The Crimson Pigskin e-Letter: Vol 11, Issue 6

THE CRIMSON PIGSKIN e-LETTER

 

PRICED AS MARKED

 

Ever pick up an item at one of the nation�fs larger retail stores because the price marked on the shelf below it was more than reasonable?  Ever take that item or items to the checkout line to find it was priced considerably higher than the markings on the shelf indicated?  After wincing a little has that item ever found its way back to its original location above the incorrect price label?  Or, does the haggling begin?  �gBurt, we need a price check on this from housewares�h.  Eyes begin rolling as members of the queue, waiting to be checked out realize this happened the last four times they shopped here.

 

Hooray for the little guys.  The knitty gritty, nickelin�f, dimin�f, clearancin�f closeoutin�f buck store guys.  The guys who know customers want to see a price tagged sMack on each delectable package in that cart full o�f sustenance its been such a pleasure to nudge up and down those narrow fully stocked aisles.  These outfits usually need to purchase or lease space in places one may not typically park his gasohol or natural gas or whichever product is cheapest at the local inconvenience store.  The money being saved on space is clearly being used in the right place in the form of price tags and people who know how to get the correct tag on the correct item. 

 

Friends say these places are great and it�fs worth a look if such shops have never reached a spot in the day planner.  Most are taking plastic now too, just like the big guys.  In an economically challenging time, in other parts of the nation much more so than in Oklahoma, quite a bit of green can be saved on clearly and correctly priced items at the smaller, less busy off brand stores.  The majors should take note before America finds the right price and doesn�ft have to park a quarter mile from the front door (Yes, the e-mail pictures of our service guys in Iraq made it to the inbox and CPEL is grateful for every whit of service they provide.) to get it.

 

LIFEBLOOD OF CHAMPIONS

 

Former Superbowl Champion Chicago Bears�f coach Mike Ditka portrays himself in the Hollywood motion picture Kicking & Screaming.  This is a story about a hapless soccer team coached by Will Ferrell (Ferrell�fs best comedic effort by leagues).  When Ferrell�fs character, Phil Weston takes over as coach of his son�fs soccer team, the Tigers, Ditka instructs him to start drinking coffee.  Reluctant at first, Weston begins guzzling cup after cup of the caffeinated beverage.  �gCoffee is the lifeblood that fuels the dreams of champions�h Ditka tells him. 

 

Weston sets up an espresso machine on the sideline at the soccer games.  He progressively becomes a �graving maniac�h before realizing he has misdirected the team on a number of levels.  Predictably, he regains his soul in time to help un-coach the Tigers to the championship.  That�fs the lighter side.

 

Research on frog hearts exposed to caffeine isn�ft nearly as humorous as Weston roaming the sidelines like a ranting NFL coach.  Frog hearts were damaged or burst when exposed to high levels of caffeine.  Some great thinking material swigging down that morning cup o�f Joe, huh? 

 

The University of Michigan (a place where athletic competition is important) Health System has issued the following information regarding the use of caffeine and athletic performance.

 

►�hCaffeine can provide some benefits but too much can lead to problems. It usually takes very high levels of caffeine to produce a real improvement in athletic performance and at those high levels you can experience�h

�œ sleeplessness

�œ anxiety

�œ stomach upset

�œ headache

�œ feeling jittery

 

The MU report continues,�c�gToo much caffeine can cause you to produce more urine and lose more water, especially in hot weather. You could become dehydrated and hurt your performance.�h  Caffeine is on a list of forty stimulants banned by the International Olympic Committee over a certain limit.  A concentration above twelve micrograms per milliliter of urine tested will sideline an olympic medalist hopeful.  That�fs the equivalent of roughly five to six cups of coffee or two espressos downed in approximately three hours.

 

What does MU say one should keep in mind?

1. Be aware of the caffeine in your food, drinks, and medicine, including nonprescription drugs.
2. Know how much caffeine you consume during the course of a day.
3. Listen to your body. Know how caffeine affects you. If you have ill effects from caffeine, cut back.
4. Don't try using caffeine to give you a boost during competition if you haven't used caffeine before.
5. If you feel like coffee improves your performance, be sure you don't consume so much that you exceed the legal limit.

So, have a heart!  Use caffeine carefully. Too much caffeine may be bad for you and could cause you to be disqualified from competition.  GULP!

LIPO BY GERM

From the CPEL bizarre stories folder comes this gem.  FoxNews.com reports a 23-year old Australian woman contracted a flesh-eating bacteria after a recent surgery.  She �gsays she survived the terrifying ordeal only because she was fat.�h  [She] thought she had a simple fever and stomach ache until she was told it was flesh-eating bacteria eating through her stomach muscles and body tissue. 

"Being big saved my life," she said. "If I had have been smaller it would have eaten my organs and my insides. My kidneys and liver would have been eaten if I hadn't have been big. Maybe fat people do have a good life after all."  Although bacteria don�ft have hearts, perhaps caffeine treatments are in order?  Twenty cc�fs of delicious mocha hazelnut delight, TO GO!

TULSA

After a first half in which the TU defense gave up 20 points to NCAA Division I-AA 12^th ranked Central Arkansas, the Hurricane offense put 34 second half points on the board and coasted to an easy 62-34 victory.  The Bears�f offense, led by quarterback Nathan Brown rolled up nearly 450 total yards against the �eCane defensive squad which appears to be Tulsa�fs Achilles�f heel so far this year.  ConferenceUSA isn�ft exactly known for great defensive efforts so a phenomenal offense will cover a multitude of defensive sins down the stretch.

