The Good Stuff

We have a ton to cover this week so let's dispense with the pleasantries. Think back to Oklahoma's football season a year ago.

The lasting image remains OU on the losing end of an epic clash with the little team that could, Boise St. The Sooners' record ended at a very respectable 11-3 mark.

Here are two thoughts to ponder as we ready for another season. By now you have read the vague "secondary" violations the football program incurred a week ago.

Football players were given illegal substances. Steroids? Human Growth Hormone? Mylanta? Who knows? The specific substance was not revealed.

How many of those W's would have been L's? The players received an unfair competitive edge over their opponents. Secondary violation?

Isn't this reminiscent of Barry Bonds telling reporters he didn't know the "cream" and the "clear" were steroids. He never knowingly cheated? It was all a big misunderstanding. Nothing to see here, move along.

Now, imagine the outrage if the Texas Longhorns and Mack Brown were found guilty of the same infraction. Sooner Nation would collectively come unglued and rightfully so.

Perhaps these issues have been sorted out by the local media. There is a chance OU and the Stoops' train have already been taken to task for another in the long line of missteps. I am sure the university has taken proper action to ensure the coaching staff runs a tight ship in the future.

You'll have to excuse me as I was out of town last week. However, my gut tells me another "Get Out Of Jail Free" card was handed out.

Foul Ball. The Tulsa Drillers streak of three consecutive first-half North Division titles ended. It was quite a run considering the yearly turnover in the Rockies' farm system.

However, the Drillers always washed out in the postseason. Could the end of this streak parlay into the beginning of a second-half/postseason run for the ages? Sorry, that was overtly melodramatic wasn't it?

On a serious note, kudos to six current Drillers on making the All-Star team. Two position players and four pitchers from the squad were named to the 2007 Texas League All-Star Game.

Shortstop Jonathan Herrera, outfielder Matt Miller and pitchers Jarrett Grube, Steven Register, Greg Reynolds and Juan Morillo represent Tulsa in the Double-A showcase game.

The game takes place at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi on June 26. Just mentioning the name Whataburger has me looking for the closest el baño.

Alrighty then, two more topics to dissect this week. Extreme Fighting and Golf. Kind of amusing when you think about how these two sports are polar opposites. Yet, they are top five on my list and are at their apex in popularity. (Flipping a coin)

EXtreme Fighting: Return of the Gladiators is the latest eXtreme event put together by Apollo's Karate. The fist, knees and bodyslams will be unleashed June 23 at the Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood.

The card is once again stacked. Twelve, count them, twelve bouts are scheduled to take place this Saturday night. The majority of the fighters hail from Tulsa and the surrounding areas.

These battles also draw combatants from Texas, Arkansas and Missouri to name a few. The outsiders invade Tulsa looking to prove their mettle against Green Country bad asses.

Jeremy Combrink takes on Horace "Wreckin Ball" Spencer for the Extreme Fighting Junior Heavyweight Championship. Also featured is local favorite David "Masterkick" Vogtman. He looks to send Brian Fairnstock back to Kansas City with a black-eye on his record and face.

Tickets are available at Apollo's Karate locations or by calling 627-7070.

I tried to give up golf this year since my game quit on me last year. My clubs were banished to the garage. All Tulsa courses were sworn off. The befuddling game would never humble me again.

Three or four rounds into this year and I couldn't be more ecstatic. You know what excites me even more than a modicum of improvement with my Big Stick? The 89th PGA Championship lurking around the corner.

Are you ready for a heavy dose of cheap psychology? We should be thankful the PGA Championship is coming to Southern Hills this August and not the U.S. Open.

For reasons unbeknownst to us, the USGA decided 5-over-par is a great winning score. Hey, don't get me wrong. Watching a golf prodigy like Adam Scott, the next Tiger Woods, shoot 18-over-par and miss the cut makes me feel great about my game.

But is it entertaining? The excitement emanating from the galleries through three rounds is on par with a 66ers' crowd during a blizzard. I can't wait for the Championship to sprinkle a few, gasp, birdies and listen to the roar of the crowds echo throughout the course.

This past Sunday's final round absolutely captivated America. Consider this, the Open Championship was decided on the 72nd hole, the final putt and Tiger Woods was heavily involved. WoW. Woods came up one foot short but delivered quite a show.

Speaking of Tiger Woods, he recently chatted with the Tulsa media via telephone about the upcoming Championship. I was out of town, bummer. I managed to obtain a transcript of the Q and A session with El Tigre. Thanks Ryan.

Here are the top three questions asked by our media brigade. Tigers' answers are not important. He is a robot both on and off the course. Insert your own canned Tiger response. It's the questions that count. Here goes.

"Manhattan, Kansas, is a short drive from Tulsa. I wonder if your father expressed any pride from being from this region of the country and did he speak fondly about being a basketball player at Kansas State?" This was an outstanding 'out of the box' question. Great homework done.

"Major championships, usually the final score is something close to par, 4, 5 under. Do you enjoy that type of golf in that type of tournament, or maybe do you favor something of a shootout, where the winning score is 13, 14 under?" This is something golf fans need to know from the World's number one player.

"What is your fondest PGA Championship memory?" Simplistic and to the point. The answer was the 2000 Championship.

In the next few weeks we will also review our media's bad and downright awful questions to Mr. Woods. Until then, hit'em hard.