Month: September 2023

What a glorious Sunday morning after Week 3 of our college football season. I feel literally like a little kid on Christmas morning with each passing week because of Dr. Showalter telling me none of this was probably going to happen for me until I became a little cancer miracle of sorts.

If you think I’m bullshitting here on the blog, I’m not. I take every day as a unique blessing from God. Some very profound life lessons are firmly in place as I move forward with this mulligan life of mine.

That’s how I look at it…God has given me the ultimate mulligan. Can’t hit the three wood off the tee box from this point…have to waggle and go with the big boy driver moving forward.

Yesterday…I did my toughest terrian bike run yet for forty minues all at the highest level and most of it in the climbing mode. Then I did twenty minutes of light weight work and then headed over to my favorite Hideaway Pizza place near the Integris Cancer Center and watched both the OU-Tulsa and Georgia-South Carolina games.

I stayed a bit longer after those games and watched Alabama struggle mightily at home against a South Florida team in a game which wasn’t decided until the last minute of play.

OU and Texas will both be fine in the SEC once the national playoff goes to twelve teams. What I’m seeing in the SEC is somewhat diluted teams in Alabama, Georgia, and LSU as a result of the portal and the fact OU, Texas, and even Texas A&M are reducing the talent pool for the traditional southern teams by poaching elite talent.

Conversely, a program like Oklahoma State without the largesse of Boone Pickens, will basically fade into football oblivion unless someone saves them. From what I’ve observed in the first three weeks of this season to date is O State and Iowa State are the two worst teams in the conference and in no way will be that much better next year even without OU and Texas in the Big 12.

I’ll even go as far to write this as an OU fan who wasted thirty minutes of his life last night watching O State get mauled at home by South Alabama is this, if I were say Colin Oliver…I’d pretty much at this point be getting in touch with Coach Venables and seeing if something could be worked out in the portal at the conclusion of this football season. OU needs more edge pass rushing and Colin I think would be a perfect fit…. just like Trace Ford and Kelly Maxwell.

You know…and I write this knowing OU hasn’t proven a single thing this football season so far…it’s a little funny with all the Trump support you observe at rural colleges like O State and Iowa State…that places like these can’t come to terms with the economically raw Darwinian aspects of the NIL and portal aspects of what college football has become.

I mean this in all seriousness…either put your money where your mouth is and walk the walk or shut up as make believe Darwinian-Trump free market phonies. Four words of advice….*adapt and get better*–in a hurry.

That’s it for me now now. I think I’ll settle in and watch an NFL game and then head to Mitch Park and see if I can do my first three mile hike this evening.

Congrats to Kristin Welker on a very solid first show of Meet the Press. She’s going to be a fine moderator.

Day by day. Don’t ever waste a day.

MJ

This will be very brief for me today as I need to go get after it at the OKC Healthy Living Center this glorious almost fall morning in Deer Creek, Oklahoma.

Just unbelievable this morning as our six wild turkeys are all back after mating season and we had three deer just off the back porch with me almost within whispering distance. It was as if they understand the total goodness in me even though I was banned from the estrogen heavy Daily Thunder messageboard.

I gotta run. Enough of that bullshit…that’s in my rear view mirror as in gone…. given I’m now a highly respected contributor to the SEC Super Conference blog/messageboard.

Gotta go and get locked and loaded before the OU-Tulsa kickoff.

Don’t laugh.

Deion-Nikki Haley 2024….Why Not?

Life is good.

Seriously.

MJ

I am so jacked right now. The arrival of fall has inflated my energy level threefold this week. I’ve worked out every day this week minus Tuesday…and yet what I’m finding is with the ‘Flexigan’ diet of which I’ve embraced…my recovery time is pretty much like it was in my early thirties.

The wife, who is hanging out on a Florida beach this week, was talking a little smack-nonsense to me about a race at the 3.5 mile walking trail at Mitch Park when she gets back.

I threw out the gauntlet and said, “Let’s go. How much are we wagering on this little race?”

She was taken aback somewhat by my brazen cockiness and hubris. She hesiated. Never pause and show your inner weakness.

I reiterated, ” Let’s put some money on this.”

She did not reply.

See MJ winking to self.

Like Deion does with these weak little insecure white college football coaches….I let her know who was the alpha Deion and who is the wannabe Deion.

Undefeated Colorado plays Colorado State this Saturday. I will be shocked if the Golden Buffs do not emerge from this game at 3-0 heading into PAC 12 play.

OU plays at Tulsa and if the Sooners have not scored at the minimum 35 points by halftime in this game I will be concerned about the Sooners next game at Cincy.

I would look for Gunnar Gundy to become O State’s starting QB as O State plays a sneakly decent South Alabama squad at the Boone tomorrow.