Saturday night�fs game versus ConferenceUSA opponent Rice is homecoming for the Golden Hurricane.  That means loads of good food all along 11^th Street and plenty of family fun at Hurricane Alley before the 7pm CDT kick-off.  Last year, our heroes were treated to barbeque and soft drinks at the Hummer tent, then offered game tickets.  An unforgettable example of what the mammoth crowds in Stillwater and Norman are missing out on,�ccommunity.  GO GO Golden Hurricane!  TU 45, Rice 28.

ARKANSAS

Delayed punishment met the Hogs in Austin, Texas Saturday afternoon as they were defeated soundly by the Texas Longhorns, 52-10.  This was after the game originally scheduled for September 13^th was post-poned to September 27^th.  The two week wait ended with Arkansas getting slam dunked by their former arch rival.  Now U of A coach Bobby Petrino needs to have the backboard replaced and there aren�ft backboards in football.

Looking ahead to this weekend, things only get better for the Hogs.  The Razorbacks host the Florida Gators.  Florida lost to Ole Miss and Arkansas�f former coach Houston Nutt last weekend in front of its home crowd.  Enter the Hogs.  Whipping post for the NCAA�fs top 15 for the second week in a row.  The mayhem begins at 11:30am CDT.  SPLASH!  CHOMP!  Gators 49, Razorbacks 17.  It�fs not too late to become Sooner fans.  Besides the logo on the helmets and the winning record, the differences aren�ft noticeable.

TENNESSEE

No rest for the wicked so the Vols must be pure of heart.  The breather game in Knoxville, Tennessee Saturday is against Northern Illinois.  It is critical to the rest of Tennessee�fs season the team wins this game.  It is against a far inferior opponent and lands a week before a visit to Georgia.  At 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference, UT has to win out to have a chance at any post-season SEC glory and a nice bowl game where there isn�ft snow on the ground.

Looking ahead is far better than the latter half of that 0-2 mark which occurred Saturday against Auburn.  A hard fought 14-12 defensive battle ended in a loss.  Besides a loss to SEC divisional opponent Louisiana State, Auburn�fs Tigers are in the thick of the SEC West title hunt.

OKLAHOMA STATE

The Cowboy football team loaded themselves into a giant wooden horse and waited in T. Boone Pickens Stadium all night for the Troy Trojans to go to sleep, then they pounced, just like the legendary men of Troy (who had already lost to Oregon State on Thursday night).  After a few flashes, smoke and a little shouting, OSU emerged from the gridiron battle victoriously.  The final score was 55-24 and the outcome of the game was never in doubt.  The win is a vast improvement over last year�fs debacle in Troy, Alabama.

This week, the Pokes open conference play against Texas A&M.  This is a good year to play the Texas Aggies.  Rolling into Stillwater for a 6pm CDT kick-off with a new head coach, aTm is 2-2 and hasn�ft beaten anyone who counts yet this year.  OSU won�ft be the first in line for that ride. 

Rolling around in the back of the heads of the orange faithful is the fact that the coaches who are gonna win championships are winning them.  For example, Oklahoma�fs Bob Stoops and Alabama�fs Nick Saban have had early success at their successive coaching gigs.  Coach Urban Meyer won at Utah and then bagged a national championship in his first season as coach at Florida.  Before he got the ouster from Auburn, Terry Bowden was highly successful. 

How long can that jewel of a stadium with state-of-the-art facilities be kept from a championship caliber coach?  Nice win over a weaker divisional team.  Cowboys 52, Aggies 32.

OKLAHOMA

Thanks to some old friends from LA, the Sooners are the top ranked team in the nation this week.  USC lost to Oregon State last Thursday night, followed by Florida�fs loss to Ole Miss and Georgia losing to Alabama.  When the dust cleared, the Sooner Schooner was standing alone atop college football�fs polls.  Should OU win the rest of its games, some teams who pose a threat are:  Alabama, Louisiana State and the remotest possibility of Penn State causing problems for the Sooners exists but it�fs a very long shot.

Oklahoma controls its own destiny from here on out and last weekend, TCU found out that it takes more than a creative offense to win in Norman, Oklahoma.  OU rolled up 35 points to the Horned Frogs�f 10 in the Sooners�f 4^th victory of the year.  TCU was the first team on the schedule OU hasn�ft scored more than 50 points against but has yet to win a game by less than 25 points.  This weekend should not be an exception to that rule.

Saturday at 11:30am CDT, Oklahoma plays the Baylor Bears at Waco, Texas.  The Bears are 2-2 and the number one ranking OU brings into the game will warrant Baylor�fs best shot.  With as many smart guys in football getups as a Notre Dame versus Stanford game, Baylor takes that shot and isn�ft able to derail the championship minded Okies.  Sooners 63, Bears 10.

THE PERCENTAGES

So far, the percentage of winners had been phenomenal and going into this weekend rests at 19-1.  That�fs 95% for all those highly caffeinated dejected Trojans out there, Southern Cal, Troyan or otherwise.  Onward and upward!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Carlos

THE CRIMSON PIGSKIN e-LETTER