Recently the west coast has a special place in the hearts of most Oklahomans.
Ask any Oklahoma fan about Southern Cal’s embarrassment of a 2004 Sooners squad called the greatest team in college football history.
Show him a Seattleite blogger’s denigration of OKC Thunder ownership for allegedly stealing their city’s franchise – understandable despite their lack of support for the Sonics – but then highlight the gratuitous personal attacks on every day Oklahomans.
But if you really want to strike a nerve, bring up the Ducks Debacle of 2006. Still, it remains the clearest display in memory of the problems resulting in home conference referees calling a non-conference game.
Maybe what frustrates them even more than the loss: the fact that the kick actually was recovered by Sooners tailback Allen Patrick – a fact largely ignored by the mainstream press, portraying to the nation that Oklahoma fans are just crying over a heat-of-the-moment judgment call.
Saturday Oklahoma will visit the University of Washington for its first west coast visit since…well, you know.
And you’d think with all the bad blood between the Evergreen State and Sooner State that things could get ugly. Well, you’re probably right.
No matter what happens Saturday and no matter what names you’re called for wearing your new Oklahoma City Thunder t-shirts around Seattle this weekend, just keep this image in your head and know life goes on, no matter how difficult a bunch of Pac-10 homers try to make it for you.
