Easy livin…

To paraphrase from “Office Space,” I have done almost nothing the past two days (my weekend), and it was everything I hoped it would be.

I’m kind of shocked my little plan has actually worked out so well. The past three weekends were spent going all over town, stocking up on baby things and running errands, and when I’d get home I’d clean or organize until I was exhausted.

I did all that in preparation for these next few weeks so I could just relax, knowing we had all the diapers and other various supplies all stockpiled. Most importantly, I could just chill on the couch or in bed and not have to worry about hurting my already strained joints or overdoing it and going into early labor. Best to be productive while I could.

With this weekend nearly over, I’d say my plan worked like a charm. It helps to have a husband who is nesting, too. It’s so refreshing to come home or wake up and have things all organized and clean.

We have an ultrasound and appointment tomorrow. My doctor wanted to get an estimate of the baby’s size. I like ultrasounds, so it should be fun. Hopefully everything checks out OK.

Not a whole lot else going on lately. I watched most of OSU-Texas but fell asleep in the second half. (Pretty sure I didn’t miss much, as the Longhorns pounded the Cowboys.) All the Remember the 10 stuff made me sad. For some reason, what always gets me is when they show the early TV reports where everyone is still in shock about the crash.

Also, this news today made me very happy: Will Ferrell to help replace Steve Carell on The Office.

Well, I’ve got to go scrounge up some food. Baby’s hungry!!

My bracket

Update: I made some 11th-hour revisions because I was getting too cute with some of my picks. Major changes include West Virginia and Duke in the Final Four and revising my 4/13 and 6/11 upsets…

******

OK, so I can say I know myself pretty well. After a day off (and a good night’s sleep) from pretty much all things sports (including an 8-2 win by the Stars over the Sharks — pretty irritated I missed that!), I’m ready to talk b-ball.

Yeah, big surprise, I picked Kansas to win it all, defeating Kentucky Duke in the championship game. This just isn’t the year for Cinderellas to make noise, folks.

However glad I am that my alma mater defeated KU at one point in the year, I don’t see the Jayhawks falling again. They’ve got the experience and the coaching to take them all the way again. More power to the Big Tweezy (the conference, not the rapper).

Some random bracketly thoughts:

Final four: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Baylor, West Virginia, Duke

Upsets

13 Siena over 4 Purdue: Some think the Boilermakers will adjust without their star, Robbie Hummel, who is hurt, but they say every bracket needs a 4/13 upset, so this is mine.

12 UTEP over 5 Butler: I like UTEP a lot. They didn’t win their conference tournament, but they’re a tough out. I’m calling the Miners a Sweet Sixteen team.

11 Old Dominion over 6 Notre Dame: This is just for fun. Besides, the Irish were one of the last teams in.

7 Richmond over 2 Villanova in the second round: I’m drinking the Kool-Aid. The Spiders will make noise with their defense.

Toss-ups

UNLV over UNI

Texas over Wake

Clemson over Mizzou

Other

6 Tennessee over 11 San Diego State: This is a trendy upset pick, but Big Game Bruce has led the Vols over Kansas and Kentucky. That counts, in my book.

Local faves

7 Oklahoma State over 10 Georgia Tech: I know people love to pick 7-10 upsets, but if Matt Pilgrim stays out of foul trouble, the Pokes will handle their 2004 nemesis. Then they’ll meet the “other” OSU, and they’ll be done. Sadly…

P.S. I have to give a shoutout to one of my inspirations, Bakerella, for St. Patrick’s Day. If I get a chance, I’d love to make green cake today!

Does this not look delicious???

Minor revelation

It’s March, and only just now have I finally figured out why OU freshman Tiny Gallon’s name bothers me.

A gallon is a unit of measurement. It is standard. There is no large or small gallon. There are only pints, quarts, cups, etc. If it were any size other than 128 ounces, it would be something else!

Whew. Glad I got that sorted out. I hate to go all “does not compute” on you, but something just kind of tickled the back of my brain whenever I heard or read his name. I swear I’m not a robot. Just logical.

A gallon is a gallon is a gallon.

Anyway, while looking up Gallon’s info on OU’s Web site (6-foot-9, 296, if you are interested), I noticed the headline for tonight’s Big Monday OU-Texas matchup that said “Sooners Go For Sweep of Texas Monday Night”. Wow. I’d forgotten about that, an 80-71 win over the then-No. 9 Longhorns in Norman three Saturdays ago.

