Old Titan Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Excellent article, with a couple of doozie quotes from Sunny that I'm sure I will elaborate on eventually: It's Oklahoma vs. Oral Roberts in NCAA 1st Round (MercuryNews.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis 83 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 OT, I, for one, am still waiting for your eloboration. I had a reaction or two when I got to that "I took a tremendous amount of pride in building that program " remark. However I know your knowledge of our sports history is immeasurably deeper and wider than mine. So I wait patiently for you to come down from the mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 The friendship thing is a poor excuse for not playing a game. I for one wonder why a friendship has to be at stake when two teams play a baseball game. Everyone knows that when two teams play, someone has to lose. Why can someone not be a friend even when he knows that he doesn't have the same coaching prowess as the other guy? Galloway and OU need to recognize that: 1. This is not football. 2. There is a little school in Tulsa that plays nationally recognized baseball. Time for all Oklahomans to know where ORU is. 3. It is an honour to beat the coach of the unbeaten (?) 2009 U.S. University team. It is not a dishonour to lose. 4. In baseball (basketball and whatever other sport), mentees sometimes beat their mentors. 5. Stoking a regional rivalry might even boost ticket sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Yeah....TheEagleman also bristled at the "pride in building that program" remark as well...... ........geez, I want us to win this game sooooooooo bad!..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis 83 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Eagleman, You think Larry Cochell, your contemporaries, and mine might have something to say about that? Restore? Sure. Build? Don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Yeah, TheEagleman knew Larry....good guy and a fine coach who really helped get things going....I graduated in 76 before the glory years.....Sonny just sounds like a pompous arse.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 OT, I, for one, am still waiting for your eloboration. I had a reaction or two when I got to that "I took a tremendous amount of pride in building that program " remark. However I know your knowledge of our sports history is immeasurably deeper and wider than mine. So I wait patiently for you to come down from the mountain. Well, you nailed it: just how long is Sunny Golloway going to take credit for the success of the baseball coaches at ORU who preceeded and succeeded him? When Sunny talks about "rebuilding the program", he seems to forget that when he took the job in 1999, ORU was just three years removed from winning 50+ games on a run to the NAIA World Series. Allen Barker did a fine job at the helm during the NAIA years and during the D-1 transition phase of the mid '90's, fielding a very competitive team that averaged over 35 wins a year and annually beat a lot of big names. In fact, the season before Sunny arrived, ORU had wins over Wichita State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Southwest Missouri (Missouri State) while playing a brutal independent schedule. So, it begs to reason, exactly what did Sunny "rebuild"? Would it surprise people to learn that one of ORU's worst seasons in the past four decades came in Sunny's second year, against a powder-puff schedule, after the previous regime's recruits had left school? If not for hiring Rob Walton in 1999 to take over the recruiting and pitching coach duties, I am convinced that Sunny Golloway would have eventually run the ORU baseball program into the ground. And now, after abruptly abandoning ORU to take an assistant coaching job at OU, he has the audacity to also take credit for Rob Walton's success? Here it is in a nutshell: Sunny was a miserable 4-12 in NCAA play while at ORU, and a lot of those losses were blowouts. Rob Walton, on the other hand, is a very respectable 11-12, with a regional championship and four other regional final appearances, and in almost every loss, the game was in contention down to the last out. There is frankly no comparing the two coaches in terms of their respective accomplishments at ORU. But don't try telling Sunny that - he thinks he did it all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Exactly what I thought. Sunny is a legend in his own mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Here it is in a nutshell: Sunny was a miserable 4-12 in NCAA play while at ORU, and a lot of those losses were blowouts. Rob Walton, on the other hand, is a very respectable 11-12, with a regional championship and four other regional final appearances, and in almost every loss, the game was in contention down to the last out. There is frankly no comparing the two coaches in terms of their respective accomplishments at ORU. But don't try telling Sunny that - he thinks he did it all... Golloway quote from another thread: " There was clearly some bitterness on the other side because a head coach gave up a head coaching job to be an assistant," Golloway said. "People know what's in their hearts and they know what they want to do. There's not a coach in the country that doesn't follow his dreams and do what they believe they should do. I was one of those guys." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The guys had better bring their sun screen for the games in Norman. The waether forecast is: Friday: high of 99 degrees Saturday: high of 103 degrees Sunday: high of 104 degrees Those are all record high temperatures. It will be interesting to see how the temperature affects all of the teams. Especially those who play in the afternoon. Which makes you wonder again, why did OU agree to play the afternoon game on Friday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 It's a very good question about the scheduling because it will definitely be HOT this weekend... I've heard Walton do a couple interviews in which he diplomatically suggested that maybe Golloway wanted to rest his players and scout the night game. Golloway, on the other hand, called it a 'players decision'. Which is odd, considering the heat and that most players would want to play a primetime game in front of their home fans. He's also spent the week blaming the OU fans for the Sooners poor showing in last year's regional, where OU was embarrassed by Arkansas and Norman was taken over by Razorback fans....So he's rewarded them by playing in the opening game and telling them to pack the park on Sat. and Sun., further baffling and angering the fans. IMO it looks like he's taking a "If you can't hide from ORU, hide the game" approach. The PR push and the scheduling don't make sense, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 By the way, more quotables from Sunny: OU baseball coach discusses ORU history “Any coach with any worth to him wants to leave the program in much better shape than when he got there,” said Golloway, ORU’s coach from 1996-2003. “When I came back to the University of Oklahoma (as an assistant in ‘04) that’s exactly how we felt.” “Unfortunately, and I don’t mind saying this, there were some people on that side that didn’t like my decision,” Golloway said Thursday. “But that was my decision, and I don’t like the way they handled it to be quite honest with you.” “Some of the people and the memories I have there are great. And some of the people that didn’t like my decision, they just have to deal with it.