Welcome to OKCThunderGround!

I love this time of year heading into Thanksgiving. It’s when my interest in the NFL starts to get going as we wind down the college football season.

It’s cold this morning in Deer Creek out on the mini-ranch. But as always I do my job feeding the deer and the now twenty-two wild turkeys who have pretty much bonded with us. We have some geese hanging around as well and maybe around eight deer. The other bird species are amazing. I love having pet owls. It’s like a refuge of sorts.

Back when my father was still practicing law and had had a particularly tough day in court….he’d come sit in our backyard which is completely unfenced and natural….and smoke a cigar while marveling at the wildlife and birds.

He’d say…”Michael..this is paradise. I envy you. Why do I waste my time representing these people?”

I’d say, “I dunno, dad. But we all march to the beat of a different drummer. I love reading your cases since I’m not the one having to represent these people. Please don’t stop. This is bettter than a John Grisham novel every week.”

I really miss my dad. I do. He would view Trump just as I do because of the simple reason that under our Rule of Law everyone should be viewed as EQUAL. So f–k that and piss that on down the road with you Trump people. Equal??? Are you kidding?

I’m not a hunter. To me hunting is for slow white guys who were never able to play football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tournament racquetball, or ski the blacks. If you gave the deer a rifle with a scope…then maybe I’d take hunting seriously beyond the fact it gives the Joe Bob Bubbas of the world a chance to think they’re real men living on the edge.

Yeah, whatever. I know.

Green Bay has always been my team. Always. My love for the Packers as a kid was cemented by the Ice Bowl and strengthed by Jerry Kramer’s three awesome books describing the inner Camelot workings of the dynasty. These three books were Instant Replay, Winning is the Only Thing, and My Farewell to Football.

If you really want to understand the evolution of the NFL, the merger, and how the Super Bowl became the greatest sporting event in America then I’d reccomend all three books. And if you want to learn why its called the Lombardi Trophy–then at the least read Instant Replay.

What a great football week-end it was for me from a football standpoint. OU routed Alabama and then on Sunday the Packers destroyed the 49’ers. The Packers are having a very nice 8-3 year so far. The only problem with that though is Minnesota and Detroit are both having incredible seasons. But I still think if the Packers get in as a wild card they’re a dangerous team.

Jordan Love is on his way to becoming the next Bret Farve or Aaron Rodgers…and the team did a great job in replacing the departed Aaron Jones with Josh Jacobs.

It was absolutely seamless in the manner in which the Packers unloaded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets and put their faith in Jordan Love at just the right juncture. Perfect. Let someone else babysit, Aaron. It’s very sad for me to watch a great player like Aaron end his career as he has in New York.

Green Bay needs better edge rushers though. You gotta have great edge rushers to win a Super Bowl in my view. Look at what OU did with their edge rushers on Milroe. That should be the Packers priority this next off season. So I’m at this point thinking KC, Buffalo, Detroit and Philly as my top four bets to win the Super Bowl. Until someone shows me they can beat Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce when it matters…it’s still the Chiefs from my view. Show me.

Anyway…I can’t wait till tomorrow night when the Thunder travel west to play the Warriors in the Steph and Shai On the Bay national showcase game heading into Thanksgiving.

Have a serene Tuesday.

Mike J

I definitely want this on my blog before the thought process moves to the LSU game.

This kid has fought through more than any first year OU quarterback since maybe Paul Thompson in 2005 when he lost the QB job to Rhett Bomar after a horrible outing versus TCU. Of course…Paul Thompson came back the next year and regained the starting QB job after Bob Stoops booted Bomar from the team.

I’m assuming Brendan Thompson will not be available for LSU…so in essence depending on Dion Burks’ availability—-that means OU’s top six receivers heading into Baton Rouge may not be available.

And yet this kid keeps plugging away. I’ve never seen an OU team decimated at a position like they have this season at the wide receiver position.