I’m pretty sure a 13-15 OU team that has lost six straight and a spiraling Texas team that might not be ranked later today was not what ESPN had in mind when it planned its Big Monday schedule many months ago.

OSU-Kansas

Pretty impressive win for OSU over Kansas over the weekend. Not a whole lot to say, really. A decent team caught a really good team on an off day. Plus, the rowdiness of Gallagher-Iba was totally throwback. Hopefully the students there now will see how much better the atmosphere is when they care about the team. (It helps when your team is beating a top-ranked conference opponent into the ground, but hey. Whatever works.)

"The rowdiest arena in the country."

Despite the score, I had a hard time getting into the game. I kept thinking OSU would play them hard for a half, then come out after halftime shooting poorly or Kansas would wake up and realize they’re the No. 1 team in the country.

Also, I kept flipping back to CNN to make sure Hawaii hadn’t been destroyed by a tsunami. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Hawaii, and I was legitimately concerned that a tidal wave was about to annihilate it. Thankfully, the whole tsunami thing seemed to have been a scare. I know I sound like a dork, but I was pretty relieved when nothing happened.

It’s awful to see and read about the devastation caused by the 8.8 earthquake in Chile though. (On an unrelated note, I think Texans should feel a special kinship with Chile because their flags are so similar.)

USA-Canada

I still am sort of in shock that the U.S. took silver today. Partly because I didn’t think they had much of a chance going into the Olympics, and partly because once they tied the game with seconds left, I thought they might steal the win.

I’m pretty proud of the Americans for fighting to the end. Canada looked strong all game. I didn’t get to watch all of it, but the parts I did see did not look promising. The Americans’ power play was pitiful. It’s really frustrating to watch a team with a man advantage stumble like that. They kept dumping the puck into the corner, then Canada would easily recover and clear. Finally they got one going when someone carried it in. Geez, about time.

I thought the U.S. looked tired for most of the game, except at the end of regulation and the beginning of overtime, when they were going on pure adrenaline. After about five minutes of OT, the Americans just looked a step behind and sluggish.

I’m a little happy for Canada. I guess I lack that killer instinct of a winner that says “step on their throats!” I would have absolutely loved to have seen my country win another gold, but clearly this game meant more to our northern neighbors. And how fitting that legend-in-the-making Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner.

I think a U.S. gold would have been good for the NHL, but the game got so much hype and press that I don’t think it makes a big difference that the Americans won silver. All I know is that it got people who don’t normally watch hockey watching it, which is a good thing.

Storybook endings don’t write themselves

For one paragraph, I’m shedding my neutral journalist hat and trading it for an OSU fan hat:

Worst. Game. Ever.

(OK, back to unbiased fairness now.)

Rivalry runaway

Oklahoma smacked Oklahoma State in Bedlam football today, 27-0.

At first, I didn’t think the Sooners would lose two straight, and their egg-laying in Lubbock the previous week seemed to be too perfect of timing.

Also, I’ve seen the Cowboys blow one too many games. There’s this thing called the “Poke Choke” that gets them into trouble.

And, as with all rivalry games, throw the rankings out the window. An unranked OU team can beat a No. 11-ranked OSU team any day, as it showed Saturday.

But my confidence grew a bit as the week went on until seemingly all I heard was “BCS this” and “Fiesta that.” With so much on the line, how could the Cowboys possibly let a game this important slip away?

Placing blame

I read a number of interesting stats today on OSU’s woeful offense. Here’s one: OSU put up just 4 yards of offense in the second half. You’ve got to be kidding.

Blame the play-calling. Blame the butterfingers. Blame the quarterbacks.

But credit OU’s defense. The win wasn’t entirely due to the mystique of “The Streak.” True, there’s a little something magical going on that has led to the Sooners winning 30 straight at home, but they did have to work for it.

Recall that OU already had two shutouts at home this year. Granted, Idaho State and Tulsa aren’t world-beaters, but the zeros still count. OSU makes three.

No destiny involved

Some co-workers were saying thank goodness OU had the injuries it did, or else the score could have been much more gruesome.

I interjected with this: If OU had been healthier, would OSU have come more prepared and motivated?

It seemed to me that part of the reason why the Cowboys lost was that they just didn’t show up. It almost seemed like they thought they were destined to win, so even with a BCS bowl on the line, the motivation wasn’t there.

