Thoughts from a Trip from Waco

[Sam]

So how was that ride in? Guess that is why they call it the Bear Pit.
**awkward laughter**

The ride in was fine except for a sense of impending doom that seemed to grow and grow as the day went along. There was a small reprieve from the doom till the lights went out and I am not really sure if the Sooners ever realized the lights came back on.

Guess that is enough about the game, as it is too much of a painful flashback to be properly retold. Now on Baylor's arena outside of forgetting to pay their electric bill it is nice place. Comparable in size with the Lloyd Noble and has the similar feel of even being in the upper deck but not feeling like you are removed from the action (Frank Erwin and Bud Walton come to mind as arenas that do that). I also enjoyed the acoustics of it as it allowed a small Baylor crowd to create loads of noise during their whole 80 to 40 run after the 20-11 early Sooner lead. Another plus of the arena was they announced on the loud system (which wasn't very loud in reality) for their crowd in the upper deck to move down after tip off. Wish the LNC could follow Baylor's leads on that . . .

Only two complaints about the arena outside of their poor electricity budget was their "jumbo tron" and the sound system. If you have been in the Ford Center since they remolded it this year I'm going to assume you have seen the little screen with stats on it below the main jumbo tron. Imagine those as the only screens in an arena, that is what the Baylor's screens looked like. It was like went to Best Buy and bought the largest flat screens they could. They then surrounded it by ads and stat displayers, had to have good eyesight to make out the replays. The sound system seemed to be the same thing, they just bought a ton of large speakers from Best Buy and hung them from the roof. Really if Baylor could string together some winning seasons, invest in improving the visual and audio aspects of the Ferrel Center. it could be a really intimidating place to play and fun for their fans to come to.

Now Baylor fans overall seemed like a good bunch, just happy to get the win and their number one fan on the internet (DFW) is a good guy. But they had a couple rotten apples and we were blessed to sit by them. One of them well, I really hope he wasn't a Baylor grad as to quote John Madden "his elevator doesn't reach the top floor". He decided the best way to heckle OU fans after Baylor had busted open their big lead was to say Boomer more times than Billy Sims at a Heisman Trophy ceremony. Add in a repeating a couple more Oklahoma chants our group was doing earlier and his heckling of us might have been the worse I have ever seen. And I've seen mulleted Arkansas fans try to talk trash. Also one of our group who is an OUhoops.com poster had a very interesting run in with an elder Baylor woman fan, if he wishes to explain more on it I'll let him do so.

Overall I really think the only two positives from this trip are George's in Waco has really good food and a group of 20 OU fans made the trip down. Despite the team's horrid play we stayed and watched it all which, I think it shows the progress OU basketball fans and particularly students (since all but a few of us are current students) has made in the past couple years.

That is all I got.

 

[Sooner Quick]

Sam were you guys doing countdowns of the shot clock early on? If so you could hear it loud and clear on tv.

 

[Sam]

Sam were you guys doing countdowns of the shot clock early on? If so you could hear it loud and clear on tv.

I think at one point we were, so that is good to hear.

 

[Sooner Quick]

Ya Tony and I commented on it on the game thread! Thank you it provided me with something to smile about from yesterday!

 

[DFWHoopster]

Soonersam- good critique. Baylor is replacing their video board and audio system after the season is over. They are using the same company that installed the video and audio system in Cowboy stadium. But I think it will be a little smaller.

Sorry about your obnoxious fan experience. Probably some locals who normally root for UT or A&M. But I encourage the Joe Six Packs to come in droves even though they often bring with them some unintelligent heckling skills.

I thought the crowd was good- noise and attendance- considering students weren't back yet and there was a Cowboys playoff game on. Attendance was 8700 which is about average for Baylor in conference. Capacity is 10000.

You have to watch out for the Baylor bluehaired women. Ask tv announcer Stephen Bardo about that. He had a run-in with one and dropped a couple f-bombs. Almost cost him his job.

 

[DalBear]

Another plus of the arena was they announced on the loud system (which wasn't very loud in reality) for their crowd in the upper deck to move down after tip off. Wish the LNC could follow Baylor's leads on that . . .

