June 12, 2021 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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4 June 12, 2021 Sports Berry Tramel: Tramel’s ScissorTales: Here’s why a 12- team College Football Playoff is on the table Berry Tramel, The Oklaho- the jump this season, to much things get worse. commitment to the sport. It’s gets back to the Big Red we re- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. man chagrin from those concerned That is not the case of USA only going to get better — big- member from the ‘70s, ‘80s Aggression: B. Dort showed with player health. Now college Softball’s Hall of Fame Stadium. ger and better. So much is to and ‘90s. Geography is working improved development as a The College Football Playoff football is ready to go there? The new upper decks, built for do with ESPN and all they do against NU. The Huskers have multi-dimensional offensive has been exploring expansion, Maybe the Name/Image/Like- the Women’s College World Se- for our sport, and the venue is no natural recruiting base, and player. He consistently drove beautiful. the ball, usually quite well. Dort and Yahoo Sports reported ness revolution absolves univer- ries, have been a smash hit for “Again, I can’t say enough while all kinds of programs re- Tuesday that a 12-team model sities from feeling much respon- the NCAA softball champion- cruit nationally now, you need knows a good shot when he sees about it. It has changed so one. Only 5.6 percent of his could emerge as the compromise sibility on player safety. ships. A fabulous atmosphere much. The sport’s really growing a national brand to do that, and recommendation. And a 12-team playoff with was made even better. Nebraska is a long way from be- shots came from the dreaded and I think it’s awesome for the Who’s in charge here, the Na- six at-larges would damage the “It’s a different story with sport of softball.” ing a national brand. Is Frost the mid-range, the lowest on the tional Hockey League? that second level,” Florida State When ESPN interviewed Al- answer? I have no idea. But the team other than big men Jaylen regular season. As it stands now Expanding the playoff is one coach Lonni Alameda said Tues- ameda in the middle of the game Hoard and Moses Brown. Dort in the four-team playoff, the Cornhuskers have to find some Tuesday night, she marveled at did commit 17 offensive fouls, thing. Tripling the number of likes of OU and Ohio State are day night after an 8-4 victory stability, so sticking with Frost the atmosphere. which is too many. And he made teams is quite another, espe- virtual locks to make the playoff over OU in Game 1 of the WCWS is the only sane alternative. just 56.4 percent of his shots cially when it’s not the best idea, championship series. “It echoes. “It’s electric,” Alameda said. Luguentz Dort turned into a with no more than one loss. Tri- She said she kept telling herself, from the restricted area, which it’s just the idea with the best ple the field, and OU and Ohio It’s really, really cool. It’s really “Every time we kept going out ballplayer in 2020-21. As a rook- among teammates bested only chance of approval from all par- State would get in with two loss- cool. And for the growth of our there; they’re softball fans, not ie last season, the undrafted Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo ties. es. Alabama and Clemson might sport. OU fans. Everyone’s just excited free agent worked his way into Maledon. The Wednesday ScissorTales get in with three defeats. “And I was so proud of all of about the softball game.” the starting lineup of a playoff Quarterbacking: C. Dort include a Thunder report card on College basketball’s regular us, even me. I know that I’ve Alameda did allow that OU’s team, mostly by default, but spent a decent amount of time Luguentz Dort and the impact season already has been gutted coached a lot of games and been Nicole Mendes “I think has her became invaluable with his play at point guard, an unfathomable of the new upper decks on the by NCAA Tournament expan- in a lot of places, but there are own cheering section in right this season. idea his rookie year. He proved Women’s College World Series. sion. The same thing could hap- many times (this week) I’m like, field.” We continue our series on to be a capable ballhandler But we start with a possible 12- wow, this is so loud, this is so Not that that’s a bad thing. Thunder report cards with the though not a great ball distribu- pen to football. “It’s incredible,” Alameda said. team College Football Playoff. Yahoo reported that none of cool for our sport. And all of remarkable ascension of Dort. tor. Dort’s assist rate (percent- “It’s incredible for the game. Yahoo reported that within the recommendations would our kids just took it in and were I don’t know if anyone’s ever Three-point shooting: B. age of teammate field goals he three weeks, a four-person com- include financial ramifications completely comfortable in the played in this environment, un- Over the first 10 games of his assisted while on the court) was mittee will report