The irony of Iowa St. AD Jamie Pollard's comments

Yesterday at a press conference, Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard came out and blasted the Big XII for its officiating that had "cost them games." With Head Coach Paul Rhodes behind him, he admitted that he'd likely be fined or penalized for his words, but that the jobs of Iowa St. employees are on the line; thus, he did not care if he was fined. This came just one day after Iowa State lost to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Just before halftime, referees made the determination that an Oklahoma State RB did not cross the goal line to leave the score at 6-6, but after reviewing the play they ruled it a touchdown to put OSU up one score.

I find this interesting for a couple reasons. First and foremost, the most glaring is the final score. The Cyclones didn't lose because of a controversial (if you even want to call it that) call that cost them one score. Iowa St. lost because of a terrible second half performance. They ended up losing by 17 points which further makes Pollard's point moot. Had they lost by less than 8, that argument would be justified, but when you come back out in the second half and get smashed you just sound like you're making excuses for losing. Furthermore, we're talking about a call that truly could have went either way. No mention was made from Pollard regarding the fact that the very next play in the game (the opening second half kickoff) was a 95 touchdown return for Oklahoma State or the fact that poor Kick Return fundamentals (OSU kicked off, ISU let's the ball roll around until OSU recovers) is what set-up the go ahead touchdown in the first place. It seems to me that instead of blaming officials one should figure out how to shore up the Special Teams blunders. Maybe Iowa State also has excuses for their blowout loss to Baylor as well? Maybe this is what Paul Rhodes meant when he was "so proud to be [their] coach."

Which brings me to my second point. The irony that Pollard and Rhodes are so upset with the Big XII makes me laugh. The reason? Several years ago when teams such as Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M were all leaving for greener pastures, Iowa State was one of many schools quick to point the finger and ridicule teams as being "scared" when the truth is, these teams were tired of playing second fiddle to Dan Beebe and his beloved Longhorns. Now, years later the same crap that happened to Nebraska (:01 added to the clock for Texas) and Texas A&M (creation of the Longhorn Network) when Iowa State ridiculed them for leaving is happening to them and what does their AD and Head Coach do? Make excuses for getting blown out and call foul. Irony at its finest.

What Brought You To Oklahoma?

Being someone who considers himself an "Okie" (Oklahoman), I am constantly asked what brought me to the metro of Oklahoma City. I've answered this question so much over the past two years that I've created my basic answer of: "warm weather and large city in the Midwest." However, there is so much more to the answer that it requires an amount of detail I rarely care to get into unless prompted... Truthfully, only the closest people to me in my Oklahoma circle truly understand the reason.

Before I explain why I came here, you have to understand where I was before I came. I was a 27 year old Computer/Health teacher at Whittier Middle School (my alma mater) and coaching at Washington (also my alma mater) and being part of an extremely successful program. I was paying off school loan debt at a blistering pace and was thrilled to be teaching where I was. I had what I still feel today was my favorite teaching job, amazing coworkers and students and was able to give back to the same system that did so much for me. One of my favorite memories of that year was letting my 8th graders shave my head however they chose... And boy, they didn't disappoint....

However, even with the perfect job, I realized true happiness isn't predicated solely on career happiness. I wanted to live in a metropolitan area that was still safe. I wanted to live someplace warm because I was fed up with the plethora of blizzards and sub arctic temperatures a South Dakota winter brings. I wanted to make more money (South Dakota teacher pay is the worst in the US) I wanted to bring all of my friends and family wherever I went, but I knew that that was obviously not plausible. I was 27, no girlfriend/wife, no kids, virtually no student loan debt or debt of any other kind. I was a free 27 year old man "settling" for less than my perfect. 

Up to that point, I'd said advice my best friend Mitch's mother, Linda, had given me, but never actually lived it. Linda said, "Don't ever settle, or you'll never be happy." (Side note: she told me this in 2007, it's crazy how sometimes the most unsuspecting people can make a profound impact on your life with one statement) 

With this in mind, an old college friend of mine, Nick, had been chatting back and forth about all things under the sun. One of these was the idea of coming to visit Oklahoma City. At first, it was just an afterthought, but the more he encouraged me to visit, the more intrigued I became. I devised a plan. When school finished in mid-May, I would tie up a few loose ends in Sioux Falls and take a summer vacation in Oklahoma. Nick told me I could stay there rent free for a month and experience Oklahoma City.

