Friday Feedback
August 23, 2013 by Mike CasazzaWelcome to the Friday Feedback, which for a while felt like it had been lied to all these years. Mean Gene Okerlund is a West Virginia University graduate?
Mean Gene Okerlund is not a West Virginia University graduate.
The alumni association has no record, and though the friendly folks there say their record-keeping is not perfect, the university’s registrar has no record either.
And on top of that, an industry insider says Gene attended Nebraska and finished at Panepistimion Makedonias.
It’s too bad because we need Eugene in some capacity.
It’s West Virginia versus Texas Tech on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Who will survive?
Oh, man. What if he was the sideline reporter?
Q: Dana, what in the world happened on the final drive of this half? You have two timeouts remaining and you end up attempting a 57-yard field goal to end the half.
A: Well you know something, Mean Gene …
I might sue now, just to buy IMG and Mean more time. WVU’s new baseball and women’s basketball play-by-play man, Jeff Culhane, comes to Morgantown from the University of Nebraska. Maybe they can be a package deal.
True story: M.G.’s burger place opened on campus when I was in school and he was out celebrating the opening whilst I was out celebrating a friend’s birthday. We ended up talking for a while. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I know John Oliver was involved. He was like Gene’s muscle that night. Anyhow, a bunch of things randomly happen and I’m in a corner at a bar with Gene and my man’s wearing a tuxedo.
This is my Wrestlemania moment.
We get to talking and he’s very cool. Not a big-timer. Not scanning the room trying to get away. He’s with WCW at the time and WCW was hot back then. He nevertheless compliments the WWF and says I should remain a fan of its product. I concur, because, come on, Mean Gene, but “… there’s something missing, if you know what I … mean … Gene.”
Mic. Drop.
The music did not stop and the crowd did not gasp. He laughed and we carried on our conversation. It wasn’t much longer. It was definitely long enough that I’m sure I didn’t roll his eyes and scare him off, nor was it so long that I felt he was compelled to stick around a deranged fan lest he find his limo tires slashed outside the bar. Pretty sure I was signing T-shirts and taking pictures as I left the place that night, but that might be some other occasion, I’m not sure. It’s nevertheless one of my very best moments.
Love that guy.
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, don’t get carried away.
(Late breaking: Just looked at my phone — Holton AND Macon are both eligible. That’s mildly surprising and extraordinarily encouraging news for Bob Huggins. Good job, good effort.) (Update: There was some misinformation out there. Macon is enrolled, but he’s not yet ruled eligible. There’s a difference. Haven’t heard anything to derail the Holton news, though.)Jeff in Akron said:
Gotta say, I’m not sure what a WVU football season, or basketball for that matter, would be like without this blog. I hope I never have to find out!
Good Luck Mike! I’ve thought for some time that the radio coverage of WVU sports was lacking, that just changed and I’m not referring to IMG.
You won’t find out this season, I promise. The radio show, which debuts Thursday in its 8-10 p.m. slot on SMCRadio.com, is something separate, but not necessarily additional. It’s not taking away from the blog, which I was planning on thinning out for 2013 anyhow. Fear not.
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