July 2, 2007

Jason Matheson is a smart man, or so I thought.

As it should, the face of University of Oklahoma Athletics belongs to high-profile coaches and student-athletes. Behind those individuals are dozens of anonymous yet indispensable employees like Matheson, our director of internet services.

He has taken SoonerSports.com and made it the envy of other collegiate web sites. Even now you are seeing the latest redesign of this site, the most recent brainchild of a true web master. Matheson's creativity and passion for OU Athletics are above reproach.

Sad to say, his intelligence is not.

You see, as part of the redesign, Matheson asked if I would be interested in writing a periodic column. It is not an unprecedented move. Other sports information practitioners write columns on web sites.

It's just that Matheson is 10 kinds of meticulous when it comes to this site. For him to give me a sliver of it is akin to Michelangelo handing over his touch-up brush to a kindergartner.

Not only that, but among the other pens on this site is that of Sherri Coale. It takes all of about two paragraphs to discern her background as an English instructor. ESPN likes her diary so much that it reposts it to the nation's most popular sports-based site.

I might as well be challenging Adrian Peterson in the 40-yard dash.

If not for the fact that I have to face up to Peterson's head coach occasionally, I'd flee from this invitation. Unfortunately, I work somewhat routinely with that man whose most famous utterance was, "There will be no excuses." Shrinking away is not an option.

In that spirit, we will grudgingly give the column a go.

In all seriousness, we hope to lend some perspective to a topic that is fraught with speculation. When it comes to college sports, and Sooner sports in particular, there is no shortage of opinion. Some of it is informed.

For the most part, this space will be designated for perspective and clarification. There will be opportunities to write about interesting people and events, too, but the avenue for providing greater insight into the athletics department and intercollegiate sports is what excites me most.

In the end, our hope is that you'll feel a little closer to the Sooner program and a little more informed when it comes to the realm in which we work, compete and cheer.

If you like the column, tell the women's basketball coach that she has some journalistic competition. If you don't, take it up with that dummy Matheson. It was his idea.

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Kenny Mossman, Associate Athletics Director for Communications, provides his perspective on OU Athletics in his regular column on SoonerSports.com. View the archives here.