its findings to from a new television deal, moment.” less you’re playing Oklahoma at career, Dort made 14.3 percent 8.8, worse than seldom-used the CFP management commit- which of course means every- The stadium added gran- home for a national champion- of his deep balls. Over the next Josh Hall, who never met a pass tee, with a final decision to be thing. deur without sacrificing charm. ship.” 26 games, he shot 33.8 percent he couldn’t turn into a shot. But determined in the autumn. Why 12? Yahoo reported that That’s not easy to do, but the Alameda played at OU in the on such shots. In the first six Dort’s turnover rate (percent- The management committee architects, the city of Oklahoma early 1990s, when its home field games of the 2020 Rocket play- age of turnovers on the pos- enough powerbrokers are con- is made up of commissioners City and USA Softball did it. was Reaves Park, a city-owned off series, Dort made seven of sessions he ended with a shot, tent with four, preferring it to recreational complex. foul shots or turnover) was just Bob Bowlsby (Big 12), Greg San- eight, that a 12-team version “It literally looks like (Ala- 38 3-point shots. Then in Game “How much softball has 10.0, an excellent number for a key (Southeastern Conference) could retain those advantages bama football’s) Bryant-Denny changed in the state of Okla- 7, he made six of 12 and scored and Craig Thompson (Mountain guard. That’s George Hill terri- for the powerbrokers and add a Stadium or Yankee Stadium or homa,” Alameda declared. “For a 30 points. Such erratic shoot- tory (8.4). West), plus Notre Dame athletic guaranteed spot for teams gen- a major league baseball stadium lot of collegiate softball players, ing largely was gone this sea- You likely haven’t heard director Jack Swarbrick. erally out of the current system with an upper deck,” said Bama to have that stadium feel all the son. Dort had a great start, fell of author Robert Coover, an The 12-team model appar- (we’re looking at you, Pac-12), coach Patrick Murphy. way around, you know, there’s off but finished at 34.3 percent 88-year-old professor emeritus ently would grant each Power 5 all the while fixing the issues of The Seminoles’ upset of OU not many stadiums that have 3-point shooting. And since his at Brown University. And you conference an automatic berth, access for the mid-majors and on Tuesday night had an atten- people behind you, in front of offensive role changed, only 13.4 you, sides, and upper deck. So it likely haven’t heard of The Uni- while reserving one berth for a bowl games that have lost their dance of 12,137. percent of his attempts were versal Baseball Association, Inc., mid-major (Group of 5 confer- The expansion in real- is pretty awesome to be able to from the corners, from where he status. see that and be able to take it all J. Henry Waugh, Prop. ence). That would mean six at- All major bowls apparently ity means more OU fans in made 43.2 percent. With Dort’s But in 1968, Coover wrote in. large berths for the playoff. could be implemented annually the stands, particularly for the “I also think it says a lot for defense, a 34.3-percent 3-point a haunting novel about base- Such extra access appeals to into a 12-team format, instead championship series, which mo- our sport and how much it’s shooter is a heck of a player. The ball, told through the story of Notre Dame and the Power 5 of a once-every-three-years reso than the bracket play relies growing and how many people more that increases, the higher Waugh. leagues, particularly the SEC, model as we have now. on local ticket sales. But Florida are supporting just the game of Dort’s stock rises. The back cover explains: “His which can dream of getting Bowls are endangered. The State seemed to revel in the at- softball. There’s people here just Defense: A. Dort finished name is J. Henry Waugh. He three or four squads in the 12- players have spoken. They don’t mosphere. to watch softball. And before it his rookie year with a glowing eats delicatessen, drinks in a team field. “It’s obviously very loud here,” was fans of teams, and now it’s defensive reputation — able neighborhood bar, picks up B- much care about the bowls, and a place, a destination. This time If you think another mid- many marquee players, headed said Seminole Kaley Mudge. to slow James Harden. Soon girls, and likes country music. major would be included among “It’s basically a home game. So of year people go to watch the enough, Dort’s pedigree went But he has one strange obses- for the NFL, skip the games. game of softball. That’s really those six at-large berths, you the fans have been amazing on far beyond shaving the Beard. sion. He has devised a baseball The standard plan for a 12- special for our sport.” game whose every action is de- haven’t been paying attention to our side, but we’re just trying to Dort’s strength and lateral team version would be four Cornhusker football is an ev- termined by a throw of the dice. college sports. focus in on ourselves and just quickness made him a worthy byes, with first-round home ergreen