was Trump in fact who dismantled the bi-partisan immigration bill led by Oklahoma’s own James Lankford. Trump in essence, made sure the Southern border would in no way be fortified during the last year of Joe Biden’s one-term presidency.

The biggest political asset Trump had in fact…was Joe Biden’s horrific judgement in choosing to ignore practical common sense and seek a second term. Then, the Dems compounded this by allowing Kamala Harris to become their candidate without her winning one SINGLE vote in a Democratic primary. Explain to me…when the Democratic party is assailing Trump’s takeover of American democracy, the Democratic party then unilaterally promoted a candidate who failed miserably in her previous attempt to even be viable in her only run for the party’s nomination in 2020.

How is this American democracy?

Give Joe Biden and Kamala Harris what I would call a hockey double assist. The hypocrisy of this did not go unnoticed by the average American voter. Yet, I did begrudingly vote for Kamala Harris. It was the toughest vote I’ve made for the presidency in my lifetime. But let me say this, if the GOP had acted responsibly and nominated a different candidate.. I would have voted for that candidate.

Would Kamala Harris have won her party’s nomination if she’s been challenged by Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Mark Kelly, Hakeem Jeffries, or some other candidate who caught some magic in a bottle during the primary season? We’ll never know…because for the average guy or gal in the street it appears Joe Biden and James Clyburn unilaterally made that decision on their own.

In essence…Donald Trump drew into a Grover Cleveland inside straight in a presidential poker game of sorts.

So…here’s what I would say to Donald Trump… I’ll be more than fair to you on my blog. I want you to succeed. I actually want you to be an effective president who governs on behalf of all Americans, not just Elon Musk, Jeff Besos, Mark Zuckerberg and Google.

I want you to fight for all the people in this country who need to believe their president is fighting for them so as they can aspire to claim a piece of the American Dream. You will not be seeking a second term. You have a rare opportunity to do things which benefit the working people in this country whose parents and grandparents made America great.

Please govern all 330 million Americans in a fair-minded way.

Mike J