Daily Bullets (Sept. 14): Most Viewed of the Week, Unlikeliness of a T. Boone Pickens

“There are two things every man in America thinks he can do: work a grill and coach football.”  -Greg Schiano

Bullets Rundown

• The unlikeliness of a T. Boone Pickens
• T. Boone quotes about Drake and cheating
• Last McNeese thoughts

OSU Bullets

• Most Viewed of the Week (No. 1): T. Boone Pickens Passes Away

Legendary head coaches come along a couple of times every hundred years – and there’s a level of sacrifice they give when they stay at a school. But they’re paid handsomely and generally honored tremendously.

Major, school-changing, culture-changing donors happen in one handful of schools once in five lifetimes. Who really is in that conversation with Boone? Phil Knight at Oregon, maybe Kevin Plank at the University of Maryland. The bluebloods generally have a solid pool of folks, maybe a family that contributes a lot (maybe like the Gaylords with OU), but for one individual to invest so much of their own resources into a university is incredible.

And the intersection of T. Boone Pickens’ generosity and resources with Oklahoma State’s need for and coaching staff may result in the largest return on investment in college football history.

• Most Viewed of the Week (No. 2): Ten Boone Pickens Quotes

Come for the Drake quote (“first billion is a helluva lot harder”) but stay for the comments about integrity.

That’s the thing about the impact of the orange triumvirate on Oklahoma State sports (Pickens/Holder/Gundy) – if any of the three wanted to microwave success, there were options (see Baylor). But they all loved Oklahoma State and had a long-term view and concern for the program.

Can you imagine how difficult that would have been for Holder and Gundy if Boone didn’t have that view?

• Most Viewed of the Week (No. 3): Ten Thoughts from McNeese Win

I loved this quote – “Not all 42-point wins are created equal, though, and this one left a lot to be desired, especially in the first half.” Not one person I heard from or read was really pleased with the blowout win.

The “thought” that most resonated with me was the beholding of Tylan Wallace and what he’s capable of. Watching handfuls of defenders take the wrong angle as he leaves scorch marks down the sidelines was really special.

Figuring out who the most talented player on this team is will be a week-to-week conversation but it’ll be so much fun to watch it play out.

• Most Viewed of the Week (No. 4): Kicktime for Tulsa

2:30pm, ESPN 2 – not bad at all. The underrated storyline for those watching on TV (including me on dad duty) will be figuring out if it’s more of an OSU home or road game based on the cheers.

• Most Viewed of the Week (No. 5): Gundy’s Quote on T. Boone Pickens’ Passing

“…(I)t would be difficult for us to climb as high as we have without him.”

While the comment was sincere and thoughtful, it may be a bit of an understatement as well. Sure, with difficulty, I could jog to the Florida keys this year or the PFB gang could beat the 04′ Final Four team five-on-five. But “darn near impossible” may be a better word than “difficult”.

Non-OSU Bullets

• I wondered about this – what happens if you fall asleep in a self-driving car?

• Fun story in CFB – Tennessee offered a full ride to the bullied kiddo who made the UT shirt – I’m sure they’ll take all the good publicity they can get after an 0-2 start

• This is pretty cool – the Library of Congress purchased 1,600+ pictures of roadside America for public viewing