I read a very telling quote from Zac Robinson in Bill Haisten’s story: “It just wasn’t our day. They always play well at home, but we didn’t expect it to be like this.”

Really? You didn’t expect to lose 27-0? You didn’t expect to be limited to 44 passing yards? I have the utmost respect for Zac Robinson, especially for playing while hurt, but I think it’s clear he and the rest of the Cowboys expected to win that game. Coaches included.

All in all, I have to say as a longtime sports fan (at least since the late ’90s, so longtime for me), that was the worst football game I’ve ever seen. No, worst sporting event I’ve ever seen. Worse than the Stars giving up eight goals or the Rangers allowing 19 runs.

Bo-ring… mute it, please

I admit if I were a Sooner supporter, I probably wouldn’t say “worst game ever,” but OSU punted 14 times and only once even dipped a toe into OU territory. The game was downright boring.

I wonder how many people fell asleep while noshing on turkey leftovers. Personally, I watched the wedding episode of “The Office” to build up a live cache on my DVR because I was so tired of the play reviews and the idiotic commentary from the Fox announcers.

Seriously, you don’t have to remind your audience every time a call is reviewed that it’s a bang-bang play on the field and that we have the advantage of looking at it from multiple angles in slo-mo.

And Antoine Lucien? Who’s that? And it’s the 104th Bedlam, not the 103rd. Geez. I’m sure there were more goof-ups, but I did a lot of fast-forwarding between plays.

Expect OSU to rebuild, OU to return to dominance in 2010

Let me be the first to proclaim OSU’s 2010 season will be tinted with shades of ’05. And I’m not just being pessimistic; I’ve been chewing on this for a while. Check out OSU’s roster yourself. I count 14 key players lost to the NFL or graduation. The Cowboys truly did blow their chances for a BCS bowl this year.

OU will only be hungrier and more dominant next year. With the sheer volume of injuries and defections the Sooners have endured, it’s highly impressive they are bowl eligible. I fully expect OU to return to a BCS-bowl season in 2010.

Well, that’s it for the regular season of college football. I can’t believe it’s already over. I’m ready to sink my teeth into basketball season though. It’s always a nice change of pace.

Soccer moms talk trash, too

I wish I’d had the energy to write this blog yesterday, but I was worn out from a jam-packed Thanksgiving weekend and Black Fridaying.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jonathan’s family this year and got to know some people better. I watched more garage ping pong than football, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

Anyway, I experienced my first taste of Black Friday madness yesterday. I was up anyway, and though I was tired enough to sleep, the temptation of getting some good deals on Christmas presents was enough to keep me awake.

I prepared pretty well, I think. I tried to bring a buddy, but Jonathan chickened out and went to bed. Probably for the best, considering I was shopping for him too.

I dressed for comfort in fleece pants, tennis shoes, a T-shirt and an orange OSU hoodie. I ate before I left, and I considered bringing bottled water but decided it was unnecessary (wrong decision).

The best decision I made was to bring my own shopping bag  (a strong, large mesh-type green number with pink Hawaiian flowers I used to use as a beach bag) in case they ran out.

My first stop was Kohl’s, which opened at 4 a.m. I arrived at 4:05, just as the floodgates had opened. I parked far away and at the wrong door, but I didn’t care.

I strategically made a beeline for menswear and electronics, knowing those things would go quickly. I nabbed the last curling iron* with glee and stuffed it into my bag.  Next, I perused the socks*, repeatedly having to remind myself that this wasn’t an ordinary day at the store and that I needed to hurry.

Next up was supposed to be women’s accessories, but that area was a madhouse so I bypassed it altogether. I moved on to the automotive* department but came up empty.

I made a very slight detour to the bedding department for some luxury sheets that were seriously marked down. I had told myself “presents before personal,” but… I was right there. I had to take a moment to rearrange my already overflowing shopping bag and unsurprisingly found a quiet spot near the throw pillows, which I would imagine are not Christmas doorbuster items.

I grabbed the last coaster* and one of the last chainsaws* and made a U-turn to my final stop in the produce* department, the scene of my showdown.

I was standing at a display of a variety of toothbrushes*, trying to figure out if the one I wanted was there.

Then I heard a woman ask, “So, you think you’re going to win, don’t you?”

What?