Now Baylor fans overall seemed like a good bunch, just happy to get the win and their number one fan on the internet (DFW) is a good guy. But they had a couple rotten apples and we were blessed to sit by them. One of them well, I really hope he wasn't a Baylor grad as to quote John Madden "his elevator doesn't reach the top floor". He decided the best way to heckle OU fans after Baylor had busted open their big lead was to say Boomer more times than Billy Sims at a Heisman Trophy ceremony. Add in a repeating a couple more Oklahoma chants our group was doing earlier and his heckling of us might have been the worse I have ever seen. And I've seen mulleted Arkansas fans try to talk trash. Also one of our group who is an OUhoops.com poster had a very interesting run in with an elder Baylor woman fan, if he wishes to explain more on it I'll let him do so.

Greetings Soonersam!

I'm really glad you all made the trip down and hope you had a good time spending the afternoon around town.

I'm confused about your comment regarding the announcement for BU fans to move down. BU has never done anything like this for a mens basketball game and certainly not yesterday. All seats are reserved, and, with the dome being about 85% full, there would be nowhere to move down without drawing some serious ire from people already in their assigned seats. If school had been back in session and if there hadn't been a Cowboys playoff game, it likely would have been at or near a sellout. As it is, the Ferrell Center can get very loud at times - it's all due to the design of the arena. It's probably one of the more underrated venues in the conference, since we haven't had too much to cheer about until the last two years, I can understand the lack of hype. It gets pretty wild when we play UT and A&M.

I was one of the fans sitting near your group of 20. You all were determined to make some noise - for the first four minutes or so of the game. And you did. I want to apologize to your group for telling you to "suck it" after the Acy dunks and a couple of Lace treys. That was completely uncalled for and out of character for me. I blame it on Crown Royal and the delirium of OU's worst loss since 1981. Certainly nothing personal to you or your group. I wasn't, however, the one yelling "Boomer," but he was sitting pretty near me.

I'm glad you all had a safe trip down and encourage you to make the trip again. I know how it feels to take a beatdown from a road trip. I was one of the hundreds of BU fans at Lloyd Noble last year, on the front row behind the basket, Toby Keith side.

I think that Capel is the guy to lead OU Basketball. I understand this loss will not sit well with the Sooner faithful, but he simply needs some time. He got hit with some heavy casualties last year, from AJ, the Griffin Bros and lets not forget about Juan Patillo, who would have had a breakout Senior year. Like I told Texas Tech fans who were fretting about Pat Knight last year, you guys just need to be patient. Pat has already gotten Tech in the top 25 (although they'll be out this coming week).

SoonerQuick,

That was the BU student section shouting down the shot clock well ahead of the actual shot clock time. They suckered an OU player into jacking up a quick shot a full 2 or 3 seconds before the clock expired. It worked to perfection.

Anyways, glad you all had a safe trip and good luck til we meet again in Norman!

-DallasBear

 

[Sooner Quick]

Welcome DallasBear,

The few times I heard it the countdown was right on track with the shot clock so it was definitely OU fans.

 

[sooner333]

That was the BU student section shouting down the shot clock well ahead of the actual shot clock time. They suckered an OU player into jacking up a quick shot a full 2 or 3 seconds before the clock expired. It worked to perfection.

I was about to say...I'm pretty sure this was the case. The shot was followed by laughter. It was Tony Crocker who shot it.

 

[DalBear]

I was about to say...I'm pretty sure this was the case. The shot was followed by laughter. It was Tony Crocker who shot it.

Yes that is the one. I thought it was Crocker, but wasn't 100% sure.

By the way, Scott Drew joked with Crocker during the stoppage that his shooting was the reason the lights went out. He certainly started out on fire. I was surprised that a Senior would let the 'ol shot clock ploy work when he is on the road.

 

[Sooner Quick]

I saw the Crocker shot and that was definitely Baylor's fans but this was before that! I think the Baylor students caught on and shut it down but for 3 times I know it was right on with OU's shot clock.

