May 14, 2022 Issue, Page 4 of 10

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May 14, 2022 Letter To The Canute Baseball Team I played in Red Oak in the 70's. We lost by one point. I came home, across the mountains to McCurtain. I thought my dad was heartless. He said, “Well, that’s all it takes, one point. Just know that your record speaks volumes. For me and the whole town of Canute, we think you're all winners regard- less of the one point. So, hold your head high and walk with pride! Go Trojans! Submitted by Larry Lane Postseason can be a ‘new chapter’ for the Sooners Jesse Crittenden, The you're likely to have success. Norman Transcript If you can get all three work- Merritt Girls Golf L-R Coach Heath Stehr, Kiera Stehr, Lexie Frazier, Taylor Ford, Dayli Pollard, Madison Robinson, ing at one time, you're guar- and Peytyn Broadbent. Courtesy photo. ‘The beginning of the post- anteed success.” season can represent differ- While the Sooners have ent things depending on the been led all season by a few team. Inside the NFL schedule war room players, including Jocelyn For some, the end of the Alo, Jordy Bahl and Grace Ly- regular season is a chance to ons, there’s a few other play- ‘making everybody equally disappointed’ build momentum before the playoffs. For others, the post- ers who could make an impact season is a clean state. during the postseason. Gasso pointed specifically to Kinzie Sam Farme, rLos Angeles weeks ago. But now, because “We started putting up the were looking at,” Katz said. For OU coach Patty Gasso, it's both. Hansen as one player who Times computers might spit out leader in the clubhouse, so “Then a month later he un- “For some of our athletes, could break out. competing schedules that that if Roger came down and retires and we sort of started ‘This is their Super Bowl. look completely different, the banged on the glass, he'd have all over again.” going into the postseason is The junior catcher has ‘The team offive people who matchup for the Sept. 8 opener something to see,” Katz said. Next year, the life of the like a new chapter,” Gasso been a big part of the Soon- build the NFL schedule will un- isn’t locked until the end of the “There's a lot of anxiety until schedulers will get more com- said during her media avail- ers’ success in recent years, veil their latest masterpiece process. we have a playable schedule.” plex. As it stands, NFC games ability Wednesday. “We take but has struggled a bit at the this week, with the news trick- As of the middle of last ‘The first of those didn’t ar- belong to Fox, and AFC games this like [the regular season] plate this season. She's re- ling out in the coming days week, the group said, the vis- rive until April 17 this year, belong to CBS. That changes in is the end of the book. Maybe corded 20 runs and 27 hits leading to Thursday's release. iting team for the opener was stomach-churningly late in 2023 when all games essential- you didn’t have a big part or in 100 at-bats this season If all goes as planned, ev- still in flux. the game. All this technology ly become free agents. Just because an NFC team you weren’t the main char- with an on-base percentage eryone will be unhappy. “Now we can teach the allows the Katz crew to be in- acter in the first two, three of 307. “Every schedule has its computer that Dallas is a good creasingly discerning, a bless- is on the road, for instance, chapters of the beginning and warts,” said Michael North, option, Denver’s a good op- ing and a curse. The team is that will not guarantee a game the middle of our book.” Gasso is confident Han- composed of Katz, North, se- will belong to Fox. Every game sen could turn things around who has been putting them tion, Buffalo, any of the NFC nior director of broadcasting will be a jump ball among the That doesn’t mean the starting this weekend. together for 25 years. “Our job West opponents,” North said. Sooners forgot what hap- Charlotte Carey, director of networks. “This is a good opportu- “Pick whichever one you want broadcasting Blake Jones and is to figure out which ones are At the end of the season, pened in the regular season truly onerous and unplayable, and go down that road, and manager of broadcasting Nick when everything is done, the as they prepare for this week- nity for her to change her and which ones are, ‘Well, this let’s see what the result and Cooney. Onnie Bose, vice pres- NEL will have to make sure it end’s Big 12 Tournament, season around completely,” isn’t ideal, but look at all the the schedule looks like.” ident of broadcast operations, hits certain minimums for all which begins Thursday. Gasso said. “So it’s moments good that comes with it” ‘The NEL is fiercely protec- and Hans Schroeder, executive of its partners, so there will be While the Sooners (48-1, like [this where players can] “Tf any one of them jumps tive with its scheduling infor- vice president of NFL Media, a certain number of times each 17-1 Big 12) dominated the come in with some heroics re- off the page as this guy is way mation, so trying to decipher