NFL Draft 2008

So, I realize the draft was more than a week ago, but I have been busy with finals and moving that I have not been able to blog about the draft.

I thought the Steelers cleaned house. I had not heard of their first round pick before (Mendenhall RB from Illinois), but I was very impressed with his tapes. On NFL.com, Sterling Sharpe said he would likely win rookie of the year. That would be incredible.

I'm glad they picked up another runner because Parker won't last long with 40 carries a game and his injury last season was devastating to the team's success. Mendenhall is a big, between the tackles runner and that is just what the Steelers need to complement Willie Parker's outside speed.

The best pick of the draft was the second round selection of Limas Sweed. I love this guy. He was a four year starter at Texas and Vince Young's favorite target. I can't tell you how many times he caught the jump ball in the end zone over some lame Oklahoma State cornerback.

Sweed is a playmaker and at 6'4" exactly what the Steelers need to fill the receiver vacancy. Ya, the Steelers dropped my boy Cedrick Wilson for some reason. So, prior to the draft, they had the aging Hines Ward and the ever-improving Nate Washington.

The Steelers' need for a big receiver is great. Ben has never had much to work with but has still found ways to get it done. I think if the Steelers still had ol' Plaxico, they would have won multiple Super Bowls.

I was hoping the Steelers would go after Sweed, OU's Malcolm Kelly, or OSU's Adarius Bowman. So, I was pumped they got Sweed, the best of the group.

The Steelers also picked up a couple linebackers, an offensive tackle and a safety in the draft. In the fifth round, they took Oregon's versatile quarterback Dennis Dixon.

I love this move. Of course, he won't be a quarterback in Pittsburgh. Many have compared Dixon to a new "Slash" as Kordell Stewart was back in the day. I love having Dixon. He is a replacement for Randle El. Dixon is fast and elusive. He is heady on the field and he knows how to avoid pressure.

He will make a great little receiver to execute those special plays. I see it now. Dixon to Sweed to win the Super Bowl. It is going to be awesome. I couldn't be more excited.

Now, to the disappointment. No one from Oklahoma State was drafted. How depressing is that. That is the first time I can remember that no one was drafted. I have now officially self-boycotted the media of this state. Everyone said Bowman was a for sure second or third round pick. Savage would go no later than the fifth round.

Ha, the Sports Animal lies yet again. Not only was Bowman not drafted, but he was not even picked up as a free agent. Sure, his stock went throug the toilet when he was arrested for marijuana, but come on, they are all screw-ups. I thought he was for sure. He is a very talented receiver and holds many Oklahoma State records in his two short years.

The only two Cowboys picked up were FB Julius Crosslin who went to the Dallas Cowboys and my boy Donovan Woods to the Steelers, baby!

I always liked Woods. I thought he could make a great player with a little coaching help. He always had a great eye for the field. I think he could make the team because he does have skill and the Steelers are thin at linebacker. As a linebacker, is there a better team to play for?

The Steelers are legendary for producing excellent linebackers. Let's hope for the same for D Woods.

The Life of Riley

The weekend was surely a busy one, but with having no class on Friday, it was long and enjoyable. Saturday was a crazy day in sports as Oklahoma State had home games in both men's and women's basketball.

The general consensus about the men's team chance for success in the Big XII was that they would have little chance to actually win a conference game. They were ranked eighth in preseason polls, but due to poor performances, there was much speculation at whether or not OSU could live up to an eighth place finish.

If there was a chance to win a conference game, many said, that chance was the home opener against struggling Texas Tech. The first half was physical and tight and Oklahoma State took a four point lead by halftime. The second half, OSU came out gunning. Obi Muonelo hit 4 straight threes and James Anderson added another to give the Cowboys a huge lead.

The Cowboys went on a 33-6 run to start the second half. They would not look back as they pummelled Tech by 19. They held Tech to under 60 points. The best part was that Tech coach Bob Knight left Stillwater without his 900th win. Haha Bobby!

This was not even the best basketball game of the day. That happened in the evening as the No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowgirls took on the No. 6 Sooners in Gallagher-Iba. The bedlam match up usually brings the most attendance of the year for the Cowgirls with half the crowd being from Norman.

This night would turn out to be very special. Not only was the attendance record broken, but it was shattered by over 7,000 people. The gym was sold out at 13,611 people. The previous record had been around 6,000 people. The attendance was more than doubled the previous record. It was absolutely incredible. It was also a record for the most attendees of a girls basketball game in the state of Oklahoma.

There were more at this game than the previous men's game. For most of the girls, this was the most people they had ever played in front of. And for all those that came, they were in for a serious treat. Sophomore point guard Andrea Riley went off on a scoring rampage.

45 points!!!!!

That is simply unbelievable. I am still in shock about her performance. I have never heard of such a thing (after the game she claimed to have scored 52 points in a game when she was 13). This kid is amazing! She has a great attitude and loves competing. Very competitive and very tough. I have never seen anyone as fast as her on the court.

On one special play, she traversed coast to coast for a sweet layup in 9 seconds. She started from under her own basket with 9 seconds on the shot clock, put a move on every Oklahoma defender (including a sweet behind-the-back crossover to break a girl's ankles at mid court) and layed the ball in as the shot clock buzzer went off.

She was terrific. Congrats to Riley and the Cowgirls for their first win against Oklahoma in 10 years.

Interesting Note: Ben Roethlisberger's sister is a freshman forward for Oklahoma. I scanned the crowd, but no B-Roeth. O, and Hakeem Olajuwon's daughter plays for Oklahoma as well. Celebrity status does not seem to generate wins.