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B3 Thursday
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July 9, 2020
TITLE TALK
2010 team remembers fun rituals, family feel By DEREK HATRIDGE SPORTS EDITOR
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third of five oral histories with members of the McAlester High School 2010 girls basketball state championship team.
McAlester had a set of pregame rituals before each game and talked about their family atmosphere during the 2010 girls basketball state championship season. Former players Whitney Anderson, Lesley Huff, Kirsty Cook, and Alli Nichols (nee Eales) continue the oral history of the season: Derek Hatridge: So let me ask you this: what were the pre-game rituals like? Did you do something you did together as a team? Was it something that you each had your own individual thing? What were pre-games like in the Lady Buffs locker room? Whitney Anderson: The music… DH: What was on the playlist? WA: Can’t tell you that. We got to actually have our own playlist. It wasn’t some boring music to run out to; we actually convinced Billy Ray (Holt) to let us have our own music to warm up to as well. Lesley Huff: The locker room music varied. I remember at one point one time, we were playing K.C. and JoJo’s ‘All My Life.’ We were listening to that before the game. If we were at home, we’d always go the practice gym — if you didn’t play in the J.V. game, you’d go shoot in the practice gym, or the hot box as we like to call it. And then when Crystal (Robinson) came in, we would say the Lord’s Prayer, I believe. Then Coach Robinson would give her words for us. I always remember we broke out on ‘play hard, play smart, and play together’ with her. Then it was time to get hyped up. Alli Nichols (nee Eales): Our season motto was ‘play hard, play smart, play together.’ And with our expectations with (Robinson), we really had no other choice but to play hard. DH: I got you. You did have a couple road blocks, though. A tough matchup with Shawnee handed you your second loss of the season. You bounce back with a win against Broken Bow at home. I dug up an interesting tidbit from the game recap in the News-Capital. It said ‘The Lady Buffs had no fear though. Whitney Anderson described how her head coach, Crystal Robinson, kept the team focused. ‘She gets us calmed down during the timeouts. We tend to get in a rush and that’s when we start fouling, playing poor defense, and missing open shots.’ So my question is, first to Whitney: What are some of the ways Coach helped keep you calm? What did she say to you in those timeouts? WA: Well, if you want the honest truth, I don’t remember. Probably more so because I was a post player, so I have to, if one of the girls got past on a run, my job was to not let them score — so, start swinging. Then again, that’s just how I played. I played rough, very rough. AN: In timeouts, she’d always have this monotone. Don’t get me wrong, if we were out on the court, she’d raise her voice. But she never full-on yelled in a timeout. Like I see some coaches get (in player’s
Staff file photo
THE LADY BUFFS BASKETBALL HOMECOMING court sits court-side as the Buffs play the first game of the night in February of 2010.
Staff file photo
KIRSTY COOK saves a loose ball during the 2010 homecoming game in Bob Brumley Gymnasium.
