Oklahoma Sooners

Select A Sport

| Boomer Bytes

Presented by the United States Air Force

Jason Matheson highlights local and national coverage of OU Athletics for Sooner fans. Updated each weekday morning,
Boomer Bytes is your quick look at Sooners in the news.

Friday, May 9

The OU baseball team opens its final home series of the season tonight against Kansas State at 6:35 p.m. Arrive early and receive a free Cheer Like a Champion T-shirt. The Sooners will honor America's troops on Saturday during its annual Military Appreciation Day. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a camouflage OU Baseball Cap. On Sunday, OU will recognize its seven seniors before the game.

• John Helsley of the Oklahoman: "In the chase for the eighth and final spot into Bricktown, mere fractions separate the three teams." John Shinn of the Norman Transcript: "What does OU need to do to ensure a spot when the tournament begins May 21 in Oklahoma City? One thing's certain." Glenn Hibdon of the Tulsa World: "The Sooners, ninth in the Big 12 Conference standings, tackle the Wildcats with a spot in the league tournament at stake."

• Both the baseball and softball teams will be getting new indoor practice facilities in 2009. Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Thursday, the OU Board of Regents agreed to award a contract in the amount of almost $1.32 million to Trilogy Development, Inc., of Oklahoma City."

• Jeff Johncox of the Norman Transcript: "Savannah Long has an impressive athletic pedigree." On Saturday, the second-seeded OU softball team will begin its Big 12 title defense by facing the winner of today's matchup between Kansas and Nebraska. All session tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Oklahoma City All Sports Association at (405) 236-5000. Single-session tickets will be available at the stadium.

• Three OU student-athletes were recognized for their fine work in the classroom. Congratulations to wrestlers Josh Weitzel and Max Dean for being named to the NWCA Academic All-America team, and to softball's Lauren Eckermann for earning Academic All-District honors. Don't forget to vote for Eckermann and baseball's Jarod Freeman for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors seniors based on these criteria: classroom, community, character and competition.

• And finally, we would like to extend a special Mother's Day wish to all the wonderful moms out there. We hope you have a peaceful and relaxing day. Happy Mother's Day!

Thursday, May 8

Head coach Patty Gasso and the No. 7 OU softball team will once again compete for championships in Oklahoma City. Both the Big 12 Championship this weekend and the NCAA Women's College World Series (May 29-June 1) will be decided at ASA Stadium.

The Sooners are the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Championship and will play Saturday against the winner of Friday's game pitting No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Nebraska. Find more information on ASA Stadium here, the Big 12 Championship here and specific information on OU here. All session tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Oklahoma City All Sports Association at (405) 236-5000. Single-session tickets will be available at the stadium.

• Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "This technology is on the cutting edge of what is available in today's market, and we're thrilled to bring this kind of innovation to our fans," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said at the advent of the project. "It will add even more energy to our environments while allowing us to better communicate with the thousands that visit us each year and better serve the sponsors that are so important to our programs. View photos of the progress here.

• Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated: "Take another look at that list, and tell me: Which 10 teams would you put ahead of LSU? I'll give you six: Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Missouri, Oklahoma and Florida." Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman: "Big 12 football schedules are getting better. They're still not good enough. Carrying the Big 12 load are Baylor, OU and Colorado." Jack Carey of USA Today: "The faces showing up on football recruits' computers lately might bear strong resemblance to men seen stalking the sidelines on autumn Saturdays."

•The OU Athletics Marketing Department announced a number of promotions for this weekend's baseball home series against Kansas State. The Big 12 series is the final at home for Oklahoma. Game 1 begins with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Friday at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Wednesday, May 7

Another round of rain last night in Cleveland County and the wet weather is expected to hang around for much of Wednesday. Nothing like having the National Weather Service right here in Norman to keep an eye on things.

Quiet week so far on the OU Athletics front but this weekend baseball hosts Kansas State beginning Friday at 6:35 p.m. while softball begins defense of its conference title in the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Sooners are the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of Friday's game pitting No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Nebraska.

• Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World: "It really came down to ethics and class," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a telephone interview. "There is a respect for the University of Washington; they didn't do anything wrong." The Dallas Morning News: "Texas and Oklahoma posted the highest APR in football in the Big 12 with scores of 942. The APR is a four-year look at graduation rates culminating with the 2006-07 academic year."

• Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News:: "If Blake Griffin cannot possibly improve as a basketball player by returning for another season with the Oklahoma Sooners, then why does he have only 7 minutes, 52 seconds to speak with me?"

• Sooner fans making the trek to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry game with Texas on October 11 will enjoy the results of a $50 million Cotton Bowl makeover. The renovations include upgraded seats, concession stands, scoreboards and restrooms, in addition to increasing the capacity to more than 92,000. View construction progress here.

• Oklahoma has the best record in major college football in the 2000s. We're asking Sooner fans for their favorite 10 wins from 2000-2007. Watch game highlights and vote for your 10 favorite wins online. We'll reveal the top 10 throughout the summer at SoonerSports.com.

• Several new items on the technology front for Sooner fans. First, OU introduced a desktop communicator application. It's free to download and use. Basically, a small OU logo sits on your desktop and keeps you informed with breaking news on the Sooners. The OU Athletics Department also expanded its presence on Facebook and YouTube. Of course, you can find all the original content on SoonerSports.com but these two sites provide us platforms to reach more fans who might not have visited the official home of the Sooners.

Tuesday, May 6

We had a stormy night in Norman with plenty of thunder and lightning. Thankfully, not much wind. The weather started me thinking about the crew that's working to dismantle the big scoreboard on the south end of Owen Field. The guys work from a scaffold suspended along the face of the board. When the wind blows (as it always does this time of year in Oklahoma) they are in for a ride.

You might not see much change looking up from Lindsey Street but from inside the stadium the face of the scoreboard is almost gone. The familiar block white letters that spelled "Owen Field" are down along with the lights that displayed the scores, time and statistics for Sooner football games for more than 10 years. A huge, completely HD video display will be in place for the first game of the 2008 season on August 30.

The OU Athletics Department is working to salvage several elements of the scoreboard and will make these available to Sooner fans in upcoming auctions at SoonerSports.com. For those away from Norman, view photos of the progress. Also, watch game highlights and vote for your 10 greatest OU wins of the 2000s.

• John Hoover of the Tulsa World: "Oklahoma's road game at Washington on Sept. 13 will kick off at 6:45 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally by ESPN." From Rivals: "Can the Sooners field a corps of linebackers that meet OU's high standards? Reynolds looked good when he was in action and showed he could make a smooth transition to the middle from the weakside." Dennis Dodd of CBS: "If the Sooners didn't have to play bowl games, they'd be the team of the decade. Unfortunately, Bob Stoops has lost four consecutive BCS bowls. That's enough motivation for OU to win its sixth Big 12 title since 2000."

• With the dedication of the Switzer Center in 1999, the OU Athletics Department released a set of posters featuring the historic mural. Just five days left for your chance to bid on one of the original posters signed by Coach Switzer himself.

Monday, May 5

• Mike Cranston of the Oklahoman: "In a near flawless performance Sunday, the 22-year-old former University of Oklahoma golfer became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in six years." From WCNC: "No, Tiger Woods didn't make a miraculous recovery from knee surgery to defend his title at Quail Hollow Club. The players were talking about 22-year-old Anthony Kim, whose domination in a star-studded field made for Tiger-like comparisons."

• Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World: "Matt Hayes of The Sporting News has Georgia and OU in his post-spring top 4, with Ohio State and USC wedged between the No. 1 Bulldogs and No. 4 Sooners." Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Had they stayed, all three probably would've have had a better shot at the first round as only Lofton came close to maximizing his draft potential." The Oklahoman: "I know that there's no way I would've come out early if that were me," said Lehman, who in 2003 came back for his senior season at OU and won the Butkus Award. "Playing college ball is the best years of your life, I wish I could go back to playing college ball."

