Pop Quiz: SicEm staff offers opinions, answers about Baylor sports
Welcome to Pop Quiz, a weekly test on Baylor sports taken by SicEm365 insiders. There are no wrong answers here, although some responses may leave you scratching your head. We may venture off topic at times, but hey … you may end up with a good burrito recommendation because of it.
A Baylor football player, past or present, who would be a good fit in the WWE is ___
Colt Barber: Phil Taylor mainly because he would undoubtedly look the part in the wrestling suit. The stories of him being incredibly strong are true and if you follow him on social media you would know he would be a fan favorite because of his personality.
Paul Catalina: Danny Watkins. He already has a character: “The Fireman.” Plus he was good for a personal foul or two because he had a mean streak, which is counter to what you hear about most Canadians.
Brian Ethridge: LaQuan McGowen. He'd be billed as 7-foot and 500 pounds, but he can move. And I doubt he'd have trouble taking bumps.
Grayson Grundhoefer: The easy answer is Shawn Oakman but I’ll go with the guy who lined up next to him and holds Texas state records for power lifting and that is Andrew Billings. This guy put up 2,010 pounds as an 18-year old which included a 500-pound bench press, a 705-pound deadlift, and an 805-pound squat. Oh, and he can chase down 180-pound running backs from behind. This guy is an athletic freak who would do some amazing things in the ring. Imagine that guy jumping from the top ropes....oh my.
Ashley Hodge: Clay Johnston would be amazing. I say that after I saw him dropping some deep spiritual truths while dipping during the last Baylor Athletics zoom call hosted by John Morris and Brooke Bednarz. Clay’s personality is infectious. He’s enthusiastic, charismatic, freakishly athletic and passionate. I could see him being a great fit for WWE if he decides to go that direction after his football days are over.
Jason King: Shawn Oakman could make millions in the WWE and should seriously explore that option. Daryl Gardener probably could’ve, too, back in the day. But everyone knows that the gift of gab in pro wrestling is even more important than in-ring talent. For that reazon, I believe Ahmad Dixon would have a shot at success. He was a high-level trash talker who loved playing to an audience. And word is, he’s not the type to, um, shy away from a tussle.
Craig Smoak: Shawn Oakman. It’s the easy choice but the right choice. He has the size, the look, and the level of athleticism required to stand out in the business. Not to mention, Oakman is a talker and could potentially have some talent when it comes to all-important mic work. He checks a lot of the boxes outside of actually seeing him move around a ring.
David Smoak: I thought about saying Shawn Oakman with his size and appearance and his personality. But, I have to go with LaQuan McGowan. He has an incredible story from the time he was in a Boys Home and his athleticism at being nearly 400 pounds, playing a little tight end. I do think both Oakman and McGowan got a little too much publicity at times, but hell, they were freaks of nature. But I’ll say McGowan, who became a really good interview during his final year at Baylor.
One thing I'd change about the game-day experience at McLane Stadium is ___
Colt Barber: Figuring out a better solution to the buzz kill breaks in the middle of the early portion of the game. They have really allowed the fourth-quarter experience to improve by limiting what is scheduled in the final 15 mintues, but there are key moments in the first half that the energy is sucked out of the building. Maybe it’s being a little more flexible in the event that it’s a big moment in the game.
Paul Catalina: Nothing that I can speak to. Having never watched a game from the stands, I can’t speak to it. Always having been in the press box I think I don’t have the perspective. I guess I would figure out a way for people to get cooled down more easily.
Brian Ethridge: Beer sales. Bring on the revenue enhancer.
Grayson Grundhoefer: The in-game production to get the crowd going has never been the best. I wish Baylor found a way to get the crowd into it more, whether it’s with music or some sort of energizing graphic or sound more often. I think it would help get the place going.
Ashley Hodge: The game day experience at McLane is solid. I don’t think a lot needs to be changed, but I do think some of the excitement from the Briles days has waned. I know a lot of fans point to the music, but I think the style of play probably plays a large part. That being said, I expect we will see a return to explosive, dominant offenses under Fedora/Munoz/Wickline/Bell/Johnson to go along with the great defense we saw last season. There needs to be a balance between advertising and hyping the crowd. For football and basketball, fan experience must be priority No. 1. Less awards, perhaps, and more crowd hype.