faces), she’d never do that to us. I think that helped calm us because she never got riled up, so we never did. WA: We definitely fed off of her. When she was mad, we got mad. If she mellowed out, she did a pretty good job of mellowing us out. DH: As a leader should. WA: She was a great leader. DH: What were some things personally? Did y’all ever get nervous before games? LH: If I got too hyped up, if I didn’t feel a bit of butterflies, I knew things weren’t going to go well that game. So I always liked to get the feelings of but-
terflies, especially when we got to the playoff time. It was an odd sense of calm because I felt like it let me know that I was ready, that I was emotionally involved and invested…I was very superstitious. In sports, I’m very superstitious. I wore the same compression shorts, I wore the same sports bra, I wore the same double-layered socks. I was insane superstitious like that. Kirsty (Cook) and I would listen to the same song before we played every day. Whether it was just on the bus or — and this is when we didn’t have air pods — so we’re sitting there
DH: Anything you could do to make sure you were ready for the game. So, let’s talk about the homecoming game, where you played the second game. Was that a little different for y’all? WA: It was very out of my comfort zone. I don’t like doing things different. I don’t like dressing up either. AN: I didn’t like having to wear a dress, first of all. Then I had to go play ball. DH: There’s a picture I saw of you all sitting in chairs lined up in your dresses, I guess watching the boys game. AN: We had to sit until halftime, I think. I was like ‘get me out of this puke green dress, and two, someone’s going to run me over on the baseline.’ LH: I just remember my mom was so picture crazy, and I knew whenever — between the time when halftime ended — I had to get all the pictures taken with all my family that was there…I knew I had to get all the pictures in with them, and get changed and get ready to play. I remember thinking ‘if I’m not playing well because we weren’t focused…’ Another thing I remember is Kirsty had had her first baby in September of our senior year, and so Case was only a few months old, so he sat with us on the homecoming court. So if there’s a baby in that picture where we were sitting on the sidelines all lined up, that’s Kirsty’s oldest. KC: I do remember that. I think he was in the picture in the paper. DH: Speaking of that, what was it like for all of you to have your families right there with you every step of the way? WA: It’s probably one of the best feelings. KC: I think all of our families are really close-knit because those four years we had all been together. We had been through a lot together. We switched coaches, what, three times? At one point we were like, do we even have a coach? LH: We had a big group from McAlester like Ali and Whitney that had played together and had been friends for quite some time. And then Kirsty and I came from Frink-Chambers, and that’s a very small school and we’re like a family there. So, it was really just the joining of two big families once we got together.
with headphone connected and getting in the zone. We would typically listen to a goofy song, and then a song that gets us hyped up and ready to go. WA: I’m pretty sure I slept. As much sleep as I could get. LH: You were definitely a sleeper. WA: I was. I think that’s what calmed me down. Just sleep, listen to music…they wanted people to do homework on the bus, but I wasn’t doing it. I was sleeping on the bus every chance. Kirsty Cook: We listened to music a lot. Jumped around, • Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com. prayed.
Wilburton releases 2020 football schedule By DEREK HATRIDGE SPORTS EDITOR
The Wilburton Diggers are looking to the future as they’ve released the complete schedule for the 2020 football season. The Diggers will open play during Zero Week, where they’ll face off against Pocola on Aug. 28. This will set off a fivegame home stand for
Wilburton, culminating with the start of district play against Antlers on Sept. 25 and new district foe Idabel, who replaces Heavener, on Oct. 2. The first road test for Wilburton will take place on Oct. 9 as the Diggers travel to Hugo to take on the Buffaloes. After a Thursday night contest against Eufaula the following week, the Diggers
will travel to the other side of Gowen Mountain to take on heated rival Hartshorne on Oct. 23. The Diggers will play one final home game with Senior Night festivities on Oct. 30 against Atoka, and round out the regular season with a road contest against Valliant. Here is the complete
2020 football schedule for Wilburton: Aug. 28 vs. Pocola, 7 p.m. Sept. 11 vs. Keys, 7 p.m. Sept. 18 vs. Roland, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Antlers, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 vs. Idabel, 7 pm. Oct. 9 at Hugo, 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at Eufaula, 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Hartshorne, 7 p.m. Oct. 30 vs. Atoka, 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Valliant, 7 p.m.
• Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
ADRIAN O’HANLON III | Staff file photo
THE WILBURTON DIGGERS will see a fresh face and new opportunities during the 2020 football season.
