Uneven Field

My daughter started second grade this year. Interesting times for a seven year old I would guess. You can try to get into someone else's thought process, but really, who the hell knows.

Grades are starting to count. Sure the occasional smiley face or sticker dots the papers, but percentages and letter grades are more prevalent.

You must be careful when posing a question about homework, tests or even recess. It is no different than attempting to interview Bob Stoops. Choose your words wisely or be shot down.

Me: Why did you leave this question blank?

Her: I don't know.

Me: What do you mean you don't know?

Her: I don't know.

She is a smart kid, don't get me wrong. It is the line of questioning that failed.

So why in the world could we not get a solid question and acceptable answer about the TU-OSU ticket pricing?

I don't know.

Raise your hand if you assumed the TU-OSU game would sell out weeks prior to kickoff when the matchup was initially announced. Go ahead, don't be shy. You are not alone.

We've witnessed Oklahoma State jack up ticket prices to make a buck and sacrifice a capacity crowd. But why did the University of Tulsa follow suit? They were basically counting on Tulsa area Poke fans to fill the stadium. That is the only logical reason. Agreed?

This is a Stickup. GAVIN ELLIOTT

So in a roundabout way TU stacked the deck against the home team. Sure they offered a three-game packed including OSU and a couple of C-USA games. Nice gesture, but the ticket office and those in charge should realize the walk-up crowd factor associated with the Golden Hurricane and all Tulsa sports in general.

This, of course, is all conjecture. It could have been the start time. It is possible everyone stayed home to catch OU versus Florida State then tuned into the TU game.

Not sure how much crossover crowd Katy Perry has with college football, but let's use her popularity as another excuse. All of them sound better than I don't know.

We cannot blame the university for the weather fiasco. These things happen in Tulsa.

But to make matters worse, many patrons entered the post-midnight affair for free. It is similar to an airline flight. Different people paying different prices. At that point it is hard to fault the university for begging fans to partially fill the stands.

Adventurous fans, mostly OSU we would guess, showed up at the stadium hoping for the best sans tickets. You guessed it. Free admission was waiting. Talk about a typical Tulsa last minute walk-up crowd.

Let me guess, you did not hear about this anywhere else? Interesting don't you think.

Head Coach Bill Blankenship must keep the chin straps buckled, but more importantly, the chins up. His group travels for a road game against top-five Boise State this Saturday night. Instead of anonymous quotes to our daily paper about BCS possibilities, the team might want to focus on respectable play against collegiate powerhouses.

Meanwhile, OU showed real moxie. They were tested against Florida State and for once, they answered the bell late in the game to salt away a nice road victory.

Oklahoma State looked impressive, but let's not confuse a win against Tulsa with a win over the Seminoles in hostile territory.

It sure appears as if the stars are aligning. Could this finally be the year OU and OSU tiptoe through a beleaguered conference and meet on Dec. 3 undefeated? Would the state explode? Would Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musburger spontaneously combust due to over stimulation in the booth?

Next week the Pokes travel to College Station in what could be their toughest game until the Sooners showdown.

OU will be a big favorite in the remainder of their games. The question remains, can an undefeated OU in a watered down Big 12 keep the No. 1 ranking over a top-ranked SEC team?

I don't know.

What do you call a predictor who has become predictable? Predictably boring of course. They say head coaches lose their edge once they pass the 55-year-old milestone. Just think how long ago the faceless one lost his fastball.

The concept is solid. Make outrageous statements. Hide behind an avatar. Make pseudo-predictions that you can waffle on after the fact like the favorite winning, but not covering. Fool your readers and overmatched radio "hosts" into thinking you do not praise at the altar of Bob Stoops like the rest of your cohorts.

The edge is dulling. The driver of the vehicle has indeed "jumped the shark." And I realize claiming something or someone has "jumped the shark" has itself "jumped the shark." But we can all agree the shark has been jumped, beaten and the Chinese have made a nice pot of fin soup with the remains.

Let's put it this way, if this were your 110-year-old grandfather on life support, the entire family (and medical staff) would all agree to pull the plug. Hell, a caring relative might even use a pillow.

Send all comments and feedback regarding Left Field to ddavis@urbantulsa.com