Oklahoma State coach Gundy blasts Oklahoman columnist

Somehow I don't think "winner winner chicken dinner" ever entered the conversation.

(Hey, doesn't Donovan McNabb's momma feed him Campbell's Chunky Chicken? Seems like controversy always follows the humble yardbird.)

As soon as I saw this, my Sooner fanboy ass whipped out a big ole bowl of chips and salsa.

 

Any coach who says he doesn't read the paper is lying...

I covered one coach who actually didn't read the paper and he was one of the best coaches I've ever dealt with... The biggest difference with him was that he never claimed not to read the paper...

Gundy seems like a complete jerkoff...

 

How do you "tile up" something? It's in her column. Is that an Okie idiom?

 

This is a case of a coach protecting his player. Granted, a 10 second response to this writer would have been a lot better, but looking from this in a coach's shoes, he did need to respond in public. She wrote it in public.

These are amateur athletes, no matter what slant you take with the scholarships, they are amateurs, and when they are recruited, the coach convinces the parents, in many cases, that they will look after their son or daughter for their four years at the institution. He was forced to react, and it needed to be in public. He was wrong with the degree and the manner.

I am uneasy about a writer taking notes about players when they board a bus. Where do you draw the line about college athletes? Do you write about pregnant girlfriends? Do you write about being hung over? Do you write about players crying on a team bus after a loss? Do you write about how country or ghetto the parents are? Do you write about them bombing a final exam? This did not happen on the practice field. This is not TMZ.

If his mom stands on the practice field with a water bottle, then it is a little closer to fair game. Not loading the fucking team bus.

I always use a pen with a click at the top, and the people I talk to know that when I click the top and close the pad, that they can relax a little bit. I know people disagree with this, but if you are spending seasons with people, you need to have a comfort level with them. You need to be able to click the top every once in a while. Does anyone here think Gammons doesn't "click the top?"

Maybe I am little bit more old school when it comes to this, but there are things you know about a program that just are not fit to print sometimes. This writer got a column out of this, but she is fucked if Gundy is the coach for an extended period.

 

Perhaps things could have been substantiated more, but her original point remains somewhat valid: what 21-year-old dude lets their mom feed them? In public or elsewhere?

 

The column didn't do much for me, and I know Jenni Carlson a bit from her days at the KC Star. Wasn't one of her better efforts.

Having said that, Gundy is a man feeling the pressure of a multi-gajillionaire with his finger on the "Fire" button. He snapped and didn't need to after winning what could be a season-changing win. I don't give a shit if this player is an "amateur" athlete. He'll never have to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars back in loans that many of us have. He gets free room, board, food, tuition, books, tutors, travel, and God knows what else for Oklahoma State. He may not get a paycheck but he's not a high school kid playing on Fridays for the right to kiss a cheerleader.

And if you're old enough to die for your country and vote, you aren't a "kid." Gundy is a dicktooth. I can't wait to see him melt down after a team like Kansas goes there and wins.

 

If you want a good laugh, read some of the comments on her blog.
It's absolutely amazing how nasty some of these readers are - calling Carlson fat, questioning her knowledge of sports because she's a woman, etc, etc.
These are our readers, folks.
http://blog.newsok.com/jennicarlson/2007/09/22/its-savage-no-hunter/#comments

 

There was no warning. They didn't know it was coming either.

 

BINGO! Great take.

 

Shit, with ol' Boone running the show, Bobby Reid might not be an amatuer athlete...

 

Please, it's not a great take. We wrote about Bill McCartney's daughter being knocked up by Sal Aunese, and that was nearly 20 years ago, for crying out loud. If you are a high-profile figure, stuff like this is fair game. You accept it when you sign on the dotted line. You are held to a higher standard, since you are a public figure.

This "take" screams "we should pamper them because we're kids," and even at 18, I knew enough that if I made a mistake or did something stupid in public, it was on my ass, not my mom's, not my dad's.

 

It seems like the columnist thinks Bobby Reid is a pussy, and went around looking for things that would support her idea. Nothing wrong with that -- we are supposed to afflict the comfortable, after all -- but I just don't think she found enough to support her opinion.

The chicken thing is the most compelling piece of evidence, and it's not very strong. The column comes off like there's something personal at work. I don't blame Gundy for being pissed. I don't even blame him for calling her out in public. It's business. But get a grip on yourself, man.