subject in Oklahoma, adversary of most of the NBA’s He is the nighttime proprietor Sharing the wealth is not games for seeds 5-8, followed by fight for each other one pitch at moreso now that Nebraska plays in the DNA of the big-money a time.” star perimeter players, usually of the Universal Baseball Asso- bowls hosting the quarterfinals, at OU in September. without excessive fouling. Dort conferences. In the same way The upper deck does increase Gary: “I was reading an inter- ciation, its master and its slave.” semifinals and title game. drew 57 offensive fouls, more The novel is a fascinating jour- a Cincinnati (eighth in 2020) Of course, there are problems. the noise level, though that’s esting article by Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star, about than one per game, as frustrated or a Central Florida (eighth in Trying to save the bowls is a rarely a player-affecting issue. ney into the mind, how fantasy the state of the Nebraska foot- defenders and screeners tried 2018) found it frustrating to be little like trying to save Kodak. If anything, it seemed OU had to shirk his relentlessness. Dort and reality coalesce into mad- basically ignored in final playoff And the mid-majors aren’t likely more trouble communicating ball program. There’s a great ness. Long before virtual reality amount of weeping and gnash- did appear to get worn down rankings, future mid-majors will to be placated with a solitary than did Florida State on Tues- late in the season — who didn’t? became part of our daily exis- slot, almost surely to be placed ing of teeth by the Husker fan- be on the wrong side of 12. day night. base. Mostly about whether — and some of that was a much- tence, Coover introduces us to a Too much at stake financially in a foreboding place on the 12- But either way, the bigger sta- Scott Frost is the guy to lead bigger offensive role he carried. character who retreats from the and reputationally for the pow- team bracket. dium means better stadium. Nebraska back to relevance, or If the Thunder gets back to a world into a society of fiction ers to give up a spot. Automatic Playoff executive director Bill “The atmosphere is awesome,” if the program is too far gone to legitimate roster, that burden should lessen on Dort. that is all too real in its creator’s qualification is their only ticket. Hancock has said there will be said Lu Harris Champer, who compete in the Big Ten. A run mind. no change for the 2021 or 2022 Leadership: A. Dort turned 22 Other problems with 12? retired as the Georgia coach this of coaches since Tom Osborne in April. A year ago at this time, You can still find the book on It seems unlikely that the reg- seasons. The current CFP deal week after the Bulldogs were retired. (Frank) Solich, (Bill) his NBA future was sketchy. Now Amazon. I checked. I’m sure it ular season would be condensed with ESPN runs through the eliminated by OU on Saturday. Callahan, (Bo) Pelini, (Mike) Ri- he’s a franchise cornerstone. So was interesting in 1968. I know or that conference champion- 2025 season, but ESPN is in an “I love the additions to the sta- ley and now Frost, which hasn’t much so, that sitting Dort late it’s relevant now. ship games would be eliminated. exclusive-negotiating window dium. helped. I believe Frost needs in the season was viewed by with the playoff, and changes Berry Tramel: Berry can be Which means a hot team con- “Again, quick shout-out to time to build a program, but he many as insurance for defeat as conceivably could be made for OKC and everybody who has the Thunder tanked their way to reached at 405-760-8080 or at ceivably could play 17 games. probably had better athletes on Twelve regular-season games, 2023. done this for the sport of soft- the bench at UCF, than he has better lottery odds in the NBA [email protected]. He a conference title game, a first- Even for a 12-team format ball. It’s absolutely beautiful.” starting for the Huskers. It will Draft. Dort is not overly vocal, can be heard Monday through round game while the top four that no one really embraces but Harris Champer brought be difficult. What do you think?” but his commitment to defense Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on might be the path of least resis- Southern Mississippi to the and his offensive improvement The Sports Animal radio net- seeds get a bye, then quarterfi- WCWS in 2000. Tramel: First off, I love Sipple. were inspirational to players nals, semifinals and the big en- tance. He goes back to the Big Eight work, including FM-98.1. Sup- “My first time here was a few who might see their ticket to chilada. Sometimes things seem per- years ago, and it was grassy hills days. Anyway, I think there’s NBA security, and when sitting port his work and that of other The National Football League fect, but things can always be down both sides and stands in a chance Nebraska doesn’t get out (Dort missed 20 games), Oklahoman journalists by pur- has debated 17-game schedules better, so in the name of prog- the back,” Harris Chalmer said. back to prominence. I think Dort was an active