My advice for Joe Jon Finley is to turn Jackson loose on the run game just as Lincoln Riley did with Jalen Hurts. Turn him loose in a smart way and get Xavier Robinson a minimum of twenty touches as well. The quarterback flush in my view is a quarterback run play btw. Jackson was awesome on his quarterback flush opportunities versus Alabama.

I am absolutely certain Jackson’s parents are incredibly proud of their son’s resolve and mental tenacity. Bravo.

I’m giving Xavier Robinson a helmet sticker as well. That’s bullshit on my part for not giving X a helmet sticker on Sunday morning. This true freshman from Carl Albert has been amazing. His furure burns bright.

No more thoughts on Alabama.

Beat LSU and finish strong.

Mike J

Recently…one of my O State friends shared his thought with me that Brent Venables was Gary Gibbs II.

I did not reply because at this point I do not count O State football fans relevant or even remotely knowledgeable about the current world of college football. Anotherwords…I let it go because it would have been like arguing 2+2=4 with the fake Trump Christians.

I just let it go….and whispered to myself, “You stupid, clueless motherfucker. Stay close to your wheelhouse with that fathead Robert Allen and Pistols Firing and don’t ever veer from that path.”

Those of us who blog at a high content level know when to let that type of nonsensical horsehit go. Those type of thoughts and comments rightly belong on Jim Traber’s show on the Sports Animal.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Shane Beamer as well, and in my book Coach Beamer should be in the discussion for National Coach of the Year.

But I think Joe C and Joe H got it right. It’s just taken some time with Caleb Williams’ exit and a complete overhaul of Lincoln Riley’s Big 12 level mindset of nonphysical football.

The transition from the tier five level of what Big 12 football is without OU and Texas would have been tough even without Riley’s exodus to SoCal where he will eventually be fired. It takes some time and this first year wasn’t helped by the fact the Sooners are playing perhaps the nation’s toughest schedule.

So its a process, a journey.

Just like like fighting back from Stage 4, Catastrophic Level 5 bone cancer.

You have to believe in your faith of God, in yourself, and those in your inner circle. Plus…you have to work your ass off.

BTW…if Lincoln is at some point interested in coming back to Norman as the offensive coordinator or the QB coach that’s not something I would automatically dismiss.

Have a great Monday.

I need a workout song to get me revved up on a cold, cloudy Monday in Oklahoma.

Mike J

Per USA Today …OU has played the third toughest schedule in FBS this season. Coming into yesterday…seven of OU’s foes were ranked in the Top 25 with unranked LSU waiting in Baton Rouge next week-end.

I’ve been watching OU football since the last days of Gomer Jones. By far, this is the most challenging football schedule in OU history. Not even close.

Coach Venables has never made nor offered any excuses for some of the team’s self destructive offensive issues this season with turnovers. If you know football at all, you know any time you commit three turnovers in a game against a quality foe it’s tough to win.

As OU fans we all knew this was going to be tough in the SEC…very tough in fact. But here’s the thing…in life if you want to get better—you put yourselves up against the best and see how you can become better.

OU led at haltime on the road against Ole Miss, but just wasn’t good enough in the second half. OU should have won the game at Missouri, but self-destructed in the final two minutes.

For this group to pull themselves off the mat and beat Alabama as they did last night is a memory which will be etched in all ‘real’ OU football fans forever.

So…next week–if OU wants to win the game they need to win the turnover battle and put the heat on the LSU quarterback who has himself struggled at times with his own turnover problems. Jackson, Xavier Robinson, and maybe Devontae Barnes if healthy… will again need to rush for over 200-225 yards. And if anyone is still standing in the wide receiver’s room by game time…they’ll need to catch some passes and give the Sooners some semblance of an air game.

Taylor Tatum…I love your big play potential, but this is a level of ball where fumbles are lethal. Hold on to the damn football.

I love Coach Venables’ story. If I had a son playing college football, I’d be proud to have him playing for Brent Venables.

Mike J

That’s more like the OU football standard. You win the physicality battle on both lines of scrimmage, win the turnover battle, be solid in the kicking game… and run the damn football.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

That is the script to winning games in the SEC.