That’s it for me today. I think I’ll be doing my OU-Tulsa reporting from the Poblano Grill on Saturday.

Live life to the fullest every day. Never take a day for granted.

Peace.

I tell you this, as a lifelong Packer fan, it broke my heart watching Aaron go down on his fourth play with the NY Jets on Monday night versus the Buffalo Bills.

I was more than okay with Aaron leaving Green Bay to join the Jets. It was time. The longtime relationship with the Packers had worn a little stale. Aaron needed a change, and the Packers needed to allow Jordan Love his time to show what he can become as an NFL starting QB.

So on Sunday, Jordan and his Packer buddies mauled the always rebuilding Chicago Bears, who in my mind… have become the most hapless franchise in the NFC minus perhaps the Arizona Cardinals.

Jordan Love was just basically perfect. As in picture.

Jordan looked every bit the part as did Aaron when he succeeded Bret Farve as the Packer’s QB. Being the Packer’s starting QB in my lifetime has pretty much been one of pro football’s elite positions. From Bart Starr to Lynn Dickey to Bret Farve to Aaron Rodgers.

Only Lynn Dickey did not win a Super Bowl with the Packers. Starr, Farve, and Rodgers are Hall of Famers. Only the football gods know what will be Jordan Love’s place in Green Bay quarterbacking lore.

But back to Aaron. In my little NFL book I keep in my constantly churning sports addicted brain….. I have Aaron right there with Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback of all-time.

Tom has more rings, by a lot. Aaron though has more natural ability which takes your breath away from you when you sit and watch a highlight reel of his greatest plays in his football career.

Tom and Aaron both have that burning will to compete. Both were somewhat discarded at times in their college days. Both had disappointing showings in their NFL draft classes.

And here I sit typing on my little blog the admiration I have for both of their competitive souls and the fact neither have ever allowed physical road blocks to stop them from competiting within themselves. These guys inspire me in my continuing battle against Stage 4 cancer.

Just like with Klay Thompson fighting thru an ACL and then an Achilles injury as well. Life can be hard. It can seem unfair at times. But whether you’re an alite athlete or just a normal guy…at times you have to cut through the darkness and summon your ‘inner dog.’

We have to put our faith in God, close our eyes and find the inner strength….and compete within our own competitive souls.

I just don’t see Aaron allowing that fourth play on Monday night to be his final play as an NFL quarterback.

I need to go work out at the OKC Healthy Living Wellness Center and do my thing.

I have no idea what I’m going to blog about tomorrow. Maybe …I’ll just wakeup and surprise myself.

MJ

Somebody in God forsaken Oklahoma please give me a break on all this.

Such drama.

Here’s point one….Joe C and OU knew exactly what Art Briles-Baylor baggage they were getting the day they hired Jeff Lebby for the simple reason Lebby was a part of that historically stained Baylor staff.

Again…I will reiterate, other than the Joe Paterno-Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State…what transpired under Art Briles’s watch at Baylor is in my view the second most beinous scandal in college football in my lifetime.

If somebody out there has a more compelling No. 2 on their list, please comment on my modest content rich blog.

And, based on what I’ve seen from Jeff Lebby as a play-caller…I’m not sure why OU would even hire Jeff Lebby. Risk versus reward doesn’t seem to be in play on this hire. OU needs another problem like Joe Biden needs Hunter Biden.

Lebby’s judgement on this past Saturday was certainly flawed, but it’s not like Art Briles was given a sideline pass by anybody at OU. He simply walked onto the field with his grandchildren to have a moment with his son-in-law and family…AFTER THE GAME. No big deal in my view…especially in a rogue red Trump state where 80% of the people think it perfectly fine for the grifter to hang Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi in public view on cable television.

Where all the sudden did this thing called a moral compass come from in God forsaken Oklahoma I ask aloud to myself?

I can’t even tell you how many times after an OU football or basketball game I’ve sauntered onto the floor or court wearing OU attire. And let me be clear…I was in my younger days one of the more animated OU fans at either venue. To the point…basketball official Ed Hightower almost had me ejected from Lloyd Noble Arena after I sat front row center court in the student section at the OU-Kansas game the year after the robbery at Kemper Arena in the national championship game.

So what I’m saying is…..Jeff Lebby didn’t really do anything all that bad on Saturday other than call 49 running plays to 27 passing plays and fail to get the ball in his more explosive playmakers hands in the first three quarters of play.

I’m guessing more than half of the ‘faux’ outrage from Sooner Nation is more connected to the listless playcalling versus the Art Briles family photo.

So…I checked in on Traber, Tramel, and Little Miss Perfect yesterday to get their takes.