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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 • MCALESTERNEWS.COM
scoreboard AMERICAN LEAGUE All Times CDT East Division W L Pct GB Baltimore 0 0 .000 _ Boston 0 0 .000 _ New York 0 0 .000 _ Tampa Bay 0 0 .000 _ Toronto 0 0 .000 _ Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 0 0 .000 _ Cleveland 0 0 .000 _ Detroit 0 0 .000 _ Kansas City 0 0 .000 _ Minnesota 0 0 .000 _ West Division W L Pct GB Houston 0 0 .000 _ Los Angeles 0 0 .000 _ Oakland 0 0 .000 _ Seattle 0 0 .000 _ Texas 0 0 .000 _ Friday’s Games Texas at N.Y. Yankees, 6:05 p.m. Baltimore at Boston, 6:9 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland, 6:9 p.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 6:9 p.m. Arizona at Chicago White Sox, 7:9 p.m. Detroit at Houston, 7:9 p.m. Toronto at Minnesota, 7:9 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels, 9:07 p.m.
Oakland at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE All Times CDT East Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 0 0 .000 _ Miami 0 0 .000 _ New York 0 0 .000 _ Philadelphia 0 0 .000 _ Washington 0 0 .000 _ Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 0 0 .000 _ Cincinnati 0 0 .000 _ Milwaukee 0 0 .000 _ Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 _ St. Louis 0 0 .000 _ West Division W L Pct GB Arizona 0 0 .000 _ Colorado 0 0 .000 _ Los Angeles 0 0 .000 _ San Diego 0 0 .000 _ San Francisco 0 0 .000 _ Friday’s Games Philadelphia at Washington, 6:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Miami, 6:9 p.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 6:9 p.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 6:9 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, 6:20 p.m. Arizona at Chicago White Sox, 7:9 p.m. Colorado at Milwaukee, 7:9 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels, 9:07 p.m. San Diego at San Francisco, 9:15 p.m.
MLS All Times EDT Eastern Conference W L T Pts GF GA Atlanta 2 0 0 6 4 2 Montreal 1 0 1 4 4 3 New York 1 0 1 4 4 3 Toronto FC 1 0 1 4 3 2 Columbus 1 0 1 4 2 1 D.C. United 1 1 0 3 3 3 Chicago 0 1 1 1 2 3 New England 0 1 1 1 2 3 Orlando City 0 1 1 1 1 2 Philadelphia 0 1 1 1 3 5 Cincinnati 0 2 0 0 3 5 Inter Miami CF 0 2 0 0 1 3 Nashville SC 0 2 0 0 1 3 New York City FC 0 2 0 0 0 2 Western Conference W L T Pts GF GA Sporting Kansas City 2 0 0 6 7 1 Minnesota United 2 0 0 6 8 3 Colorado 2 0 0 6 4 2 FC Dallas 1 0 1 4 4 2 Los Angeles FC 1 0 1 4 4 3 Seattle 1 0 1 4 3 2 Portland 1 1 0 3 2 3 Vancouver 1 1 0 3 2 3 Real Salt Lake 0 0 2 2 1 1 LA Galaxy 0 1 1 1 1 2
San Jose 0 1 1 1 4 7 Houston 0 1 1 1 1 5 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Wednesday, July 8 Miami at Orlando City, 8 p.m. Thursday, July 9 Philadelphia at New York City FC, 9 a.m. New England at Montreal, 8 p.m. Friday, July 10San Jose at Seattle, 9 p.m. Saturday, July 11New York at Atlanta, 8 p.m. Columbus at Cincinnati, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, July 12 D.C. United at Toronto FC, 9 a.m. Minnesota at Sporting Kansas City, 8 p.m. Colorado at Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m. Monday, July 13 Houston at Los Angeles FC, 8 p.m. Portland at LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14Chicago at Miami, 9 a.m. Nashville at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. New York City FC at Orlando City, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15Toronto FC at Montreal, 8 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16 Cincinnati at Atlanta, 9 a.m. New England at D.C. United, 8 p.m. New York at Columbus, 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 17 Colorado at Sporting Kansas City, 8 p.m. Minnesota at Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18Houston at Portland, 8 p.m. LA Galaxy at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, July 19
Chicago at New York City FC, 8 p.m. Miami at Philadelphia, 10:30 p.m.