• Dennis Dodd of CBS: "Heisman candidates: These guys did nothing to hurt themselves in the spring: 2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: Older and wiser after an amazing redshirt freshman season. Comfortable in the new no-huddle." Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Also, they love Oklahoma. They all came from different parts of the country, so they're not Oklahomans, but they've adopted Oklahoma as their second state and they love coming back and love the people."

• The Tulsa World: "The Oklahoma Sooners (29-20-1, 6-14-1 Big 12) were dealt a defeat by the Kansas Jayhawks (29-22, 8-13 Big 12) on Sunday afternoon, 9-4, at Hoglund Ballpark." The Dallas Morning News: "Kansas has swept Oklahoma for the first time since 1979 with a 9-4 win over the Sooners." The Lawrence Journal-World: "Kansas beat Oklahoma, 9-4, on Sunday to complete the three-game sweep and further entrench itself in the middle of the Big 12 Conference pack."

Friday, May 2

• The No. 7 OU softball team will honor its four seniors tonight at 6 p.m. at the OU Softball Complex. The Sooners will host a Fan Fest with opportunities for fans to participate in contests against the players, autographed merchandise giveaways and inflatable games as well as food and drinks. Complete information here. The OU Daily: "The Sooners (16-2 in Big 12 play) enter the conference tournament with a No. 2 seed after a banner season. OU plays its first game in pursuit of the championship title at 11 a.m. May 10."

• Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated: "The Sooners experimented with a no-huddle offense. Having lost standouts like Curtis Lofton and Reggie Smith, the defense appears to be reloading with youngsters like Franks, LB Keenan Clayton and S Sam Proctor." Peter Schrager of FOX Sports on Curtis Lofton: "The Falcons' linebacker corps are pretty solid: Boley, Brooking and now Lofton. The Big Twelve Defensive Player of the Year may be a bit short for the NFL, but he's a tackle machine. Solid pick here."

Thursday, May 1

• Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Mike Gosse connected on a 2-RBI single in the 10th inning to lift the Sooners to a wild 12-11 victory over No. 8-ranked Wichita State in front of 1,352 fans at L. Dale Mitchell Park." Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World: "What an incredible comeback. There was a series of them Wednesday night before 1,357 delirious fans." John Shinn of the Norman Transcript: "Momentum was what OU was fighting for and they road waves of it against the Shockers. The lead changed hands seven times and twice in the 10th inning." Joey Halmer of the OU Daily: "OU is now 15-1 in midweek games, winning a big one before a pivotal Big 12 Conference series this weekend at Kansas."

• The Norman Transcript on softball: "Its best efforts notwithstanding, Oklahoma will once again head into the Big 12 tournament next week in Oklahoma City as the conference bridesmaid." The Oklahoman: "The twin bill concluded OU's regular season as the Sooners finished with an overall mark of 43-11 and 16-2 in the Big 12. Baylor fell to 23-21 and 4-13." From the Waco Tribune: "A season of frustration for the Baylor softball team at Getterman Stadium ended with one more drawn-out disappointment Wednesday night."

• Jilane Rodgers of the OU Daily: "The OU women's basketball season may have concluded March 25, but head coach Sherri Coale was still giving students a reason to smile Wednesday." The Oklahoman on women's basketball: "The Sooners final three home games all sold out and were the three highest attended home games in the program's history."

• Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Wednesday, Bowl Championship Series officials predictably rejected a proposal during a five-hour meeting in Hollywood, Fla., that would've added a plus-one game to decide the national champion beginning with the 2010 season." From USA Today: "As spring practice wraps up around the nation, USA Today takes a look at some of the issues and changes teams have been dealing with and will continue to deal with, as the season approaches."

Oklahoma All-Access - Launch Broadband Channel

View more videos