By Mike Kays
It�s been quite a year. America made history by electing its first black president and made misery when Wall Street incompetence and greed drained the life out of 401Ks nationwide.
Oh, and there was the sports year too. Locally, it�s been a little like the stock market. Up one day, crashing the next.
I�m still reeling from Sequoyah�s girls basketball fourpeat. You�re right, there wasn�t one. I was just re-reading my column following their semifinal victory against Adair where I had already given them their record fourth state championship. Then the earth shifted which is the only explanation for Angel slipping, then slipping again months later in Lawrence, Kan., and her torn ACL was the talk of the Big 12 women�s basketball media days where Kansas basketball was concerned.
Then there�s Checotah�s football team. Miss Underwood, I�ve got a
couple of new songs for you to base on your alma mater. First, �We Ain�t Losers in Checotah Anymore.� The Wildcats beat the Ironheads and then proceeded to run the regular season table for the first time since 1949 and won one playoff game to boot. Now, if you can�t get inspired with my first suggestion, how about one of those sad country melodies entitled �Clinton Blues� telling about a bunch of Red Tornadoes reeking havoc on your home turf. I�m envisioning a lyric, something about �they�re still scoring on our hallowed grounds.�
Like I said, up one day, down the next. And don�t forget Muskogee football. From beating No. 1 Broken Arrow in September to crashing against a Stillwater team that was begging to be beaten all night long in November. One week later, Stillwater scares Midwest City before losing, leading MHS defensive coordinator David Heath to agonize after seeing that game in person, saying a fourth semifinal appearance was theirs. I understand, Dave. And I should be able to retire at some point, but you and Wall Street know how that�s going right now.
So here�s thinking 2009 might be another year of highs and lows and please, don�t take it all too seriously. I�ve missed on pro wrestling career change predictions for Matt Hennesy, Darren Riddle and D.B. Merrill and that Checotah would have a Carrie Underwood Special Events Center with closed circuit rodeo viewing monitors in each arena seat.
With that in mind, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!
� January: Florida knocks off Oklahoma in overtime, 76-70, in Miami. Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford combine for five miles in passing ... Fans blame the Sooners� fifth straight BCS loss on Bradford being cursed by ringing the New York Stock Exchange bell in December ... Bedouin Shrine Classic starts with record Monday and Tuesday attendance marks, ends in an ice storm that cancels the tournament for the second year in three runs.
� February: Adrian Peterson leads Minnesota to the Super Bowl where the Vikings are upended by Vince Young and the Titans, 31-28. That�s right, Young, that one-time Longhorn nemesis comes off the bench while Peterson separates a shoulder. Meanwhile, the NFL announces that due to sponsorship reductions and the consequential economic bath of this Super Bowl, the NFL Network will take over all broadcast rights in order to punish the country for turning its back on them ... Jimmie Johnson wins the Daytona 500 in odd fashion. Nine cars compete as sponsorships collapse like The Castle�s Christmas inflatables in January.
� March: Oklahoma men and women make the Final Four, Oklahoma State women the Elite Eight. Both final fours are moved to high school gyms. Men�s Final Four in Detroit is moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., when Detroit goes bankrupt and closes all highways entering the city. Women�s Final Four in St. Louis moved due to a tornado hitting the Scotttrade Center ... Muskogee�s boys, Tahlequah�s boys, Fort Gibson�s boys and girls and Oktaha�s boys and girls make state in basketball and lose semifinal contests, which are moved to playground courts due to tornado damage at the Big House. ... Muskogee�s wrestling team wins dual state a month after originally scheduled due to consecutive winter storm weekends, giving literal meaning to the team nickname �Ice Fighters.�
� April: Sam Bradford threatens to return to Oklahoma if drafted by Detroit and winds up picked by Kansas City. ... Tiger Woods returns to golf and wins the Masters but the celebration is cut short when his entry fee was discovered not filed by one of his corporate sponsors, Gatorade. ... The Yankees and their billion dollar payroll begin the baseball season in style, winning 16 straight games and allegedly buying two more wins while eight major league teams suspend operations due to financial issues. Four others file for bankruptcy and reorganize with minor league players.
� May: Eufaula, Fort Gibson and Oktaha win state championships in baseball but the OSSAA can�t pay for gold balls due to sudden dramatic rise in gas prices to $7 a gallon bankrupting their travel budget. Same for Muskogee�s silver ball in slowpitch softball. ... The college baseball season, including local college baseball, is canceled due to players filling major league rosters. The Players Union, amid a champagne lunch, has had enough and immediately creates the Wall Street Baseball League. Yankees take an early 10-game lead with a split squad.
� Summer: Denver beats Boston 4-3 to win the NBA title. No one cares as the finals are moved to NBA TV pay-per-view. ...Tiger gets his sponsorship issues straightened out and wins U.S. Open and British Open. Vijay Singh wins the PGA.
� September: Muskogee struggles to a 1-3 start minus quarterback Bradley, who signed with the Texas Rangers in the original Major League circuit. ... The Dallas Cowboys kick off the NFL season in their new swanky JerryDome in Arlington. Bedouin Shrine clowns throw out the first balls, Terrell Owens drops them all and the Cowboys start the season 0-4. ... Another Owens, Jameel, starts for OU and has his first career touchdown in a season-opening victory.
October: Jenks and Union sign exclusive TV deals and use the money to rebuild Texas Stadium near the proposed Jenks supermall. The rich get richer. ... After OU�s 15-12 win over Texas, Longhorns coach Mack Brown notes this puts his team in perfect position to win a three-way tie for the Big 12 South and gain a spot in the mythical national championship game. ... MHS fastpitch team wins the state championship but baseball scout/coach Mack Chambers sends four underclassman off the team and to the Cleveland Indians� minor league system. ... Speaking of baseball, the Yankees� former Triple-A team wins the World Series and their former selves roll a title in the Wall Street League.
� November: NASCAR, losing sponsorships and tracks, sees its renamed Dixie Cup title won by Joe Nemechek. In a related note, Jimmie Johnson buys Lowe�s. ... Muskogee, Hilldale, Fort Gibson, Wagoner, Eufaula, Checotah, Sequoyah, Vian, Gore, Warner, Midway and Porter all make the football postseason, Wagoner making it the farthest, losing in the 4A semifinals. ... Jerry Jones dismisses Wade Phillips as coach, Barry Switzer turns down a chance to return and Hilldale�s Don Hendrix is hired after leading Hilldale to an 8-2 regular season finish. Says Hendrix: �Hey, I�ll do nearly anything for Bob Stoops-level pay.� Hendrix gets permission from Hilldale AD Darren Riddle to play a couple of Cowboys games at HHS after banks foreclose on the JerryDome.
� December: Mack Brown gets his three-way tie but the Big 12 South champ is No. 2 Oklahoma State, which upends No. 4 Oklahoma 74-73 in Norman. OSU goes on to beat Nebraska and will play Penn State in the BCS championship game. Oklahoma gets Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Tulsa is matched with Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl, which escapes a bowl purging thanks to the 37th congressional bailout of the year.