TV SPORTSWATCH All times Eastern Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Thursday, July 9 AUTO RACING 8 p.m. FS1 — NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Shady Rays 200, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky. 4:55 a.m. (Friday) ESPN2 — Formula One: Practice 1, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 2 p.m. ESPN — TBT: The Money Team (TmT) vs. Herd That, Round of 16, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio 4 p.m. ESPN — TBT: Overseas Elite vs. Armored Athlete, Round of 16, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio BOXING 8 p.m. ESPN — Top Rank: Jerry Forrest vs. Carlos Takam (Heavyweights), MGM Grand, Las Vegas GOLF 3 p.m. GOLF — PGA Tour Golf: The Workday Charity Open, First Round, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio HORSE RACING 1 p.m. FS2 — America’s Day at the Races KBO BASEBALL
5:25 a.m. ESPN2 — LG at Doosan 5:25 a.m. (Friday) ESPN — NC at LG SOCCER (MEN’S) 9 a.m. ESPN — MLS is Back Tournament: New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union, Group A, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, Fla. 12:55 p.m. NBCSN — Premier League: Tottenham at Bournemouth 1:25 p.m. ESPN2 — Serie A: Udinese at SPAL 3:10 p.m. NBCSN — Premier League: Manchester United at Aston Villa SOCCER (WOMEN’S) 10 a.m. CBSSN — NWSL Challenge Cup: Sky Blue FC vs. Houston, Qualification Round, Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah (taped) TENNIS 8 a.m. TENNIS — The 2020 (Re)Open: GVC Eastern European Championship, Round Robin 12 p.m. TENNIS — The 2020 (Re)Open: GVC Eastern European Championship, Round Robin TRACK AND FIELD 5:30 p.m. NBCSN — IAAF Diamond League: The Inspiration Games (taped) ---
OU FOOTBALL
State Fair of Texas’ cancellation not expected to affect Red River Showdown By JOE BUETTNER CNHI SPORTS OKLAHOMA
The State Fair of Texas, originally scheduled for Sept. 25 through Oct. 18, was canceled Tuesday because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma football’s Oct. 10 game against Texas at the Cotton Bowl, which is located within the fairgrounds, is not expected to be impacted. “We understand and respect the decision made by the State Fair of Texas and acknowledge that it was an extremely diffi-
cult one,” said OU athletics director Joe Castiglione in a statement. “Our hope remains that we can play the OU-Texas game at the Cotton Bowl, but obviously every aspect of our season requires constant monitoring and planning. The best thing all of us can do at this time is closely follow CDC guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus.” Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte released a statement on Tuesday as well, which reiterated the programs’
plan to keep the Red River Showdown at its normal venue. “Though we certainly respect and understand the decision of the folks in Dallas on their cancellation of this year’s State Fair of Texas, we fully anticipate that our annual Red River Showdown with Oklahoma will be played in the Cotton Bowl and are continuing to prepare for that,” Del Conte said. OU and Texas have played a regular-season game in Dallas every year since 1929. The only
non-Dallas meeting during that span came in 2018 when the programs played in the Big 12 Championship Game in nearby Arlington, Texas. The last time OU faced the Longhorns outside of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex was Nov. 17, 1923, when the programs played in Austin, Texas. OU last hosted the rivalry game in Norman on Nov. 18, 1922. Gina Norris, board chair for the State Fair of Texas, said in a release it wasn’t possible to run the fair in its usual form
while also implementing adequate health and safety precautions. “While we cannot predict what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in September, the recent surge in positive cases is troubling for all of North Texas,” Norris said in a statement. “The safest and most responsible decision we could make for all involved at this point in our 134-year history is to take a hiatus for the 2020 season.” The fair anticipates a return in 2021.