 

[T_Neal's Twitter]

I want to apologize to your group for telling you to "suck it" after the Acy dunks and a couple of Lace treys. That was completely uncalled for and out of character for me.

Hey Buddy,

I'm the guy in the OU hat and hoodie that you told to "suck it."

First off I want to say that I and many other people in this world don't take it lightly when people tell you to "suck it." You tell that to the wrong guy and you are gonna be missing some teeth.

Second, I want to say congratulations to your basketball team on a great victory. I just wish that you had handled your success with a little more class.

No love lost, man. Everyone (including me) have lost their sense at a sporting event of our beloved schools.

Lay off the sauce and have fun watching your Bears in conference play.


L4B12

 

[BigTime]

Greetings Soonersam!

I'm really glad you all made the trip down and hope you had a good time spending the afternoon around town.

I'm confused about your comment regarding the announcement for BU fans to move down. BU has never done anything like this for a mens basketball game and certainly not yesterday. All seats are reserved, and, with the dome being about 85% full, there would be nowhere to move down without drawing some serious ire from people already in their assigned seats. If school had been back in session and if there hadn't been a Cowboys playoff game, it likely would have been at or near a sellout. As it is, the Ferrell Center can get very loud at times - it's all due to the design of the arena. It's probably one of the more underrated venues in the conference, since we haven't had too much to cheer about until the last two years, I can understand the lack of hype. It gets pretty wild when we play UT and A&M.

I was one of the fans sitting near your group of 20. You all were determined to make some noise - for the first four minutes or so of the game. And you did. I want to apologize to your group for telling you to "suck it" after the Acy dunks and a couple of Lace treys. That was completely uncalled for and out of character for me. I blame it on Crown Royal and the delirium of OU's worst loss since 1981. Certainly nothing personal to you or your group. I wasn't, however, the one yelling "Boomer," but he was sitting pretty near me.

I'm glad you all had a safe trip down and encourage you to make the trip again. I know how it feels to take a beatdown from a road trip. I was one of the hundreds of BU fans at Lloyd Noble last year, on the front row behind the basket, Toby Keith side.

I think that Capel is the guy to lead OU Basketball. I understand this loss will not sit well with the Sooner faithful, but he simply needs some time. He got hit with some heavy casualties last year, from AJ, the Griffin Bros and lets not forget about Juan Patillo, who would have had a breakout Senior year. Like I told Texas Tech fans who were fretting about Pat Knight last year, you guys just need to be patient. Pat has already gotten Tech in the top 25 (although they'll be out this coming week).

SoonerQuick,

That was the BU student section shouting down the shot clock well ahead of the actual shot clock time. They suckered an OU player into jacking up a quick shot a full 2 or 3 seconds before the clock expired. It worked to perfection.

Anyways, glad you all had a safe trip and good luck til we meet again in Norman!

-DallasBear

DB,

Thanks for stopping by. Congrats on the win.

A couple of thoughts regarding your post:

- Hundreds of bear fans at the LNC last year? You guys brought a nice group, but let's not get carried away....

- Didn't understand the Boomer chant guy. I guess he thought it was funny. We gladly just yelled Sooner in response to him each time that he said it.

- You guys had the latest filling crowd I have ever seen at a basketball event. I mean, that place was maybe 60% full when the lights went out (almost midway through the first half), and then folks just kept on coming in (even after halftime). Do they give discounts for folks after a certain point of the game or what? I would say you ended up with it about 80% full at its peak. There were a bunch of empties all around the top of the arena and scattered empties in the lower bowl.

- No hard feelings regarding the shouting back at us. I would be going crazy if the roles were reversed and we hadn't beaten someone on our home floor since 1953. Glad you enjoyed the moment. Your team played really well.

- My Shiner Big O's were amazing, and we hit up the Czech place (the Shell one) this morning on the way out of town. That was one of the best breakfasts I have ever consumed. Wonderful.

Boomer Sooner

BT

 

[Tony]

What exactly was DalBear suggesting that Lookout4Bookout suck? I need clarification on this before I can render judgment...

 

[DalBear]

DB,

Thanks for stopping by. Congrats on the win.