The night I arrived in Oklahoma City, I could feel electricity in the air. The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team was battling San Antonio in the Western Conf. finals of the NBA playoffs. Nick and one of his friends Alexis took me to a local spot. A projector screen about 20' playing on the wall and a now-closed bar by the name of Dan O'Briens packed with people watching the game. Seeing the way this place exploded as the Thunder closed the Spurs out was invigorating. It was a great "nice to meet you" along with the plethora of incredibly friendly people I met through Nick that night.

As the days became weeks and my one month stay quickly approached, I fell in love with the idea of Oklahoma City. A metropolitan area, much warmer weather, and incredibly friendly people. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try and see what the job market was here. In doing some research, I found that Oklahoma City teacher pay is 48th in the US (which is still awful), but almost $5k more. Before you detractors point at "cost of living," look it up. OKC and Sioux Falls COL is virtually identical, and in Oklahoma gas is consistently and significantly less. It only made sense to take a stab at the job market here I found a place to land. It was official, I was moving to Oklahoma City.

The decision to move here was not an easy one. The stress level I had of giving up everything I'd built was something I fought with for several days. Thankfully, I had the full support of my parents, the rest of my family, my close friends and coworkers. I think what sealed the deal of support and logic was when my dad said, "If you leave and you don't like it, you can always come back. Trust me, Sioux Falls won't change much. Your family and friends will all still be here." And you know what? Not only did he make sense, two years later I've realized he was right. Not a whole lot has changed when I go back.

However, a lot has changed for me. I've been able to find a great teaching job in the city, coached with some great coaches that have challenged me and pushed me in ways I never thought possible, grown some friendships into lifelong friendships, and made new friendships of some amazing people. I have even been fortunate to have met someone truly special to me by age 29 when I was starting to wonder if this sort of thing just isn't for me. Am I completely, 100% happy? No. I still have personal goals that I want to achieve in life, but those goals are something I can certainly achieve here.

So, at eh end of the day I am a Libertarian living in a Red State. I'm a product of Blizzards, Taco Johns, and a hard "O" sound when I pronounce my home state. But I'm now living where there is blistering heat, oil is king and everyone says y'all. I'm an Okie. But I also understand my roots of where I've come from and those people who have helped make me who I am. That's why I'm not just an Okie, I'm a "Northern Okie."

Newly Acquired World Cup Perspectives

Is he crying or trying to eat a soccer ball??

I have lots of friends that have a vested interest in the game of soccer and enjoy it to a level I will never be able to, but my roommates hyped the World Cup greatly leading up to it which lead me to give it an honest chance. After spending several hours watching, I have come to some perspectives I never had prior to watching.

1 - I genuinely enjoy the fact that the game keeps moving along. No major stoppages for fouls or timeouts like there are in my two favorite sports (Football/Basketball). The plethora of timeouts/fouls at the end of games is tiresome, but in soccer the game just keeps on moving. We can all think of critical moments of basketball games where the clock says 3 minutes left but in real time it takes about 30-40 minutes.

2 - I can't stand that group play games can end in a tie. Ending a game in a tie seems outdated, genuinely foolish and strips an opportunity for an exciting finish (shootout). A game ending in a tie would be like Football not having a playoff... wait a minute.

3 - Flopping happens in many sports, and there is one thing that I think we can all agree upon: Flopping is lame.  Yes, I know it happens in football and a lot in basketball, but the way players in Soccer roll on the ground screaming bloody murder is pathetic. It also forces the officials to have to make judgment calls on foul or no foul.

4 - Though Soccer isn't the most entertaining sport, it sure alleviates the worst sporting season of the year (summer baseball... ugh) and bridges the gap to football season.

5 - Offsides sucks. I say, let them cherry pick all they want. More scoring = more entertainment.

6 - Seeing the way it brings countrymen together is nothing short of impressive. Listening to the Ecuadorian fans sing in unison after scoring to go up 2-1 was very cool.

If you know my perspectives on soccer prior to this World Cup you'd hear nothing positive. I think I deserve SOME credit for looking at the game and offering fairly neutral thoughts on the game. I don't see myself following the game any time outside of this but once every four years is the perfect dose of soccer for me.

Edit: A former athlete of mine, Justin Siems, made me aware that I made the first error in my life. It was actually Ecuador that went up 2-1, not Honduras. Thanks for the feedback!