I eyed the benign-looking woman curiously as I wondered if by “win” she meant we were going to have to do battle for the last toothbrush*.

She smiled and explained, “I’m wearing red under here (her coat).” I laughed and said I really didn’t know who would win, trying to sound as unconfident as I could to build some rapport in case we were actually going to have to throw down.

Oh yeah. I had forgotten – temporarily, of course – about Bedlam.

Turns out she apparently wasn’t looking for the same thing as me, or like me, she didn’t see the present she was looking for. Who knows.

I milled around for a little while longer, seeing if anything struck me as a good present. Finally, I gave up and joined the back of the line, which was all the way back to the towel department. I kid you not: It wrapped around menswear, shoes, electronics, kitchen and bath.

I’m not sure how long I stood in line. I estimate it was about 45 minutes. I realized I was getting the stink-eye from more than one crimson-clad woman. Isn’t 4:45 a.m. a little too early to be talking trash (verbally or with dirty looks)?

It wasn’t long before I became so overheated I shed my orange, wrapping my sweater around my waist. The long line snaked through displays in the middle of the aisle, so it was hard to see people from above the waist, which could have helped my cause.

It’s just funny though how I put zero thought into wearing orange the day before Bedlam. I guess Black Friday had gotten everyone’s competitive juices flowing a little early, and with adrenaline pumping through your veins, I guess it’s hard to resist a little smack talk.

*The names of the presents and departments have been changed to protect the recipients of said presents.

Prediction

As for a prediction, I’ll go with OSU 38, OU 31.

I think too much has been made of “The Streak.” OU may have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 29, and it may be perfect at home this year, but I think that’s been overblown.

As for the five teams OU has beaten in Norman this year? They have a combined record of 21-36. That’s a .368 record. Of course the Sooners won.

Also, according to the Tulsa World’s live chat, OU has lost another offensive lineman. That could be the straw that broke the camel’s back. And if Landry Jones goes down, OU’s only option is to use a walk-on QB (or burn a redshirt).

The crowd is not to be underestimated. I expect it to be 1,000 times more vicious than usual, as OU has nothing to lose and OSU has nothing to gain. I’m glad I’m going to be enjoying the game from the safety of my couch.

Free Dez!

I still can’t believe Dez Bryant has been suspended for the rest of the season (and beyond).

It just seems overly harsh that the NCAA would throw the hammer down on Bryant. I understand if they’re trying to make a point, but still. His visit with Sanders wasn’t wrong, and their jog was a minor violation.

He panicked and lied. (Some would say fibbed.) And now he’s likely done at Oklahoma State.

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this status: National Communists Against Athletes, an old Brian Bosworth gem.

I can’t wait to see the Dez-related signs and T-shirts people make for the Texas game Saturday…

Houston’s no cupcake

Wow, long weekend. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, but the sun hasn’t shined in days so I guess that’s a contributing factor.

One thing that surprised me was how far OSU fell in the polls (from 5 to 16). Not so bad, really. I was thinking they’d be close to being out altogether, but it looks like the voters gave Houston some respect and respected how OSU kept Georgia to 10 points.

On Saturday, Georgia won a shootout over South Carolina, 41-37, which in the SEC is like 100-97.

Glad to see Houston is ranked now (21). Case Keenum for Heisman! Bradford’s out, so he has a chance, right?

Houston’s next game is against Texas Tech in Houston. The score could be 70-63. One fun fact I read in our preview copy was that Cougar offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen held the same position at Tech for eight seasons. That explains some of the similarities in their offensive style. It’ll be a good one, for sure. Who doesn’t like touchdowns?

Watch out, Techsters. Houston’s secret is out – it is no cupcake. Consider yourselves warned.

P.S. It would be fun to compare teams to pastries… just sayin’. Don’t be surprised if that’s a future blog, haha

Random observations

I watched a bit of USC-Ohio State. Got to give it up for powerhouses who challenge themselves in nonconference games. Are you listening, Texas?…

TU is scheduled to play Houston this year (another high-scoring game). That doesn’t bode well, considering the state’s other two major-college teams have lost to that mascot this season. (BYU is the other) …

Landry Jones’ mustache is disturbing. Some young men can pull it off in an ironic way, but he just looks creepy. Seems to be a hit with the fans though. …

I’m looking forward to TU-OU. I really think it’ll be a game. But I’d hate if the Sooners looked down their nose at Tulsa… Conference USA is slightly underrated.

