Postscripts: Brett Yormark’s Comments Trigger Texas, But the Truth Hurts
What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, Texas shouldn’t be so offended by the Commish’s remarks given the past three years, anyone wanna put a dome on Boone Pickens Stadium and beer me — I’m driving cross-country.
Embrace The Hate, Even if It Comes From the Commish
You’ve seen the video. You’ve read the quote. You heard it hailed. You’ve heard it called classless.
It just means football season is here. What’s the big deal?
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s remarks at a Texas Tech Kickoff Club luncheon earlier this week set everyone off. He talked about a lot of things, including Texas’ and Oklahoma’s departure to the SEC after this season (which, by the way, IS good for all concerned, as Yormark suggested, unless you just love toxic relationships and never want them to end).
Tech will play Texas in Austin to end the regular season. Yormark intends to be there. And he told McGuire …
“Coach (Joey McGuire), I’m not going to put any pressure on you, but I’m going to be in Austin on Thanksgiving. And you better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock last year.”
Oh God. Everyone clutch their pearls. Someone talked smack at a kickoff luncheon. However will we go on?
Please. Have you ever been to these things? They’re glorified pep rallies to gin up interest in the football season and to raise money. Is it weird that the commissioner of a conference said this? Probably. But he was playing to his audience. Coaches and athletic directors do this stuff all the time.
Heck, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is doing it, in a very marketable way. On an Orangebloods podcast earlier this week he said that he told his players and staff to “embrace the hate.” They made T-shirts, but they were since removed from social media.
Regardless, if you don’t recall, there was plenty of animus sent the way of Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M when they decided to leave a decade ago. Twitter just wasn’t the drunken cesspool it is now, which makes all of this feel like it’s the first time it’s ever happened in history. There was plenty of talk about betraying the conference from conference officials, school officials, coaches and fans alike.
For Texas fans that want to get lathered up about this, go for it (you’ll likely direct that same animus at Sark after the Alabama game). Just remember the truth. Your school, along with Oklahoma, talked in secret with the SEC for six months about leaving. You stood in the way of expansion of the Big 12 several years ago. You stood in the way of a Big 12 Network by starting your own network. Texas and Oklahoma have consistently set themselves above everyone else in this league.
And you’re surprised everyone is taking shots? No, you’re actually not, but you want that same special treatment as you exit stage left. Wanna act all indignant about it? Cool, cool, cool. But eventually you’ll come around and be like CDC and Embrace the Hate, even if it comes from the league’s commissioner. Call it a dry run for next season.
Because, honestly, if you can’t deal with what’s coming now, then you’re sure as hell not ready for the SEC. Because those people are brutal 24/7/365 and there’s no running from that.
More College Domes
Earlier this week Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was talking and, right there, that’s an automatic listen. In this case he and a reporter were talking about the weather. Quite literally.
OSU is taking on Southeast Missouri next Saturday in its home opener at 6 p.m. Now, it’s September football and we all know it’s gonna be hot. But Gundy said he expects the on-field temperature to be anywhere from 150-160 degrees.
Someone asked him if that was “dangerous.”
“It is,” Gundy said.
I’ve been on plenty of hot sidelines in September to shoot football games. I can remember on-field temperatures in the 110-120 range.
But 150 or 160 degrees? It sounds implausible. But, most of the nation is gripped in an epic heat wave and, well, anything now seems possible.
I cover the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com and I can tell you that in spite of the fact that I’m not a huge fan of the new ballpark’s aesthetics, I am a HUGE fan of the roof and the 74-degree temperature at game time, whether it’s April or September.
It also made me think. Are we nearing a point where college football teams will start building domes or begin looking at ways to shield fields from the sun?
Only one FBS team plays in a dome and that’s Syracuse. There are a handful of FCS teams that play in a dome or arena. A few FBS stadiums have built awnings that stick out over their fans to shield them from the elements, mostly in the Pacific Northwest.
But what about sun shields that could protect and shade portions of the field? Plenty of soccer (sorry, football) teams in Europe do that. The Miami Dolphins have done it with their long-time stadium and the Miami Hurricanes play there, too.
How long before a big-money booster gets a bright idea and shoots for that star? I think it’s something worth watching.
When September Ends
Time to fill you in on my September. While I’ll still be pecking away at basketball previews and prepping for October’s media days, I’ve got a few in-person Big 12 football games planned.
First, I’ll be at Colorado-TCU next Saturday. It’s an 11 a.m. kickoff which means TCU breakfast tacos and searing heat because someone thought an 11 a.m. kickoff was a good idea.
I’m off the road the following two weekends. Then, I’ll be driving to Cincinnati for the Oklahoma-Cincinnati game on Sept. 23, which will be my first game at Nippert. It will also be the Bearcats’ first Big 12 game.
Then after spending a couple of days in Cincinnati (after all, the Reds and the Bengals are both in town) it’s on the road again. I’ll be driving from Cincinnati to Provo, Utah, to take in my first game at LaVell Edwards when BYU hosts Cincinnati on Sept. 29. Why am I doing this? For you, our dear reader.
Which actually brings me to the real reason to bring this up. I need someone to bring me Iowa State and Kansas State beer. I mean, my route might take me through Ames, and if it does that’s perfect. But that doesn’t get me to Manhattan and that beer that Kansas State president Richard Linton is partnering on looks mighty good (BTW, get well soon, Prez).
Which brings this to mind. Shouldn’t we just have a “Big 12 Liquor Store” somewhere? I mean after all, this is the “Truck Stop Conference” right?
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
