Hyphenated word of the day: apples-and-oranges

[NMSooner'80]

In my context, I'm talking about reading various comments on various OU sites where OU's softball success is discussed along side OU's women's basketball success. Other than wins and losses, it's really two different things. I'm certainly not dogging the softball team's great run in the Big 12, but it's also a fact that three league schools don't even field teams.

It's just a hunch, but I also don't think Patty Gasso would appreciate it if she knew that some folks were hammering Sherri Coale with the recent softball run of dominance. I saw the FSN-OK special on Sherri, after she went into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, and it seemed like Patty was really impressed with Sherri's career and her methods. And I sure didn't notice anyone holding a gun to Patty's head to make her say something nice about Sherri, either.

I'm sure Sherri is also a big fan of Patty and her team. Let's not bludgeon one OU program with the success of another one on campus.

 

[tycat947]

Agreed. Patty is also a Hall of Fame coach! There aren't many schools which have a stronger group of coaches than OU, that is for sure!

 

[sybarite]

They are coaching in different sports with different situations. No basketball team, men's or women's, has won a national title yet. Sherri has come as close as any. No other OU coach, men's or women's, has been to the Final Four three times.

Gasso has something that is about as close to a dynasty as softball can get. Softball needs about ten players instead of five. It is also very heavily-dependent on one pitcher.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Patty built her program to a NC caliber and has performed extremely well ever since. She may win another NC this year. Sherri had her program performing at a very high level but it has fallen. Sooner fans have always held coaches accountable when they fail to meet expectations. But, other fans do the same thing, i.e. Texas, Tennessee, etc. If UCONN drops out of the top 15 for a few years in a row you will hear the boneyard howling. If Sherri starts winning conference championships again and returning to final fours, the heat will subside. If not, expect more of the same.

 

[j2d2]

Without doubt Oklahoma has three of the best women coaches of ANY major college:
Coale, Kindler and Gasso. There are NO three better coaches at a major college.

 

[soonerstar]

Patty built her program to a NC caliber and has performed extremely well ever since. She may win another NC this year. Sherri had her program performing at a very high level but it has fallen. Sooner fans have always held coaches accountable when they fail to meet expectations. But, other fans do the same thing, i.e. Texas, Tennessee, etc. If UCONN drops out of the top 15 for a few years in a row you will hear the boneyard howling. If Sherri starts winning conference championships again and returning to final fours, the heat will subside. If not, expect more of the same.

Excellent post!

 

[soonermike22]

Part of the heat on Sherri is that several teams lately have or have appeared to vastly underachieve. With experienced players returning, high hopes, and then the team not playing anywhere near what is expected always causes unhappiness around that type of performance. The assumption is either that coaches could not properly prepare the players, or that players chosen and recruited by coaches were not good enough to perform at a high level.
OU wbb has had several of those teams lately, interspersed with really high achievers. That thought process by fans will be true of any sport.
Is our glass half full, or half empty?