Some of those upsets this weekend were crazy. OSU, K-State losing to La-La, Michigan State’s loss, Notre Dame’s loss, etc. I like to see the Big 12 do well. Anyone else, meh. …

I hope  ‘roid rage wasn’t the cause of Serena’s tantrum on Saturday. Very unladylike behavior and thuggy. Not cool. …

Kanye West has mental problems… He needs attention worse than most celebrities I’ve ever seen. There’s no excuse for blindsiding a teenager who was legitimately excited about winning an MTV Video Music Award. Poor Beyonce looked mortified.

The best line I’ve seen was a CNN story that reported a tweet from singer Katy Perry: “F— you Kanye. It’s like you stepped on a kitten.” At least Beyonce made up for Kanye’s blunder.  …

The broadcast from TU’s game on the Mountain West network had the mascot as “Tulsa Golden Hurricanes” in a graphic. Ewww… I know it’s a geographically ridiculous mascot, but come on! …

The monsoon over Oklahoma has also soaked my beloved hometown, making it quite difficult for the Rangers to get into any kind of groove at a critical time.

It’s starting to look bleak as far as playoff hopes are concerned. Boston’s on a roll.

We’re going to the game Tuesday. Rain chances were 20 percent last I checked. Hope it’s still a good game! I like to make sure I see a Ranger game and a Stars game at least one a year.

Joy and pain

The inaugural college football Saturday of 2009 is over.

What a day it was.

A lot of Oklahoma State – and Texas – fans out there are very happy today.

In fact, I can’t think of a scenario in which Cowboy fans are more happy, save a national championship win.

First, No. 9 OSU shows resilience and rallies past a good team (No. 13 Georgia) from a great conference (the SEC). Furthermore, the game was won with defense – a traditional major weakness for OSU. The Cowboys also pulled it off in front of a record crowd (53,012) in their shiny, revamped stadium in front of a national audience.

Later that night, OSU’s rival No. 3 Oklahoma loses to No. 20 BYU. Granted, it was a one-point loss to a ranked opponent on a neutral field. That’s an unfortunately positive spin on an ugly game by OU that many picked to be a blowout. On top of that, said rival’s Heisman-winning quarterback is rocked in the waning seconds of the first half and is out indefinitely.

I’m happy for my friends and family who are so excited. But I know that when OU is good in the hunt for a national championship, that gets my employer money. As in readers, as in advertisements, as in us keeping our jobs. (Not to suggest that one Sooner loss is dire news or that my company is in bad shape at all, but these things tend to add up.)

People love a winner. Do you soak up every detail about your favorite team when they suck? Do you spend hours on the internet, googling for updates, checking the message boards or repeatedly refreshing the newspaper’s sports blogs or Twitter for another morsel of news after a ho-hum loss? Didn’t think so.

But this was no ho-hum loss for OU. And besides, we should know more about Sam in the next day or so. Personally, I hope he is OK to play soon, because it’s a huge blow to more than the team – the Big 12 Conference, too. And he seems like a nice, classy kid too.

I don’t think OU will fall too far in the Associated Press poll. I envision a slip from No. 3 to No. 13-15. I mean, BYU was ranked No. 20, after all. It’s not like the TCU loss or anything.

As for OSU, I see it creeping up a couple of spots – No. 6 or so. I hate that I’m going off of gut instinct, but if I were to do what my boss is doing right now (spending hours objectively analyzing what all the Top 25 teams did so he can vote fairly), I’d be up for a while.

But, I had at least a liter of Diet Dr Pepper today at our Sports department potluck, so I don’t know what makes me think I’m going to sleep anytime soon. (P.S. Mexican potluck = awesomeness)

So, what else… Oh, here’s something fun. I was about to leave for work when I checked the front porch as I always do (for packages, flyers, phone books, etc.). The OSU flag I ordered Wednesday was there! So I spent a good 10 minutes assembling it and jamming it into the flag holder mounted by the garage.

When my hubby and I bought a home in June, buying a flag to put out on gameday was a priority. I mean, not just for me as an objective journalist, but for my OSU grad husband to enjoy too. And it arrived the same day OSU beat Georgia. Good omen?

P.S. If you haven’t already, please check out tulsaworld.com/sportsextra. It has been re-awesomed, and I think you’ll like what you see. It’s the most comprehensive coverage of what our readers want to see: OU, OSU, TU and more.

