statsman

So, what is the deal with Weigman? Out for some unannounced reason (injury, misbehavior)? On second team, but competing to play again? Relegated for good? Looking to transfer? Some combination?

You had a long post about how Israel was holding back Gazan development. Gaza has another border, with Egypt. I thought that was worth noting, during all the speculation about Arab state stepping in and helping with necessary services- there isn’t really anything stopping them now. I guess they figure the UNRWA and Israel got it. As to your question-I support a sovereign liberal democracy Palestinian nation. As I posted before, I don’t think the world needs another aggressive authoritarian state (but, that might be what we get).

Ok. Now do Egypt.

This is going to shock the hell out of you, but none of the ON3 Sooners noted that there is no way in hell the B1G would accept them academically

What has kept Gaza from using that UNRWA funding to develop their own utilities? And a foreign office to protest Israeli actions? Oh, yeah, the Hamas autocrats who rule Gaza. They take the money for themselves and leave the people dependent on Israel for needs a functioning government would provide. You don’t say anything, Bolverk, about the Iranian weapons smuggled in. One thing to remember- the missiles are for Israelis, sure, but the rifles and bullets? 90% of the time, Hamas has them in use for keeping the Gazan civilians in line.

You say “blockade”. Isn’t a better description “inspecting approaching ships for weapons from Iran”? If there were no weapons from Iran coming to Gaza, do you think Israel would still insist on boarding approaching ships? I guess we’ll never know…

I think thats a distinction without a difference. Israel left Gaza, the PA held an election, Hamas won, the UNRWA gives a bunch of money that enriches terrorist leaders and buys tunnels (not weapons; Iran gives them for free). Israel provides utilities and medical care (Egypt provides neither), and in return the Gazans hate them and the world pilloried them. I don’t see how writing the letter you composed would make anything different. I think the last thing this world needs is another authoritarian and aggressive state. How about this- the Palestinian people organize into a liberal democracy (there are a lot of examples) and then they get a state?

How is this different than pulling out of Gaza in 2005?

Well, here is the thing about choices- the best option and the least part option are the same thing. Without that extension, how easy will it be to hire a new OC for next year? Or do you prefer to hire a new HC for next year, with an even more difficult schedule (addition of Michigan)?

Their AD knew the schedule was rough this year and next, so he decided to extend Venables now, knowing it would be controversial after (assuming the rebuild arc continued up) 8-4 seasons. Funny how things work out.

Great analysis, and it’s too bad the B12 didn’t figure this out years ago. KSU was the single worst program in America, the one that Mississippi State looked down on. Snyder got there and adopted a strategy of playing nothing but patsies in non-conference. He treated the games like the NFL pre-season (he wanted to polish his team’s proficiencies), but the games counted, so he wanted wins. In unequal revenue sharing, this wasn’t so bad. TV didn’t want those crappy games and his program didn’t profit financially from them. Then, every little program in the Big XII adopted that practice, AND they had equal revenue sharing. Yes, the B12 needs to be like the divorced spouse that addresses all the issues their ex had been bitching about and try better the next time.

There was a bitch down the street that phoned in an anonymous complaint of drug dealing on the Tuttles, because she had a beef of some sort. She was convicted a couple of years ago. That got the”investigation” started. It was assigned to Goines, and he handled it like his other investigations. He got a warrant for bogus reasons, brought some “evidence” to the scene in his vehicle, and the rest is history.

I googled for the numbers, wondering the same, and couldn’t find them.

You are overthinking sociopathy. The people in that house meant…nothing…to him (them). Their extinguished lives weighed no more to him, as he went to sleep at night, than concerns over whether the eggs in the refrigerator are expired or not. I still suspect that the officers that were shot were actually shot by other officers, but I don’t think we will ever know.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/ Brett Yormark must absolutely adore Deion Sanders. Decent ratings for Utah-OSU and KSU-BYU. Check out ASU-TT, TCU-SMU and UH-Cincy! That’s pretty bad.

Me too, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Just let it happen. OU is 13-4 over the last two seasons. Their fans think they’re going 8-4, with a shot at beating Texas (based on “Sooner Magic” and “Texas is soft”). They’re ranked 21st in the AP, and if they beat Auburn, they’ll come into Dallas a top 20 team. They have the #11 ON3 recruiting class. Let them enjoy those hopes. All Texas can do is play them (and beat them) once. Let’s just enjoy this season as it unfolds.