I’m so proud of Brent Venables, Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman and the other OU players who made their last appearance in Norman.

It’s a huge in that it keeps OU’s nation leading bowl appearance streak intact. But more importantly it changes the narrative moving forward for the program. It changes the take for high school recruits and transfer portal players who now know OU is just really several pieces away from being relevant again.

My three helmet stickers go to Jackson Arnold, Ethan Downs, and Trace Ford.

Trace Ford and Etahn Downs were awesone all night long. They hit and hurried Jalen Milroe for sixty minutes. Almost knocked him out of the game with a TKO in the fourth period. It was like watching the old OU football team treat Spencer Sanders like their bitch in the last Bedlam game played in Norman.

There’s still some things to clean up like Taylor Tatum’s early fumble on the Alabama twenty yardline. The missed chip shot field goal by Zach Schmidt, and the dropped pass on an otherwise beautiful trick play which should have scored another touchdown.

Jackson Arnold, dude…that’s the version of yourself you need to replicate to be the OU starting quarterback. I’m proud of you. You ignored the outside chatter and believed in yourself, your coach, and your teammates. And that’s life, buddy. That’s how you win life or at the least get through it with your dignity intact. I’m incredibly proud of you. You were like a mini-version of Jalen Hurts with your tough running game.

No time to savor the win though. Next week in Baton Rouge to close out the regular season.

Great job, guys.

I’m so proud of you.

Mike J

Golden State didn’t play last night. I was wrong. The Western Conference’s first place team plays tonight at New Orleans, then in the second ESPN game we get my other two favorite Western Conference teams in what should be a great matchup with Dallas at Denver.

I’ve moved the Thunder back down to four because their fanbase is genuinely somewhat nasty and snarky.

I’m stoked for tonight though…for certain.

What I did watch last night on TNT was a fantastic two-man scramble golf match between the Charles Barkley-Ken Griffey Jr team and the Bill Murray-Wayne Gretzky team.

What a great golf match which was decided when Gretzky nailed about a ten-footer in sudden death golf for his group to advance.

Charles has genuinely upped his game. He says he’s now a 12 and I believe it watching him putt in this match. Ken Jr. by far has the best swing. Gretzky had the roughest swing, but the guy is just a cold-blooded winner. And I thought Bill Murray’s overall game was excellent. The former loose-lipped looper a.k.a. Carl Spackler was sublime and hilarious keeping Charles within the boundaries of the rules.

The most fun I’ve had watching a golf match since Kenny Lee won the U.S. Open over Donnie Smithern at the U.S. Open in Dead Solid Perfect.

Charles Barkley is a national treasure and should in fact be POTUS 47.

Dead Solid Perfect…mine and John Daly’s all-time No. 1 golf movie. Dan Jenkins at his zenith. His diologue is unbelievable.

Kenny Lee says, “Don’t worry, Grover, if there was a sportswriter in here….Donnie would have already gone down on him.”

Dan Jenkins…you and my Dad–if you only knew how much I miss both of you in these horseshit phony days of the Trump Christians.

It’s good to laugh.

Have a wonderful week-end.

Mike J

Okay…a thought before I go watch the Golden State game tonight. I in no way want to be overly dramatic here on the blog, but I honestly do not know if I’ll still be around for the next presidential election in 2028. I do not know.

But I do know this…for me to not go completly batfuck crazy living in Oklahoma with guys like Ryan Walters and Markwayne Mullin…I am predicting I will need to play this song at the minimum once a week to keep my calm.

I love this song.

It centers me and reminds me what is important every day.

Mike J

I don’t want to gloat with ‘you people’, but I somewhat tried to tell you the Matt Gaetz nonsensical AG nomination was complete and total bullshit.

I would say this video pretty much sums up Matt Gaetz and the Donald Trump nomination of Matt Gaetz as the top lawyer in the U.S Justice Department.

Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Mike Tyson, Herschel Walker again, or maybe Mr. Pillow?

Here’s a unique idea for you people…why not select an adult who’s actually qualified for the position.

Just a thought.

MJ

Nice little Thunder debut by Isaiah Hartenstein as the Thunder stopped their recent slide with a win over the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night at Pay.Com.

Portland isn’t very good and their center play is rather weak, but I like what I saw for certain from Isaiah. He runs the floor well and I don’t see him in any way slowing down the fast Thunder pace which will be key to their team success moving forward.

Obviously…his physicality on the boards is a huge plus, I also like the way he looked for the extra pass on several occasions.

Now, for certain….Portland isn’t very good and their bigs are in my estimation near the bottom of the Western Conference, but I very much like what I saw.

Another very important thing…he should take some toll off of the shoulders of both Shai and JDub and in essense give the team muliple options instead of just playing small ball.

This is a small sample and we’ll know more after we see him play against AD, Jokic, the Minnesota bigs, the Dallas bigs and other centers in the West…buy, yeah…for certain a solid debut for Isaiah Hartenstein.

In closing…I see Clay Bennett as of yet hasn’t removed okcthunderground.com from the internet. Just saying.’

The truth of the matter is… I bet Clay Bennett loves the underground because all of the other Thunder blogs are a collective piece of passive submissive pedestrian sissy boy horseshit.

Have a blessed day and let’s all work together to make our country great and whole once again.

Mike J

Actually, I’m somewhat embarrassed I was stupid enough to even reply to the three angry Trump fake Christians who posted on my blog this past weekend regarding my Matt Gaetz comments.

That’s totally on me. I should have ignored them. I should have taken the high ground and just let it go. If I suggested to these people 2 + 2 = 4 … they’d insist I’m a radical left liberal with a Marxist agenda. That’s on me. Totally on me for being stupid enough to engage with these people. I should have known better. Lesson learned.

Trying to address stupid in Oklahoma at this jucture is pointless and I need to come to terms with that fact. I need to be better. I’m better than what I allowed myself to be with these three humans.

And, hey..btw Clay Bennett, please don’t fire me from my own domain. Good lord.

I was at Dr. Showalter’s office yesterday for a fairly critical consultation on my prospects for continuing to be a Stage 4 cancer survivor. As I sat in the waiting room looking around at other cancer patients… I kind of teared up a little bit just thinking about the journey. Where I was a little over two years ago…how tough the journey back has been, and how proud I am of how far I’ve come from what in essence was ground zero for me.

Lombardi once said, “Sometimes…winning isn’t everything. It the fact you’ve given the ultimate inside of yourself to reach the goal.” Coach Lombardi would be proud of me right now. I’ve already won regardless how this ends for me. I bet Brent Venables would trade places with me right now.

Yesterday was the perfect day for me to reset and nudge myself back where I need to be spiritually moving forward.

As I was standing in front of the elevator waiting to go home…someone from behind grabbed me and said, “Hey…how come you didn’t stop and talk to me?” It was Charity.

I said, ” I didn’t want to bother you. I figured I was starting to become a pain in the ass.”

She said, ” No way. I love talking to you. It’s never a bother.”

Then she said, ” So…how’d it go?”

I answered, ” Some of it was really good, some of it not quite as good.”

She then asked, ” What does that mean?”

“It means, uh….. if you were in Vegas betting my over/under you might be good taking 70, but maybe not as good taking 72.5”

She said, “Nah…you’re a fighter. Don’t sell yourself short.”

I hugged her and said, “Thanks. You’re a real friend.”

She said, “Likewise. See you next time, right?”

“Absolutely.”

So you know..it’s like God was sending me various messages yesterday via Charity. Like you know…always take the time to live every day to its fullest in the most positive manner possible. While at the same time realizing that I did the polar opposite on Sunday by wasting my time talking to people who had already made up their mind on me without really knowing me at all.

I feel like I’m back on the right path again.

Have a beautiful Tuesday.

Mike J