Jason King: I love attending games at McLane so this is obviously nitpicky. But a lot of those skits (and this goes for basketball games, too) are ill-timed. Like … no one is in the mood to laugh at a skit in the third quarter of a 17-17 game. It kills the intensity, especially if it isn’t all that funny. And do we really need to hear “It’s thiiiiirrrdd dooooowwwnnn ….” on every single third down? Even when its 42-7 in the fourth quarter? Seems like it might be bettter to pick and choose spots for that.
Craig Smoak: Less in-game entertainment/skits. I think it’s an area where they have done a good job overall, but sometimes it’s nice to get a break during the commercials or timeouts, rather than going straight from game-action into a contest and then right back into the game. Let the fans in attendance get a moment here and there to just chill and catch their breath.
David Smoak: It’s hard for me to have an opinion on this because my game day experience as a member of the media is so different. For the last ten football seasons, Paul, Craig, others and me would host our pregame show that ended two hours before kickoff. On occasion, I would drop by a tailgate area. John Maddux hosted one for Edward Jones. Or of course the section hosted by Hobby Howell and Brett Beene. But because I was also as focused on the work I had with covering high school football, I would usually get to the press box as soon as possible and start summarizing player of the week nominations, etc. So, I’m somewhat immune to what could be different.
The best dunker in Baylor history is ___
Colt Barber: I normally like to go outside of the box with these answers but if you’re picking someone besides Quincy Acy, you’re off base. In pregame settings he might not have the most spectacular dunks compared to others, but in game no one could match him. Maybe it was just his overall energy, but man, his dunk highlight against Texas could have been a career highlight for most guys.
Paul Catalina: Quincy Acy. Ask Texas. They know. Such a great jumper and it was always with authority. And he could really get the crowd into a game.
Brian Ethridge: Terry Black. Done.
Grayson Grundhoefer: Give me Pierre Jackson. He did not get a ton of opportunities to throw it down but when he did it was so impressive. Since he was only about 5-11 or 5-10, watching him get up and throw it down was a thrill. He is just so explosive.
Ashley Hodge: In-game dunking is my standard. Quincy Acy was the best. He ran the slip screen to perfection. He was always looking to posterize guys in traffic. He did a good job converting alley oops. No one can forget the 10 dunk performance he had against Texas in 2010. That was a work of art. Honorable mention is Cory Jefferson. He threw it down with authority. I think he had eight or nine dunks against Lehigh and CJ McCollum in Waco.
Jason King: Before he enrolled at Baylor, Deuce Bello was tabbed by one publication as one of the top 20 dunkers in the entire world. But if we’re looking for someone who actually contributed, I’ll go with Mark Vital, simply beacuse I’ve watched his YouTube tapes and know what he’s capable of. Vital has uncorked a handful of highlight-reel dunks during his time at Baylor, but I’ve got a feeling 2020-21 is going to bring something special.
Craig Smoak: Quincy Acy. Thunderous is not an adjective you can use for everyone’s dunks, but it’s one that suits Acy quite well. From college to overseas to the NBA, Acy’s dunk game has made its mark all over.
David Smoak: I can only speak for the time I’ve been around covering Baylor (2010-current), and I’ll say Mark Vital because of how powerful and emphatic he is at the rim. Breakaway dunks, alley-oops, whatever, he always finished with authority and strength. And yet for such a strong, physical player, he also displays tremendous athleticism. There are times when his dunks have made my jaw drop.
The most treacherous conditions in which I've ever covered a game/event were ____
Colt Barber: In terms of actually covering a game, I don’t recall anything actually being that awful, but being at the Baylor-Texas game in 2013 to close out Floyd Casey Stadium might have been the coldest I have ever been in my life. Fortunately Baylor controlled that game start to finish and it never seemed as cold in the moment, but had I actually sat down on the bleacher seat I think I would still be frozen to it this day.
Paul Catalina: TCU 2015. Frozen soggy HELL. I hated every second of that whole day. Even when I was in the press box. That’s how much that day sucked.
Brian Ethridge: Southlake versus Permian. During the game a turd floater ensued and then lightning started. I made my way from the field to the pressbox and my camera had quit. My phone had quit. And I'm just drenched. Lightning then strikes close to the stadium and I'm happy to be off the field.
Grayson Grundhoefer: The Opening got almost rained out two years ago in Katy. Just a miserable day. Brian and I went to the Under Armour Camp one year and it was FREEEZING. Maybe he can help me with the temperature, but it even made him put pants on, haha. Multiple high school games I have covered had rain but not lightning or anything too bad. Most of the college games have been good weather or indoors.