A couple of thoughts regarding your post:

- Hundreds of bear fans at the LNC last year? You guys brought a nice group, but let's not get carried away....

- Didn't understand the Boomer chant guy. I guess he thought it was funny. We gladly just yelled Sooner in response to him each time that he said it.

- You guys had the latest filling crowd I have ever seen at a basketball event. I mean, that place was maybe 60% full when the lights went out (almost midway through the first half), and then folks just kept on coming in (even after halftime). Do they give discounts for folks after a certain point of the game or what? I would say you ended up with it about 80% full at its peak. There were a bunch of empties all around the top of the arena and scattered empties in the lower bowl.

- No hard feelings regarding the shouting back at us. I would be going crazy if the roles were reversed and we hadn't beaten someone on our home floor since 1953. Glad you enjoyed the moment. Your team played really well.

- My Shiner Big O's were amazing, and we hit up the Czech place (the Shell one) this morning on the way out of town. That was one of the best breakfasts I have ever consumed. Wonderful.

Boomer Sooner

BT

Thanks for responding BT.

Last year we had a number of buses bringing BU students up from Waco to the LNC for the game. The Bear Pit made trips to UT and A&M as well. Unfortunately, they were only able to get tickets in sections near the top of the LNC, and since we were never really in the game, were not able to make their presence very known. But make no mistake, there were hundreds. I just went on my own with some buds and some local OKC area Bears. Your arena is a near-replica of Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus.

You are dead-on about the late arriving crowd yesterday. I was almost one of those folks. The parking situation at the Ferrell Center is not the best for large crowds. You get caught sitting in traffic, only to realize that, by the time you get to the entrance, parking is full, causing a clusterf. Plan B is to then go to a parking garage South of the arena where shuttle buses drop you off at the arena, which takes a lot of time. That's my and many others fault for not planning to get there early enough. But, hey, parking is free so I can't complain too much.

So glad you enjoyed some Shiner Big O's and the Czech stop in West, TX. Kolaches are a must. They have a huge festival each Labor Day Weekend called Westfest that's a pretty big draw. Just don't buy any of the polka CD's unless you have a loaded gun handy!

Bookout - Thanks for the extended congrats. I'm encouraged by the performance of our team, but I'm not going to get too excited until we're able to secure some nice road wins. And in this league, they're hard to come by.

--DallasBear

 

[BigTime]

Thanks for responding BT.

Last year we had a number of buses bringing BU students up from Waco to the LNC for the game. The Bear Pit made trips to UT and A&M as well. Unfortunately, they were only able to get tickets in sections near the top of the LNC, and since we were never really in the game, were not able to make their presence very known. But make no mistake, there were hundreds. I just went on my own with some buds and some local OKC area Bears. Your arena is a near-replica of Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus.

I remember the mighty Bear pit travelers well. I started the "same old Baylor" chant that made it into the ESPN writeup after the game. We were told that there was going to be a lot more than what showed up. I guess if you want to count all of the guest seats behind the bench and the few bears scattered in other parts of the arena, then maybe there were hundreds. It was certainly the most Bear fans that I have ever seen in the LNC. I will give you that much.

You are dead-on about the late arriving crowd yesterday. I was almost one of those folks. The parking situation at the Ferrell Center is not the best for large crowds. You get caught sitting in traffic, only to realize that, by the time you get to the entrance, parking is full, causing a clusterf. Plan B is to then go to a parking garage South of the arena where shuttle buses drop you off at the arena, which takes a lot of time. That's my and many others fault for not planning to get there early enough. But, hey, parking is free so I can't complain too much.

So glad you enjoyed some Shiner Big O's and the Czech stop in West, TX. Kolaches are a must. They have a huge festival each Labor Day Weekend called Westfest that's a pretty big draw. Just don't buy any of the polka CD's unless you have a loaded gun handy!

Bookout - Thanks for the extended congrats. I'm encouraged by the performance of our team, but I'm not going to get too excited until we're able to secure some nice road wins. And in this league, they're hard to come by.

--DallasBear

:tinypower