It's Just a Game

It's trendy for the sports media to carp about ESPN. It's not like ESPN is not partly to blame. They self-promote and dictate the news cycle just like traditional news channels. Some of the heat they take is well deserved.

However, when a non-entity in the sporting world takes pot-shots at the World Wide Leader, it is laughable.

For one, ESPN cannot fight back. It would be like the United States military invading Canada. What's the point?

But I digress. This past Saturday felt like opening weekend in college football. The week before offered little in regards to marquee matchups and excitement.

Notre Dame/Michigan, Oklahoma/Florida State and Ohio State/Miami to name a few. Needless to say, I was glued to the television for the day.

You know what was missing? Oklahoma State scoring updates. The game ended 41-38 in favor of the Cowboys. A score that close should have prompted a break-in update or highlight package.

I searched several sites looking for a real-time game cast. Eventually I stumbled across one on rivals.com.

Why didn't ESPN and a few other high profile sites provide the same service? Here is where lower-tiered media types point the finger at ESPN and place the blame directly on them. That's an easy angle.

Instead let's factor another website many Americans frequent. Good ol' Facebook.

All day my wall was filled with "Boomer" request.

I would also say the majority of them are sports fans. Go figure.

Cannot honestly say I remember one "Pistols Firing" or "Go Pokes" update.

If no one locally cares about the Cowboys football game, why should ESPN or the other sites? Before the handful of paranoid Poke fans email me, I'm not a Sooner fan, just a sports fan.

Even TU and Bowling Green earned a scroll during other contests.

Congratulation to our area teams. TU, OU and OSU added quality victories to their records. This brings up another interesting college dilemma. What constitutes a good win?

The NFL is different. All victories count the same in the pros. The standings are not voted on. The team's final record determines their postseason berth.

College leaves a little too much to favoritism. Oklahoma opened the year with a close call against Utah State. The voters dropped them in the ensuing poll. The Sooners won but not pretty enough for coaches and AP members.

A week later they dominate Florida State. Now the same voters hurdled OU over other undefeated teams. Style points matter.

A win should be celebrated regardless of the beauty involved. Just ask TU if they would rather win ugly or lose dramatically at East Carolina in week 1.

Mississippi and Virginia Tech fans know exactly what I'm referring to.

What would football weekend be without NFL action? This weekend convinced me the NFL Network is in collusion with local affiliates.

How else can you explain Tulsa getting the Arizona versus St. Louis game when Green Bay and Philadelphia were also playing?

Am I missing something? Do the majority of Tulsans prefer Sam Bradford to a competitive game between playoff contenders?

DIRECTV offered their ultra popular Sunday Ticket for free. The best feature is the Red Zone Channel. Now we face the test. Spend hundreds of dollars on the premium package to avoid craptacular games or roll the dice with affiliate choices?

It's 2010. Give us a vote. How difficult would it be to post a simple pole online? Voting starts on Monday and concludes on Thursday. Who is against this? The NFL?

If enough Bradford fans determine St. Louis is the best game, so be it. We can live with popular choice. We cannot take anymore horrid decisions by people who have no clue.

Speaking of hockey. Actually, no one mentioned hockey, but who needs a transition between friends.

The Tulsa Oilers are now affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League team. This marks the first time since the Oilers re-entry into the CHL in 1992.

"This is a great step forward for our hockey team," Oilers Head Coach Bruce Ramsay said. The Avs American Hockey League affiliate is the Lake Erie Monsters.

"Last season we worked with Colorado and Lake Erie on an informal basis and we got goalie Trevor Cann as a result of the relationship and he played great for us," Ramsay continued. "Making this a formal affiliation will only strengthen that bond and will help us overall throughout the hockey operations."

The setup is similar to the one enjoyed by the Drillers and Rockies in baseball. The Drillers and Oilers will serve their major league franchise as the double A partner.

"We are excited to begin this new affiliation with the Tulsa Oilers," said David Oliver, the Avalanche's Director of Player Development and General Manager of the Lake Erie Monsters. "We are confident this organization in Tulsa will provide the right environment for our players in the Central Hockey League. Their leadership group and staff have the necessary resources to support the development of our prospects."

Hockey fans, this is kind of a big deal. In fact, I may be dumping the Dallas Stars like Mike Modano and jump ship to a rival. All aboard the Avalanche wagon.

Season tickets for 2010-11 are now available by calling the Oilers office at (918) 632-PUCK (7825).