Ashley Hodge: I haven’t “covered” any non-basketball games, which are all in the cozy confines of the indoors. But I have two miserable fan experiences that stand out. The first one is Baylor at TCU football in 2015. A solid rain that was one degree above freezing all night long. By the time overtime came around, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t care who won. I just wanted it over. The second was a Colorado State at Air Force game I attended with my brother in law. The forecast was 32 and flurries. Kickoff temp was -8 and a blizzard. The crazy thing about that game was the score ended up being like 44-41. The offensive plays were unbelievable given the conditions. My brother-in-law and I tried to out-macho each other, but midway through the third quarter, he caved and we watched the end of the game from a sports bar.
Jason King: When I was 25 my sports editor at the Kansas City Star made me drive 40 miles each way on a sheet of ice at 1 a.m. to capture the “scene” of where Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas had wrecked his car the previous evening. Like most Texans, I hate driving on ice and spun out three times.
Craig Smoak: The 2015 rainstorm at TCU. Granted, I was mostly in the press box rather than the sidelines, but I’ve never seen rain pour down like it did that night in Fort Worth. Despite the press box treatment, I still arrived back home in Waco in soaking wet clothes. Honorable mention, and my own personal sideline adventure, would be a 2013 La Vega-Jasper playoff game in Palestine where temps were in the 30s and rain came down in sheets the entire night. It was brutal.
David Smoak: I’ve been through a lot of Mother Nature related game-days, including Baylor vs. Texas in 2013 when Paul Catalina and I broadcast a two-hour pregame show in below freezing temperature—fortunately inside a large corporate tent hosted by the Baylor Alumni Network (now Fan Engagement). It was brutal and the 10-12 large heater stands helped a little bit, but I was frozen. So, I’ll go back to covering the 1985 Cotton Bowl. Doug Flutie and Boston College vs. Houston. Kickoff temperature was 32-degrees, freezing rain, gusty winds and I was assigned shooting the game highlights for KLTV-TV (Tyler) from the sidelines. My camera was constantly freezing up and I must’ve slipped a dozen times from the icing conditions on the Cotton Bowl’s old, hard turf that iced up. And when I went into what was nothing more than a large, dark closet of a media holding area, my lens fogged up and it took everything I had to get it warm enough to record some postgame interviews afterward. And, that was only covering the game. The drive back to Tyler after the game to edit a story was even worse. It took 3-4 hours instead of one-and-a-half, but we got back to the TV station and barely finished editing the story for the newscast that night.
One bizarre food quirk I have is ___
Colt Barber: When I was younger I loved mustard on Cheetos. It originated from eating Cheetos with hot dogs and hamburgers with mustard on them. The Cheetos would fall into the mustard and I wouldn’t let them go to waist. It ended up being part of the meal for the longest time.
Paul Catalina: When I was a kid I saw Mr. Rogers wrap a banana in a slice of Kraft American Cheese. I don’t do this really anymore, but it was pretty good. I trusted Mr. Rogers, so I was all in with whatever snack he told me to eat.
Brian Ethridge: Tabasco on fried chicharon. Pouring it on individually and taking a swig of beer with each one. So good and taught to me by my high school shop teacher. He gave us a Bud heavy, a bottle of Tabasco, and chicharon on a ride home one day when he needed a beer. Bless that man.
Grayson Grundhoefer: A 3 Muskateers bar with massive amounts of creamy peanut butter on top (like an inch or two thick of peanut butter). It is so freaking good and I was addicted to it for a long time. The smoothness of the bar and peanut butter just mixed together for this perfect combo.
Ashley Hodge: Mustard on chicken. I don’t know where I started it. I’m not even that big of a mustard fan. But there is something about mustard on a chicken breast that makes it taste better. I almost always have to have olives on pizza as well. But that’s probably more of a mainstream thing.
Jason King: My dad used to put salt on watermelon. I never could get into that. But I’m definitely big on chips. I rarely make a sandwich without adding a layer of plain Lay’s or Ruffles. And sandwiches from Subway usually get the Dorito or Cheestos treatment. At mexican restaurants, I always sprinkle a fistful or two of chips into each fajita. Must be a texture thing.
Craig Smoak: Look, I am clearly the most no-frills eater on this website. I’d love to have some wacky food combo I could throw out there, but I’m a plain and dry kind of guy. On occasion, I might spice up a plain sandwich with some chips, but I can’t think of any other examples that would qualify. I’m a boring foodie, a Bizarro Bourdain, if you will.
David Smoak: I guess if I’m going to say anything, gravy and French fries.