are also heavily involved. No- AFC team will need to land on season, they've found an even gardless of what they've done too happy or way too disap- the plan from the outside is body clocks out. It’s all sched- CBS. But the notion of, “Hey, better rhythm since their prior to postseason.” pointed, that’s probably not mostly a process of elimina- ules,“My all the time. lone loss to Texas on April 16. ‘The structure of the Big 12 wife gets mad at me,” it’s Miami at Baltimore. Must ‘The Sooners won all 10 games Tournament has changed abit our best schedule. It’s all about tion. It would seem the most Jones said. “It’s usually me sit- bea CBS game,” will be done. making everybody equally dis- logical opening opponent for ting in a corner staring off into This much will never following that loss, outscor- this season. Since the Sooners appointed.” the Rams would be Buffalo or space. People just think I’m ing opponents 87-5 during won the conference regular- change: the complaints. that span. Naturally, everyone in- Denver. completely aloof and no fun to “Everybody hates their season championship, they volved wants to feel good about Dallas played in last sea- be around. We're just thinking That led to a dominant the final product, and this col- son’s kickoff opener at Tampa about all these things, trying schedule,” North said. “That's performance in their regu- earned the top-seed and are the one thing you can count the only team with a first- lection of beautiful minds — Bay and was the Rams’ oppo- to figure it all out.” lar-season finale series with led by Howard Katz, senior nent in the first game at SoFi ‘As with those computers, on. Sometimes it’s emotion- Oklahoma State last week- round bye. They won't play vice president of broadcast- Stadium and the first pre- the group works around the al. Sometimes it’s legitimate end, where they swept the until Friday and a win would ing — spends months analyz- season game back in Los Ange- dock: North is scouring read- and based in some historical Cowgirls by a combined move them straight into the outs past midnight and into ing, debating and reshuffling les. The Cowboys have gotten a the early morning hours, then data and win percentages that score of 18-4 across the three tournament championship. a Rubik’s Cube of 272 games turn. hands those duties to Carey. we should go back and look games. That Oklahoma State ‘The Sooners aren't letting aimed at maximizing viewer- San Francisco would be an “As the mother of a 2-year- at. And we say to ourselves, series featured some of the up, though. ship and fan interest while try- intriguing choice, but with the “That’s probably something we old, I like to think of it as baby- Sooners’ best performances “We've got to get sharp- ing to maintain fairness for the way 49ers fans flooded SoFi sitting,” she said. “Mike takesshouldn’t do again. of the season, and it came at er. We've got to fine tune teams. last year, all that red could be the night shift, and he watches “Every year we learn. We the right time. our tools here ass we go into “One of the things people bad optics for the defending the computers until 3 or 4 listen to our constituents. And “We're going to use this postseason,” Gasso said. “And don't realize is how sophisti- Super Bowl champions at their a.m. and doesn't sleep. I get even though you're not sup- momentum because I feel that’s been a focus from the cated our scheduling process home venue. up around 5 and take it from posed to read internet com- the sweep of Oklahoma coaching staff. We need fine is,” NFL commissioner Roger ‘The process makes the old there. a little like Ground- ments, we listen to our fans. State was big for us,” Gasso Goodell told The Times. “We're system seem so antiquated hog“It’s Day. We come in, we all We try to figure out which of said. “They're a well-rounded tuning and we need it to be running like a well-oiled ma- considering more variables, and quaint, back when NEL meet, look at schedules. How- these team inequities are truly team, [ranked] in the top 10, more factors than we've ever executive Val Pinchbeck unsci- ard says, ‘I like this. I don’t onerous and which are just a they're a good team and we chine. We can kind of put it been able to do. Part of that is entifically would assemble the like that. Let's change these bad break.” faced very good pitching. We on cruise control and you'll the technology, and part is our schedule by hand on a giant rules.’ We write new rules and Either way, the teams will didn’t swing our best but our never know if you're out here ability to learn every year and pegboard, working front-to- software. We say, ‘Go!’ and the have something to say. defense and our pitching did in the stands... We've got to get better at it. That's why the back and back-to-front, then software’s off and running,” the job. get the cruise control off, schedule is so much better.” stuffing a bunch of games in ‘There's still a pandemic ef- “They're not shy,” North “If you can get two-of- completely out of our equa- ‘The process ofsearching for the middle. fect too. All the music tours said. “And they have very long three working very well, tion.’ are coming back after a two- memories.” that closest-to-perfect sched- ‘The room where decades ule — like locating a particular of subsequent schedules were year hiatus, meaning stadiums aren't always available. grain of sand on the beach — built is now named in honor of “So every time a team sends requires co-opting as many as Sooners dominate conference Pinchbeck, who died in 2004, us a request and says, ‘Hey, can 4,000 computers around the ‘That room is now a relic too, you put us on the road in Week world to work the problem with everyone migrating to 2, we've got Elton John or video calls during the pandem- Lady Gaga,’ you think, ‘Yeah, Trillions of schedule com- ic and staying with them once sure,” North said. “One week awards, Alo named Player of the Year around the clock. binations are crunched to find for them shouldn't be an is- they proved more efficient. the ones that conform with The Val Pinchbeck Room sue for the league office, right? more than 25,000 “rules,” such is small — maybe 10 by 15 Just“But block it out. then the team says, Jesse Crittenden, The Lauren Chamberlain as soft- Year for the 10th consecutive as this stadium isn’t avail- feet — on the fifth floor of the ‘Don’t ruin our schedule as a Norman Transcript ball’s all-time home run leader season to round out the con- able on this date, or no team league's Park Avenue head- result. We still want to open earlier this season. ference’s individual awards. can have two three-game road quarters. It’s one of the few at home. Just put us on the Jocelyn Alo received an- Sooners’ freshman Jordy ‘The Sooners had five play- trips. offices with frosted glass, and road in Week 2 and we'll come other honor Wednesday in a Bahl was named the Big 12 ers named to the All-Big 12 ‘This year, Prime Video be- precious few people have a key home again in Week 3’ But season full of milestones. Freshman of the Year. She also first team: Alo, Bahl, Lyons, comes the exclusive home of card to access it. For years, it if 16 clubs have similar asks, The Oklahoma senior was made history as the first fresh- Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jen- “Thursday Night Football,” was permanently stocked with that becomes a pretty big con- announced as the unanimous man to be named the Big 12's nings and Hope Trautwein. the latest in a crowded field of jellybeans and Mountain Dew straint on a pretty challenging Big 12 Player of the Year, earn- co-pitcher of the year, shar- Alyssa Brito was the Sooners’ broadcast partners elbowing and smelled of too many peo- puzzle which is only getting for the best matchups. ple working too hard for too jarder.” ing the award for the second ing the honor with Oklahoma lone selection to the All-Big 12 ‘The movement of players straight season. She's the first “The puzzle just becomes long. matters too. That’s why the State’s Kelly Maxwell. Second Team. more complex every year,” At one end, Pinchbeck’s schedule isn’t announced until player to win the award in Bahl led the conference in Bahl was also named to the Katz said. “We have more and artifact of a pegboard. At the after the draft, as a new influx back-to-back years since OU's wins on the mound (21), had All-Big 12 Freshman Team. more computer power running other, a white board filled of players can make matchups Amber Flores in 2009 and the conference's second-low- ‘The Big 12 Tournament be- at this, then we get into the with a convoluted diagram considerably more interesting. 2010. est opponent batting average gins Thursday, with the Soon- process.” that looks like something out Denver got more intriguing Alo was also selected to the (137) and struck out the sec- ers’ first game coming at 1 p.m. Another difference this of “Homeland,” but is meant with the addition of Russell All-Big 12 team as voted on Friday. OU will play the winner ond-most batters (199) while year is for the first time, the to explain some aspect of net- Wilson. Same for Miami with by the league's head coaches. allowing just 18 earned runs season kicks off with a Thurs- works and early Sunday games. Tyreek Hill and Indianapolis of Iowa State and Baylor. Alo led the Sooners this sea- throughout the season. day night game in Los Angeles, In the middle is a small table with“When Matt Ryan. Tom Brady retired, Jesse Crittenden is the thanks to the Rams winning that faces a wall of TVs, and we were concerned about the son in batting average (.476), OU’s Grace Lyons won De- sports editor of The Transcript the Super Bowl. the “clubhouse leader,” that strength of the NFC package hits (60), on-base percentage fensive Player of the Year for and covers OU athletics. Reach It used to be that Week 1 year's best schedule to date, is because there were so many (.624) and home runs (24). She the second straight season and him at _jesse@normantran- would have been determined taped to the lone glass wall. terrific Tampa Bav eames we also surpassed former Sooner Pattv Gasso won Coach of the scrivt.com or at 405-366-3580