A little bit about a lot*

First things first, since I’m old-school, I need to issue a correction for yesterday’s post. I had the Rangers’ record incorrect. It should have been 7-9. Had I known that, there might have been quite a bit less belly-aching, especially considering they won Saturday night and are second in the AL West.

Second, I’ve been playing with the photo at the top of the page. I thought the night snow was pretty for a while, but it’s almost May.

Moving on, I really wish I could have watched the whole Penguins-Flyers playoff game today. I saw Philly score two quick goals at the end of the first and the orange crowd went berserk. When I read later that Pittsburgh came back to win 5-3, I was stunned. Hope that game is replayed later.

I guess if I have to root for someone, it’s Pittsburgh. I like Sid the Kid, and I hate the Flyers. So it’s a no-brainer.

I saw the first half of Mavericks-Spurs Game 4 today. I think it’s kind of hilarious that Tony Parker scores 43 and they still lose.

Also, I should note: I have this strange mental block where I often get Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich confused. I think I have some kind of old-white-guy dyslexia. Obviously I know who is who, but it’s the darndest thing.

Most of my day was spent in football mode thanks to the NFL draft. The most memorable part was Chris Berman’s fugly outfit (pinkish pinstriped shirt with orange, yellow, green and blue striped tie. Ew.). Did he get dressed in the dark??

Today will be the really fun day. (And I use the term “fun” loosely.) Dallas has 12 picks after trading their second-rounder on Saturday. Due to intense reader interest, we basically consider the Cowboys a local team.

Also contributing to the fun is that the majority of OU, OSU and TU guys that we are watching will probably go today as Brandon Pettigrew and Phil Loadholt went Saturday.

Speaking of the Pokes, attention all O-State (or Big 12) fans: World columnist Dave Sittler has a bold (some might say “crazy”) prediction for next football season.

Pick up the Sunday World to find out what he thinks. (Or check out the RSS feed on the right side of the screen: “Call me crazy, but OSU could start 11-0″. If it’s not in the feed, it’s on the site.) If you’re not intrigued, you should be.

*Best headline ever!

Flowers bloom as a season ends

I originally planned to write this blog on Sunday, but I procrastinated. Then I found out on Monday afternoon that a friend from college had died. So this blog topic  is oddly appropriate, and in a way, a tribute to her.
RIP Stefanie.

******

Well, I’ve had a lot going on since OSU’s hard-fought loss to top-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. That’s why I didn’t write this sooner.

Normally, I get over season-ending losses pretty quickly, but I got really worked up and excited and dreams of the Sweet 16 danced in my head until late in the game and it’s kind of hard to come down from that without a thud.

You kind of have to put the end of the season into the context of the seven stages of grief. For example:

1. Shock and denial: (OSU is  down eight points with 17 seconds to go…) ::final buzzer:: “Are you serious? That’s it?… But they played so hard… What about the seniors? What about Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris? And Anthony Brown??”
2. Pain and guilt: “Ugh…. this sucks!! If only I had gone to more games, maybe I could have cheered them to more wins. Gallagher-Iba was so empty this year.”
3. Anger and bargaining: “Maybe they can send the tapes of all the non-calls to someone at the NCAA. The refs were awful!!!”
4. Depression, reflection and loneliness: “Sigh… Only seven months until the new season. What will I do until then? All my other teams suck.”
5. The upward turn: “Well, it was a hard-fought season… Look at how improved they are from two months ago. Keiton Page is just a freshman, and he will only get better with time. And what a great ending for Travis Ford’s first season, to turn around a team that had lost in the first round of the NIT three straight years. Oklahoma State will be a force in 2009-10.”
6. Reconstruction and working through: “What’s this? An email about fantasy baseball starting up again? Wow, didn’t realize it was that time of year already. That’ll be a nice distraction.”
7. Acceptance and hope: “Oh well. At least the Cowboys went down with a fight. A moral victory, I guess. And I hear they have some decent recruits waiting in the wings. I’m especially proud to wear orange after this postseason.”

So, in this postseason, winter is over and spring is here (although there’s a chance of snow later in the week).  It became apparent a couple days ago that those ugly plants by our front door are daffodils. I like them (and their yellow flowers) now that I know what they are. And I’m thankful for all the rain we have gotten, too.