Traber… of course, espoused moral outrage. Jenni wants Art Briles banned from the city limits of Norman, and Tramel…the consumate OU insider who never ever writes anything which might jeopardize his ‘off the record’ status with Joe C…basically stalled, held the football for ten seconds…and then punted because he knows better than anyone in Oklahoma he needs that ‘off the record’ status with Joe C to make his new blog with Toby Keith something different.

BTW…I applaud those guys for giving this concept of sports journalism a try in Oklahoma…but, sometimes man, you have to do more than punt the ball and wait for the 24/7 news cycle to expire.

Sometimes…you have to write from your soul and heart and tell it exactly as you see it.

And that’s precisely one of the reasons I started my own small blog.

That being, Sam Presti, Clay Bennett, Mike Gundy and Joe C will never ever tell me what content I can or cannot write on my blog.

Have a wonderful Tuesday on this crisp autumn day in Oklahoma.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll blog on Aaron Rodgers’ four play career with the New York Jets. Tom Brady to the NY Jets anyone?

MJ

I’d love to have TB on my pick up team over at the OKC Healthy-Wellness Center. I can tell…he’s already bored. Hate what happened to Aaron, but the NY Jets should give Tom a call. What could it hurt?

If you close your eyes, put your political partisan shades away, and for get the fact the U.S. fooshishly invaded Iraq after 9/11….. this is a beautiful speech which all Americans should take the time to heed in these tumultuous times in which we live.

Who would have ever thought Bush 43 would evolve into one of the few voices of reason for what used to be the Republican Party?

Like his fellow Texan, LBJ, Bush greatly tarnished his ultimate presidential legacy by leading America into a misguided war. But on the positive side….Bush 43 actually did some rather nice things at home which get lost at times.

Bush started the No Child Left Behind program. He started the discussions for prescription drug relief for seniors. And this may shock some, but it was Bush 43 who led America into giving the continent of Africa financial support in their fight against AIDS.

I mean, as I move around the Deer Creek ‘ranch’ today amidst the slow rain and autumn-like temperatures….. I never would have thought Bush 43 would evolve into one of the true lone voices of compassionate conservatism in our country.

Historically, you have to wonder how Bush 43’s legacy might have changed if he had passed on Dick Cheney and picked someone with a more reasoned prism of who actually was responsible for 9/11.

Anyway…I think this was a lovely speech and one all Americans should consider today as we reflect on 9/11.

MJ

I saw this last night before I went to bed….and I have to tell you it kind of stunned me. Since Jeff Lebby took the offensive coordinator’s job at OU after the Lincoln Riley exodus…the Jeff Lebby-Art Briles deal had pretty much left my mind.

I thought all of that was behind Jeff Lebby and his days at Baylor as an assistant under his father-in-law Art Briles.

Guerin Emig previously of the Tulsa World, and now a writer on the Toby Keith-Barry Tramel Sellout Crowd sports blog… asked the question at the end of Saturday night’s post presser after the Sooners’ 28-11 win over SMU.

The question he asked basically was what in the world was Art Briles doing on the OU field after the game on Saturday night?

Jeff Lebby pretty much answered that Art Briles is the father of his grandchildren. The fact that only Joe Paterno exited college football head coaching with a more toxic exit than any other coach I can remember in my lifetime….. in no way seems to faze Jeff Lebby about having his father-in-law on the OU field.

This will be interesting to observe this week given Joe C made it very clear with Lebby’s hiring none of Jeff Lebby’s association with Art Briles would be condoned at OU.

I’m not the moral guardian type on my blog. To this day I still see the Joe Mixon incident from two different prisms. One of forgiveness, versus one of intolerance. In the end…I’m glad that incident didn’t ruin Joe Mixon’s life.

Last year…I would not have fired Cale Gundy for what he did during a player’s position meeting with his wide receivers.

My guess is both Jenni Carlson and Jim Traber will have this story front and center because they both seem to view themselves as the moral guardians of the Oklahoma sports scene.

I have enough on my plate right now without writing too much on this for the time being. But I will be acutely interested as to how Berry Tramel, Jenni Cralson, and Jim Traber opine on this matter tomorrow.

This will be interesting to observe for certain.

MJ

Editor’s note: Damn, I mispelled guardian on my ‘moral guardian’ phrase. I have to be better than that. Somewhere up in grammar heaven….Mrs. Juanita Elijah is giving me that Mike Jackson scowl.

Amidst all the college and NFL football, plus the U.S. Open tennis finals I’ve been watching this week-end as I celebrate Mike’s first cancer survivor week-end…..Chuck Todd of my favorite Sunday morning news show called it quits at Meet the Press after nine years at the helm.