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Geez, what a prima donna. I also love this comment in the story (written by OU homer Guerin Emig) regarding ORU having "gone eight straight years without an NCAA postseason appearance" before Sunny Golloway arrived. How exactly were the Golden Eagles supposed to qualify for NCAA postseason play when for half that time they were in the NAIA, and during that entire time they were an independent? Does the 1991 NAIA World Series berth count for nothing during that stretch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Geez, what a prima donna. I also love this comment in the story (written by OU homer Guerin Emig) regarding ORU having "gone eight straight years without an NCAA postseason appearance" before Sunny Golloway arrived. How exactly were the Golden Eagles supposed to qualify for NCAA postseason play when for half that time they were in the NAIA, and during that entire time they were an independent? Does the 1991 NAIA World Series berth count for nothing during that stretch? How can a guy look at himself in the mirror after writing that stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 . "And some of the people that didn’t like my decision, they just have to deal with it.” Deal with this, Sunny: the ONLY reason why you have the OU job is because you stabbed former OU assistant Ray Hayward in the back to leap-frog over him, and then were a "panic pick" by AD Joe Castiglione after Gene Stephenson of Wichita State did an about-face and resigned a day after accepting the OU job, following Larry Cochell's forced resignation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 This should be a fun game tomorrow....I hope that ORU can give the Sooners all they can handle and more....how fun would it be to listen to Sonny have to explain an NCAA tournament loss to the small school "just to the North".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Wow! Things are really starting to heat up with these quotes from Sonny. The players on both sides should have no problem going out there and giving everything they have for their program and coaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Newsok article... Charting A Champion: Breaking down the Norman Regional By John Helsley, Staff Writer, jhelsley@opubco.com Oklahoman Comment on this article 0 Published: June 4, 2010 Breaking down the four teams in this weekend's NCAA Norman Regional: Oklahoma Sooners ?Seed: No. 1 ?Record: 44-15 ?Why they'll win: The Sooners can succeed in many ways — with pitching and defense; with a bunt or a blast; with power or speed. That versatility is invaluable in a double-elimination setting where pitching staffs can shut down foes or be stretched. OU should also enjoy its greatest home-field advantage among their three recent host opportunities, since there's no Wichita State or Arkansas invading Mitchell Park. ?Why they won't win: Pitching appears to be the only potential pitfall. The Sooners don't have the kind of dominant ace most true CWS contenders possess. The staff as a whole is solid. And closer Ryan Duke ranks among the best. But to advance, OU must rely on an arm or arms unproven in the postseason. California Golden Bears ?Seed: No. 2 ?Record: 29-23 ?Why they'll win: Cal is tested, having advanced through a Pac-10 Conference that rates among the best in the land. Despite the mediocre record, the Bears do own seven wins against ranked opponents. Junior first baseman Mark Canha led the league with 67 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Justin Jones won 10 games after passing on pro ball as a seventh-round pick of the White Sox. And Sophomore right-handers Dixon Anderson and Eric Johnson are considered top prospects, giving Cal perhaps the best starting pitching in the regional. ?Why they won't win: The Bears' record indicates how inconsistent they are, unable to string together wins. That's indicative of the young team they are and hardly a recipe for success in the postseason. North Carolina Tar Heels ?Seed: No. 3 ?Record: 36-20 ?Why they'll win: The Heels know how to do this. They've navigated various regional roads to the College World Series each of the past four years, going 32-10 in the postseason during that stretch. Outside of the team's freshmen, no Heel has stopped short of the CWS in his career. Right-hander Matt Harvey (7-3, 3.10 ERA) delivers one of the elite power arms in the country. ?Why they won't win: Despite the rich recent history, this UNC team isn't those UNC teams, featuring many new faces. The Heels are just 11-15 against teams in the NCAA field, including 1-12 against teams awarded No. 1 seeds. Harvey, as dominant as he is, is just 1-0 in five career postseason starts. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles ?Seed: No. 4 ?Record: 35-25 ?Why they'll win: No team is looser. After a regular season marred by various injuries ORU feels rewarded to still be playing. The Eagles don't carry a burden of expectations or to prove themselves worthy, like many past ORU squads. A team packing serious pop, ranking fifth nationally with 98 home runs, they could be a good fit for Mitchell Park, especially if the wind is howling out of the South. ?Why they won't win: Pitching. Today's starter, Bryce Smolen, is a second year walk-on who was forced to the top of the rotation when injuries struck the staff. He's been solid, winning nine games and earning first-team All-Summit League honors. But the competition ramps up here. And the Eagles would be hard pressed to pitch their way through here. Read more: http://www.newsok.com/charting-a-champion/article/3465950#ixzz0pr7hBMKf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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