Games are restarting, but few reporters will be there By JOE REEDY AP SPORTS WRITER
Many familiar pregame sights won’t be back when baseball and the NBA return later this month. Managers won’t exchange lineup cards at home plate and basketball lineup introductions won’t feature special high fives. There also won’t be the ritual of a gaggle of reporters crowding around a manager before the game or waiting for LeBron James or Brad Stevens to emerge for interviews after an NBA game. As U.S. team sports prepare to resume, journalists are facing the same reckoning that their colleagues who cover politics and entertainment have encountered — coming up with new approaches despite reduced access. “I consider this the most challenging year ever in terms of sports writer coverage,” said Bob Glauber, the NFL writer for Newsday and president of the
Pro Football Writers Association. Professional leagues closed media access to locker rooms and clubhouses in early March. Even when the games restart, that access is not going to return immediately. The NBA is the only league that will allow reporters to ask players questions in the same room, and that will be a very limited group. The league will allow no more than 10 media members to live full-time in the Walt Disney World bubble where all the NBA players will also live and play. The reporters must quarantine for seven days after arriving. Besides covering games, the reporters will be allowed access to the postgame media room and practices. They won’t be able to see leave the resort or have visitors for as long as they stay, and the rest of the season should last about 72 days. Reporters covering
games in Orlando but not residing in the bubble can watch from the stands and will only be allowed to interview players on Zoom. The NBA’s credential advisory states no more than 12 media members will be allowed in this group, which will not attend any news conferences or practices. Manager, coach and player interviews in baseball and the NHL will happen via Zoom, not in casual conversations in the clubhouse or the rink. The NFL is not allowing any face-to-face interviews with players during training camp. Coaches will be available, socially distanced, depending on the team. Journalists have seen access declining in recent years, especially as leagues and college athletic programs have taken more control of team’s messaging through their team sites and channels. Many journalists worry that less access can mean
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less oversight, especially with players sometimes feuding with teams and leagues about safety issues and making political statements. “The best, most compelling stories require personal interaction and opportunities to see how the people we cover handle themselves on the job, how they act in the clubhouse or locker room and what they say when the recorder turns off,” said Kerry Crowley, who covers the San Francisco Giants for the Bay Area News Group. “I’m not confident leagues are going to restore writers’ access to the level it was at before the coronavirus pandemic and I think publications, individual writers and the athletes we will all suffer because of that.” Many organizations are assessing whether it is worth it to send reporters to games if locker rooms remain closed. “Sure, we’ve all got phone numbers and can text players and coaches all we want, but it’s tough to replicate the one-on-one
interactions in open locker rooms or on the road,” said Abbey Mastracco, who covered the New Jersey Devils for Gannett’s New Jersey papers. Mastracco was hoping to chronicle the NHL’s return next month, but she was a part of a wave of layoffs that hit the news industry over the past three months. The declining access also comes at a time when the most compelling stories aren’t confined to just the field. “It would be disingenuous for coverage to ignore issues of health and race moving forward,” Crowley said “I think we’ll find stories will become more authentic if we as writers acknowledge that sports doesn’t exist inside a bubble.” Broadcasters are also sending fewer journalists. Remote announcing has been around for many years, but has been upped to a new level out of necessity. ESPN executive producer Mark Gross says his network has learned a lot of new things, such as a Korean baseball game
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that was called by announcers in two different states. “We’re waiting to see how everything plays out because things change quickly,” he said. “Ideally we want to be at a stadium, but the important thing for us is to put together a quality broadcast. Fans aren’t hung up on where the announcers are but who their team is playing and what they think.” Fox NASCAR races have had only one pit reporter with announcers Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon calling the action from a studio in Charlotte. Fox executive producer Brad Zager said things continue to evolve quickly. “What we know today isn’t going to be the same plan tomorrow. We also know that what works for NASCAR isn’t going to work for every sport. This isn’t a copy and paste solution,” he said. ESPN’s Karl Ravech, who has called baseball, college football and basketball remotely, hopes remote coverage doesn’t become the norm.
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