I liked Chuck on the show and he was certainly an upgrade from the very weak David Gregory, but he was not Timmy Russert in any regard. But then again who could be?

Meet the Press is America’s longest running news show and Chuck was the eleventh moderator. Kristen Welker will become MTP’s new mod. She’s okay. I think I’d be better though. She’s a little dry for me. I mean, yeah, she’s been NBC’s White House correspondent during these tumultous years of the the grifter Trump, but has she ever really laid it all out there like I have here at the longest running OKC Thunder Underground network like I’ve done out here at the modest studio in Deer Creek, Oklahoma?

I think not.

I mean…MTP would be just wheel house for me. The history, the politics, the law, the interviews with the Fed Chairman and cabinet members, the occassional artsy shit they do every now and again at NBC….and of course the sports. Just like Timmy Russert did with the Buffalo Bills ….I’d sign off every Sunday urging my Green Bay Packers onto another ring.

I was made for that job.

But I guess…knowing that in these times of lit wokeness and political correctness Kristen Welker a woman of color would seeem the logical choice.

So alas….I trudge forward here at okcthunderground.com in my own modest way bringing my random readers the very best in world wide content.

Good luck, Kristen.

MJ

Beating Arkansas St. like a red-headed stepchild means very little to me. SMU actually has some decent skill people on offense…so what I’m looking for today is this OU defense to actually tackle in space, sack the QB, create turnovers, and put opposing players on the ground with a meancing state of mind attached.

Simply put…I want to see players on the defensive side of the football pull their link on the chain.

That’s it for me today…OU-wise.

I’m jacked.

I’m going Nebraska-Colorado in my first game, then the OU game, then of course…Coach Saban group versus the hated Texas Longhorns.

Who am I pulling for in this game?

Alabama, of course. I hope they kick Texas’s ass all over the field because Coach Saban’s teams actually walk the walk while Texas football has pretty much been a joke for the past fifteen years.

Plus, I want every Texas player walking onto that Cotton Bowl field in the RRR to somewhat be doubting their legitimacy as a football team.

I think I’ll go take a little walk, clear my thoughts, and then watch the Colorado Buffs game of the Week.

I think I’m pretty much healthy.

Boomer!

A little SEC music would be nice to get me in the appropriate mindset before I join the posters on the SEC SuperConference blog/messageboard this morning.

I’m going to miss Jimmy Buffett, but otherwise everything else this week has been exceptionally good for me.

On Tuesday….I headed over to the Integris Cancer Center and had my blood drawn for my monthly labs. Big Mike, who looks likes the Philly cop Big Mike in Breaking Bad, and who is a drummer in a rock band on the side, told me how proud he was of me for how far I’ve come since he saw me the first time. I almost cried. I love Big Mike.

Then after leaving the lab, I headed over to the Phyisical Therapy room and asked the receptionist…. Shannon, if Charity was availabe for a minute. Shannon smiled and said, ” I’m pretty sure she is Michael.”

Not long after Charity stepped into the lobby and looked at me. She smiled and walked over…then said, “You look great. What’s the word?”

I said, ” I think I’m on the cusp of living and becoming a Stage 4 cander survivor quite possibly.”

She hugged me and said, ” Keep checking in with me. Okay?”

I answered, ” For sure and thank you so much for all you did. Words cannot express. Seriously…thank you.” Again..for the second time…I almost cried.

So then yesterday, it was time for my very big six month evaluation with Dr. Showalter.

Dr. Showwalter walks in with his charts, his lab results, and my two Pet Scans and smiles. He said, “This is somewhat remarkable how far you’ve come since the first time I saw you. You’re on the cusp of being cancer free. Let’s just stay on the same track, but you won’t need to see me again until mid December. We’ll stay right on the same trajectory with the monthly shots and the daily chemo prescription. We’ll still do the monthly labs, but we have turned a sizeable corner. I’m proud of how you’ve handled this.”

I have to tell you…this was a very emotional moment for me. This was the first time I cried in all of this. But these were purely tears of joy. I was so elated I walked out of the hospital and forgot to get my monthly shots in the infusion room.

I drove all the way back to Deer Creek..then realized I needed to get my shots and drove back and got my shots.

At this point…I was pretty emotionally spent so I spent the rest of the day with my wife and passed on the Barry Switzer deal at Othello’s in Norman.

But I am going to write some things about Coach Switzer sometime this week-end. And then next Monday or so…I want write some more on my cancer experience to date…because there are truly some things I want to write about all of this moving forward for me.

A huge week-end of college football tomorrow with Colorado-Nebraska, Texas-Alabama, and SMU-Oklahoma at the top of my watch list.

I think we’re almost past the brutal heat after tomorrow. Take care and enjoy the football.

MJ