cheerleader chasing a digital subscription for years before finally making ress, changes are made. And “It’s just come so far. Love the there’s no chance Nebraska with star and fellow Canadian today. NCAA softball: Odicci Alexander, Mackenzie Donihoo and the players who have made the WCWS fun Jeff Patterson, The Oklaho- a good time to reflect on the ace Rachel Garcia. Dukes chop down a pair of ment, and it warmed my heart.” NCAA tournaments. man journey to get this far. Here are With Monday’s semifinal still Southeastern Conference teams When you throw the first “I think that we could have four players who have made this in doubt, Donihoo smoked a in the regionals and super re- perfect game in 21 years at the went further, but just learned Seriously, are you not enter- NCAA softball tournament ex- two-run double into left-center gionals — Tennessee and Mis- WCWS, you’re going to be in the to be resilient,” Fouts said Mon- tained? citing to watch: field off Odicci Alexander, giv- souri — just to get to Oklahoma headlines. Even though she was The first Women’s College After hitting only .145 in 24 ing OU a 4-1 lead against James City. far from perfect Monday night day night. “I think being resil- World Series in two years has games as a freshman last sea- Madison. It was smooth sailing Alexander became the face of in an 8-5 loss to Florida State, ient and gritty is maybe more delivered a perfect game and so son, Donihoo has turned into a from there for the Sooners. the tournament after beating Fouts showed that she is one of than having all the talent in the much more. super sophomore for the Soon- “I would say Thursday, we OU 4-3 in last Thursday’s open- the best pitchers in the country world. I think those characteris- When the COVID-19 pan- ers in 2021. Donihoo has only weren’t ourselves, and we have er and Oklahoma State 2-1 the in her junior year. tics are more important.” demic put a sudden end to col- recently become a fixture in the — we have no mercy,” Donihoo following night. Her diving tag Her 349 strikeouts this sea- Although she only had two lege sports last spring, everyone starting lineup, but it’s easy to said after gashing Georgia 8-0 Friday night against OSU will son with the third most in was deprived of the joy that the see why with her intensity, not Saturday afternoon. “This is our be seared into the memories of Alabama history, making every hits and a walk in OKC, Meeks WCWS delivers to not just the to mention that she’s hitting a game on the line. We have to softball fans for a long time to time she stepped into the circle rose in popularity thanks to her hardcore softball fans but also .448 clip. push and push, and we switched come. must-see television. signature flexing once she got the folks who casually tune in The Mustang native wasn’t it, and turned it on, and it was so Alexander’s 66 strikeouts are Fouts’ perfect game, a on base. for stories such as this year’s in the lineup for the opener much fun.” the second most in this season’s 14-strikeout performance in The 4-foot-11 Meeks stood James Madison team. against JMU, but Donihoo an- When you play for a school NCAA tournament. She went a 6-0 win Friday night, came out for being one of the short- There were no Debbie Dooms nounced her presence on the outside the Power Five confer- 7-3 in the tournament, only los- against UCLA and Olympic for fans to rally around in 2020. national stage Saturday. In win- ences, you get labeled as a Cin- ing to a ranked Missouri team pitcher Rachel Garcia. It capped est players in the tournament It was just a year of Debbie or-go-home games against Geor- derella. That wasn’t an apt la- and twice to top-ranked OU. her sixth consecutive outing in but also being one of the most Downers. That’s why having an gia and UCLA, Donihoo went a bel for these Dukes, who were She left the field Monday af- postseason play in which she joyful. Who didn’t think back expanded and packed USA Soft- combined 5-for-7 with three definitely not a fluke. Alexander ternoon to a standing ovation. pitched seven innings. She only to their Little League days each ball Hall of Fame Stadium has home runs, five runs batted in gave UCLA all it wanted two “I mean, it was amazing,” said allowed four runs in that stretch time she stepped on first base been so thrilling for fans to see and four runs scored. years ago in the NCAA Tourna- Alexander, who went 18-3 with (three against Kentucky in the and flexed? during the past week in Okla- Perhaps the Sooners’ signa- ment. JMU was not going to shy a 1.71 ERA. “I mean, it’s more super regionals and one to Ari- homa City. ture moment from Saturday away from the moment in 2021 than just a game. To see them zona on the opening night of The redshirt junior still fin- As Oklahoma battles Florida was Donihoo stomping on home either. all clapping for me and cheering the WCWS). She struck out 113 ished her senior with a respect- State for the national title, it’s plate after homering off UCLA The redshirt senior help the me on, I mean, it was a great mo- batters all told in the SEC and able .283 batting average.