Well, I can’t argue with that…

I disagree that Israel is an apartheid state. It is formally a Jewish state, but Muslim and Christian citizens have all the rights Jews do, with the exception of institutional adjustment to the constraints of Judaism. It is a liberal democracy. South Africa was an apartheid state. Black South Africans, born in South Africa, had limited rights and liberties in almost every aspect. To call Israel an apartheid state, you have to argue that Palestinian refugees (born and residing outside the borders of Israel, in the WB, Gaza and other regions) are or should be citizens of Israel. Is that the argument? Isn’t this what the whole “right of return” is about? It seems to me that Israel being an apartheid state is fully a matter of opinion- opinion over who should be a citizen or not. In my opinion, it isn’t. (Obviously, if the “right of return” were granted, after the first vote Israel would become an Islamic state and that would be that).

Why would he talk to the coach. Why wouldn’t his agent have a conversation with the GM, to settle it? Thats why there are agents and GMs, so as to not intrude on the competitive aspect.

I’ve posted before that having a HC with a rep as a QB developer is a cheat code in the modern game. Teams like that (Texas, Bama, USC) get a discount on QB prospects, who see examples like Hudson Card and Malik Murphy, biding their time and (when they don’t ascend to the starter role) transferring to start elsewhere. These teams can have real QB rooms. The flip side is the team coached by a defense oriented HC (TAMU, OU, Oregon). These teams either have a great OC (that they will have to replace when they get a HC job) or a mediocre OC (who they will need to replace to upgrade). There is no QB discount; they have to pay market rates for starters and backups, and there is little development of raw prospects going on. Sooner fans are so hopeful about Hawkins, and Ag fans about Reed, because they really need those guys to be good. They understand intuitively that if they aren’t good, they are far away from competing for CFP spots.

We have a lot of season to get through before we get the post season dessert of a national search for a new OU OC.

A quote of Venables’ Gabriel comments (from Sooner Scoop): "I would because I know there was something brought to my attention, was a story that was written just not that it really matters, but at the same time, at the end of the year, had a meeting after a few weeks at the end of the season, where Dillan Gabriel came to visit with me. He wanted to have a meeting and let me know that he wasn't going to play in the bowl game. And so I had already gotten wind and he knew some other guys were opting out on the offensive line and things like that, and I did not know that at that time that he wasn't going to go to the NFL. "When we had a great conversation with him, disappointed that he wasn't going to go play in the bowl game, and the circumstances of coach Lebby leaving, and thought he wanted to get closer to home to Hawaii, and I was like, I didn't know I had to fight this fight, you know, I didn't realize that you were even considering coming back, and he says, Yeah, but I just really want to, you know, get closer to home. So that's — we hugged and shook hands. And, you know, he was a little emotional, and I was, but it was all really good and positive. Make a guy stay, you know guys trying to find the next thing you know, the next chapter for him. I'm sure there was probably some disappointment, you know, that he wasn't more highly thought of in the NFL. "Had an amazing year. It was a fantastic quarterback. But nobody (was) running, nobody off or things like that. So always the veterans are good. You know, I think always said that the experienced player can do a little more than sometimes the young guys. But it's neither here nor there. But I did want to clear that up." (statsman comment): It’s telling that Venables didn’t know that Gabriel was not definitely going to the draft and was considering the portal. He is the HC. His QB is a priority. If he wasn’t working to stay in contact with Gabriel, to make sure that he understood what he was planning, it was because Gabriel was no longer his top priority. Now, Venables is just trying to provide cover for his choice of Arnold over Gabriel.

I mean, I guess Venables’ summary is more palatable than: ”So, yeah, Dillon was our two time player of the year, so there was a real opportunity when he decided to play another year. However, other schools were in his ear and he wanted a raise. Meanwhile, Arnold’s family was saying that he was ready to play and was done sitting. “Plus, Gabriel was asking what we were going to do to have someone block for him. “So, we decided to go with Arnold and wish Gabriel farewell. And that freed up money we could use to get better at other positions, like DT and WR”.

In Venables’ press conference, he offers his slant on the Gabriel departure. Conveniently, it exonerates the Sooner coaches. He says Gabriel opted out of the bowl, hoping to go to the draft, and decided to transfer after his draft grade. (My memory is that everyone knew that 2024 was the wrong draft for all but the best prospects, and Gabriel wasn’t one of them).

He is seven wins behind Saban at year’s start. He is 38 behind Bryant. Robinson and Paterno are past Bryant. It might be just Saban that he’s chasing.