Boone's Farm

Stillwater, Oklahoma has become the epicenter of controversy in the last 36 hours. Oklahoma State fired Sean Sutton as head men’s basketball coach after just two years, with a total record of 39-29.

There are two camps involved in this mess. Sean Sutton is the son of legendary retired OSU coach Eddie Sutton. Upon taking OSU to the Final Four in 2004, Eddie Sutton asked OSU to name Sean as head coach-designate and his replacement. The elder Sutton threatened to resign if the Cowboys did not follow through with that request. OSU shortly thereafter named Sean Sutton the heir apparent to his father. Sean actually assumed those duties in the middle of the 2006 season, after his father drove drunk and rammed his Dodge Durango into the side of another driver's car, resulting in a DUI and a repeat trip to rehab.

Enter T. Boone Pickens. The corporate raider and OSU alum gave the largest donation in the history of the university to the athletic department in 2005. Pickens pledged $165 million dollars to renovate the football stadium and build new facilities for other sports. In the time period following, the athletic director and university president resigned. $165 million buys a lot of influence. Pickens had his friend, OSU golf coach Mike Holder installed as athletic director. Holder runs the day-to-day operations of the athletic department, but Pickens retains the final word over hiring and firing decisions. Pickens is a fan of football coach Mike Gundy, who has had a barely above average three-year tenure as coach of the Cowboys, but recently had his contract extended.

It is said that the Suttons and their camp never got along with the Pickens gang. With such a large donation, Pickens demands a lot of control. The Suttons stood in the way. As the OSU basketball team plunged into mediocrity, the natives in Stillwater were restless, as was an oilman in Dallas by the last name of Pickens. To make a long story short, Sean Sutton became a millionaire as a result of the buyout of the last three years of his contract.

On one hand, Eddie Sutton set both his alma mater and his son up for failure by pushing Sean into the head coaching chair. It is really hard to follow a legend, and it is impossible when you are the son of said legend. Sean would probably now love to trade places with his brother Scott, a successful head coach for nine years at Oral Roberts. I’m sure the Suttons would like to have some do-overs. Nonetheless, they have reason to be hacked off at their alma mater.

On the other hand, T. Boone Pickens really does own a Big 12 athletic department. Money talks, and big money screams. Watch an OSU football game, and you’ll find T. Boone Pickens on the sidelines in a loud orange sweater, if he’s not yukking it up with the broadcasters in the booth. He makes Jerry Jones look low-profile. Tom Hicks would love to have this kind of control at the University of Texas. Pickens wanted his man as basketball coach. Now, he’ll have his chance.

OSU needed to take some risks if they wanted to compete on the level of rivals Oklahoma and Texas. Control of their athletic department by a megalomaniac is the price they are paying to compete in big-time Division I athletics.

Flying Off The Handle In Stillwater

This is a story and video that just won't die. It's over 48 hours old, and is still worth a comment.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys took a huge step in rescuing their season by beating Texas Tech in a barnburner, 49-45. One would think that OSU coach Mike Gundy would be happy. Not in this video.

Gundy took exception to an article written by Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson in that morning's paper. She gave an account of the benching of once highly touted QB Bobby Reid. Gundy went ballistic in this video, and used the article to attack the columnist.

I've followed Mike Gundy's career since high school. He grew up and starred about 30 miles away from me. As my dad would say, we went to different schools together. He went on to become OSU's all-time leading passer. His brother, Cale, played at Oklahoma and is now running backs coach for the Sooners. I don't know them personally, but I'm sure we know some of the same people, as Oklahoma is not a big state. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of Oklahoma State, a/k/a the Oklahoma Aggies. I find this tirade somewhat amusing, but also somewhat sad. It's really uncalled for.

On the other hand, I read the Oklahoman online just about every day. I make it a point to skip Jenni Carlson's column. It is usually a waste of time for me and most other Sooner fans. As a result of this imbroglio, she will probably be working for another newspaper within the next year.

Mike Gundy has a right to disagree with what was written. He did the right thing to take up for his player. However, he had no right to publicly dress a columnist down in front of 30 or so of her peers. That was low-class and highly unprofessional. This tirade is an embarrassment to Oklahoma State University, known by some of my fellow Sooner fans as Payne County Tractor College.

Nothing good comes in orange. Nothing.

This Is Orange

This is one of the more off-the-wall entrances in college football.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys now enter the stadium behind a rodeo chute, opened by cowboys. They wait behind the chute, like cattle at a rodeo, or an auction. They then go onto the field in all of their orange glory.

By the way, this is a more true color of orange than what UT wears. In this shot, they are wearing orange jerseys and orange pants.

To each, their own.