Harris' game hasn't changed in the NFL
Former Sooner still a star

By Berry Tramel

Published: October 5, 2006

Tommie Harris is dominating the NFL the way he dominated college football in his Oklahoma days. And yes, OU fans, that's a good thing for Harris' Chicago Bears.

Harris drew a little skepticism in 2003, his final OU season, for his lack of statistics. Harris won the Lombardi Award despite just 37 tackles in 14 games.

But Harris has just 10 tackles in four games with the Bears, and that hasn't kept Harris from staking a claim as the best defensive player in the NFL.

Harris has five sacks for Chicago's dominant defense (29 points allowed in four games) and requires multiple blockers to keep him from homesteading in opposing backfields.

Just what he did at OU.

"Tommie always played well here, for sure," Bob Stoops said. "Tommie Harris was a great player. At times, people didn't recognize it."

Stoops said Harris' ability allows teams to use him as a wrecking ball who clears the path for other tacklers.

But a disclaimer: Harris is a favorite of Stoops'. Stoops rarely lets down his guard when it comes to feelings, particularly not this season. But this week, he volunteered a heartwarming story about Harris.

During Harris' Sooner days, Stoops found a note taped to his office door that said, "Coach, just wanted you to know I was thinking of you and I love you." It was signed Tommie Harris.

Stoops figured it came from Tommie Harris Sr., a minister in Texas.

At practice that day, Stoops told Harris, "Your dad came by today."

But Harris said, "Coach, that was me."

Stoops truly seemed taken aback. "I didn't know you liked me," Stoops said.

"That's the kind of kid he is. Prince of a young man. They don't come any better than him."

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Title talk: There's still hope for OU-Texas winner

National championship hopes for both Oklahoma and Texas have been described as slim. But it's too early to write off the OU-Texas winner.

The OU-Texas winner will be the nation's highest-ranked one-loss team. That is no small thing on Oct. 8.

The 1975 Sooners were ranked seventh in the Nov. 17 poll. The 1985 Sooners were ranked 10th in the Oct. 21 poll and seventh in the Nov. 11 poll. Yet both OU teams won the national title.

So being ranked in the 9-10 range, which OU will be with a win over Texas, is no huge obstacle. Heck, the 2000 Sooners were only No. 8 in the poll after routing the Longhorns 63-14.

The '75 and '85 Sooners needed some help, and so will this OU team. But help very well could arrive.

Only 12 unbeaten teams remain from the six BCS conferences. That includes Missouri, Wake Forest and Rutgers.

The nine teams that conceivably could go undefeated are Oregon, USC, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Louisville, West Virginia, Michigan and Ohio State. All nine also conceivably could lose before the bowl games.

The Sooners could be in prime position, provided they take care of business. OU's 34-33 loss to Oregon was illegitimate, due to dubious officiating that everyone acknowledges produced a wrong verdict. No one-loss team would have a better case than the Sooners.

Is it a longshot for OU? Heck yeah. It was a longshot when the season started.

But beat Texas, and hopes remain.

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Baseball: Home run mystique gone

The Phillies' Ryan Howard hit 58 home runs this season, and no one got excited. Chalk up one more victim of baseball's steroid scandal: awe.

The inflated numbers of the steroid age — the six highest single-season home run totals occurred from 1998-2001 — have made us immune to true feats of greatness.

Howard had a shot at Roger Maris' non-steroid record of 61 homers. Barry Bonds' 73 (2001); Mark McGwire's 70 (1998), 65 (1999) and 58 (1997); and Sammy Sosa's 66 (1998), 64 (2001) and 63 (1999) all came during the juice days.

Discounting that window, the best home run totals ever are Maris' 61 (1961), and Babe Ruth's 60 (1927) and 59 (1921). Howard tied Jimmie Foxx (1932) and Hank Greenberg (1938) at 58. That's heady company.

Some might claim the steroid era is not over, and I can appreciate such skepticism. But Howard's 58 and David Ortiz's 54 were totals much higher than anyone else. Albert Pujols (49) and Alfonso Soriano (46) were next.

By all accounts, Howard's season was historic, and apparently legitimately so. But we can't fully appreciate it. The romanticism is gone.