Tramel Blog: Jeff Capel Never Immersed in Oklahoma

[Tony]

Tramel was pretty hard on him and felt he should have been fired after the 2010 season. I'd say the fact he felt that way 1 year after advancing to the elite 8 was pretty harsh.

Sittler was pretty harsh, too.

These are the 2 higher profile sports (print) journalists in the state and both were clamoring after last year he should be getting some heat.

In my original quote, that you quoted, these are the journalists I was speaking of.

Well, I completely disagree, but so so we're clear:

1. You think Berry Tramel pulls his punches based on who gives him their phone number?

and

2. You think that Jeff Capel's not cowtowing to the press -- resulting in harsher coverage -- is an indictment of Jeff Capel and not the media?

 

[playmakr]

The facts seem to be that Capel thinks that the situation that led to his firing was a relsult of circumstances beyond his control. The message is that Trammel, on the other hand, seems to believe that the situation was as much or moreso the responsibility of the Coach.

That's the facts in that article? The one I read was some bull**** about tornadoes. You can't start saying what he did about tornadoes, and pretend to make it a serious article. This was a non serious, poppycock, clown article. Berry's tomfoolery is an odd attempt to improve circulation of his fledgling newspaper and column.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Well, I completely disagree, but so so we're clear:

1. You think Berry Tramel pulls his punches based on who gives him their phone number?

and

2. You think that Jeff Capel's not cowtowing to the press -- resulting in harsher coverage -- is an indictment of Jeff Capel and not the media?

I didn't say either one. Now you are putting words in my mouth.

What I said, is Tramel (and Sittler and others) may have been a little easier on Capel had Capel made himself a little more available to the press. I've heard a few other journalists say the same thing about Capel.

Bob Stoops provides the media with a cell phone on which they can reach him. He usually texts back and forth with the press, but at least he is available. They are pretty easy on Bob, wouldn't you say?

 

[Big Old Booger]

I sent the twitter links to Berry and here is his response:

A PR class is what he needed.

:ez-laugh:

 

[Tony]

I didn't say either one. Now you are putting words in my mouth.

You didn't? Because this...

What I said, is Tramel (and Sittler and others) may have been a little easier on Capel had Capel made himself a little more available to the press. I've heard a few other journalists say the same thing about Capel.

...sounds an awful lot like you are saying that. If we agree that the press (with the exception of Tramel and Sittler) could not have been easier on Jeff Capel, who else could you be talking about? The only conclusion I can reasonably reach is that you think Tramel treats subjects who schmooze him better than those who don't.

Bob Stoops provides the media with a cell phone on which they can reach him. He usually texts back and forth with the press, but at least he is available. They are pretty easy on Bob, wouldn't you say?

They ARE pretty easy on Bob Stoops. Of course, his job performance has given them many reasons for that. If they are being easy on him because he texts back and forth with them, then that says way more about the media than it does Bob Stoops or Jeff Capel or any coach.

 

[Big Old Booger]

You didn't? Because this...



...sounds an awful lot like you are saying that. If we agree that the press (with the exception of Tramel and Sittler) could not have been easier on Jeff Capel, who else could you be talking about? The only conclusion I can reasonably reach is that you think Tramel treats subjects who schmooze him better than those who don't.



They ARE pretty easy on Bob Stoops. Of course, his job performance has given them many reasons for that. If they are being easy on him because he texts back and forth with them, then that says way more about the media than it does Bob Stoops or Jeff Capel or any coach.

I don't live in Oklahoma, so the only press I can actively follow are the print folks. I would not agree they were easy on Jeff because like I said, Tramel was writing stories last year he should be fired just 365 days removed from the elite 8. Sittler was also writing stories about problems inside the basketball program at the same time. Were they as hard on Jeff as they were on Schnelly or Blake? No, they were not.

From what I have been told, it sounds like Trabor, Eschbach, BBJ, etc., were all pretty easy on Jeff because they didn't think he should be fired. However, we also can all freely admit none of these guys are doing anything but coasting professionally right now so does it really matter that they weren't hard on Jeff?

Does the media take it easy on Bob just because he is available to the press? No, I don't think so. I agree his record helps in this area, but they have had opportunities to criticize him (Bomar, Dvoracek, 2005 season, 2009 season, etc.) yet they were pretty easy on him. Tramel has said before the press was easier on Bob because he was available and they could ask him questions and weren't left to guess about certain goings on in the football program (I am paraphrasing what I have read from Berry). If they had a question about something that could be an issue they can contact him and he can explain it and then they decide if it's a story. Jeff didn't do this, so everything was a story.

 

[Tony]

Tramel has said before the press was easier on Bob because he was available and they could ask him questions and weren't left to guess about certain goings on in the football program (I am paraphrasing what I have read from Berry). If they had a question about something that could be an issue they can contact him and he can explain it and then they decide if it's a story. Jeff didn't do this, so everything was a story.

Your adversarial press, ladies and gentlemen!

Maybe next they can whine about not getting invited to the media basketball game.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Your adversarial press, ladies and gentlemen!

Maybe next they can whine about not getting invited to the media basketball game.

:ez-laugh:

I would say Jeff was more obstinate, which ultimately helped lead to his demise as opposed to calling the press adversarial, IMO.

 

[Tony]

I would say Jeff was more obstinate, which ultimately helped lead to his demise as opposed to calling the press adversarial, IMO.

Yes. I was being sarcastic, don't think that came through. They are anything but adversarial, which is the problem.

 

[aaron7]

I thought it was funny when I saw it on Twitter. Seems to me a dumba$$ article deserved the response it got from Jeff.

 

[garyeb2]

That's the facts in that article? The one I read was some bull**** about tornadoes. You can't start saying what he did about tornadoes, and pretend to make it a serious article. This was a non serious, poppycock, clown article. Berry's tomfoolery is an odd attempt to improve circulation of his fledgling newspaper and column.

I'm not going to get caught up in defending the media. But, I do have to point out that the tornado analogy was Caplel's. Capel said that what happened to him and the program was unpredictable like a tornado. It was Capel that gave an interview and took no personal resposibility what so ever. To me, it just sounded like Trammel was pointing out what a poor analogy Capel had conjured up to explain what happened to him.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

I thought it was funny when I saw it on Twitter. Seems to me a dumba$$ article deserved the response it got from Jeff.

I agree, I think it is funny. Berry is generally a good writer, but this was kind of a dumb article.

 

[stoops4pres]

I thought it was funny when I saw it on Twitter. Seems to me a dumba$$ article deserved the response it got from Jeff.

I thought it was funny too. I took it as Capel showing some levity of the situation. I don't think it necessarily "struck a nerve", but I could be wrong.

Nevertheless, I thought his tweet was funny.

 

[Tony]

I thought it was funny too. I took it as Capel showing some levity of the situation. I don't think it necessarily "struck a nerve", but I could be wrong.

Nevertheless, I thought his tweet was funny.

Don't misread me when I say it must've stuck a nerve, I definitely thought it was funny. As a fan I wholeheartedly endorse coaches being passive-aggressive on twitter.