The Week In Peripheral OSU News

GARTH BROOKS GETS LITIGIOUS

OSU fans have maybe heard the "Urban Stillwater Legend" about how Garth Brooks, proud OSU MBA holder, country singing superstar, reclusive javelin grandmaster, and Duck St. resident 1987-1988, once donated a substantial amount of money to go to building an indoor track and field facility for OSU, a team in which Brooks was once a member. OSU, who still does not have an indoor track facility, appropriated the money to football, that all-powerful, money draining God-sport. Brooks did not like this transaction, so he swore he would never give money to OSU again. This would seem a reasonable story, except that every time Brooks has been attached to OSU in the last few years, he seems more than magnanimous about being a Cowboy.

So, now comes a substantiated story about Brooks in the exact same situation, this time instead of his alma mater, the defendant is now the Integris Hospital in Yukon, OK, Brooks' hometown. Brooks maintains that he gave the gift to honor his mother, Colleen Brooks, and was under the impression that the $500,000 he gave was going to be used, at least, to get his mama's name in neon lights on the front of a building. All due respect to Mrs. Brooks and Track and Field, the hospital, like OSU, had better things to spend the money on (like cancer research) and had nothing at all like what Brooks had envisioned to show for the donation. Brooks may have a claim here, but if he gave the money in a "anonymous and unconditional" manner as Integris is claiming, maybe "multi-thousand dollar indian giver" should be added to his long list of accolades. At the same time, how much would it have cost Integris to throw up some lights to honor their verbal agreement? Probably a lot less than the lawsuit and the bad press in Yukon will cost them.

BIG 12 NON-CON SCHEDULE: PLAYING IT BY EAR

OSU AD Mike Holder is as opportunistic as he is ballsy.

Since West Virginia is embroiled in Big East red tape and may or may not be out in Big 12 country in time for seasons start, Big 12 teams are scrambling to make sure they have enough non-conference games listed on their schedules. Or, more precisely, the two Oklahoma Big 12 members are scrambling. OSU has an At Arizona and a better-than-the-hyphen-suggests Louisiana-Lafayette on their schedule already, with another yet to be announced non-con foe in the works. Thankfully since OU had TCU scheduled as a non-con before TCU joined the conference, the Sooners are in even worse shape than the rest of the Big 12's remaining 9 teams, needing to schedule two more, possibly three, games in eight months time.

So, Mike Holders suggestion?: Home and Home Bedlam. Again. Making four years in a row the Sooners would come to Stillwater and give Holder his "Marquee game". Don't know why this is a solution, but damned if Holder's not gonna throw that out there on the table, anyway. Yachoff would love Mike Holder if Yachoff didn't hate Mike Holder so much.

Farewell to Jim Stanley, OSU's Only Big 8 Championship Coach

This news is not peripheral to OSU, but Coach Stanley's contributions to Oklahoma State Football deserve a tip of the cap. A few years back, Yachoff was privileged to witness Coach Stanley and members of the 1976 Cowboy team receive a standing ovation by a crowd full of Orange. A defensive minded Coach that used a running offense to perfection, Stanley paved the way for the rapid success that would sweep Cowboy football in the 80's. Coach Stanley, CRFF salutes you.