Heck, we even indulge the naysayers who believe we’re nothing but slow-thinking rubes who shun secondary education and them newfangled horseless carriages we keep hearin’ so much about.
We aren’t sure who makes all these rules, but we are sure it’s a little odd how Charles Barkley-crazy everyone went in Oklahoma City last week, considering how he’s blasted us for some time now. The most egregious was in 2006 when he said Oklahoma City is “no place for black people,” and a “vast wasteland.”
Even Gov. Mary Fallin got in on the hoopla when Barkley arrived with TNT’s Inside the NBA crew to cover the OKC Thunder taking on the San Antonio Spurs in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference finals.
She helped orchestrate a royal Oklahoma welcome, complete with a handmade, $1,500 pair of boots (provided by the Legislative Black Caucus), along with a horse ride on red carpet outside the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The governor was able to clear time in her schedule that she evidently hadn’t been able to muster when the president of the Unites States visited this past spring.
CFN supposes it helps to say crappy things about the state beforehand.
The irony wasn’t lost on Kenny Smith, Barkley’s fellow Inside the NBA analyst. Noting how Barkley was being lavished with gifts from Fallin and even the Thunder’s mascot Rumble, Smith groused, “Hey, we hate Oklahoma City, too!” The full-court press for Barkley’s affection continued into a second day of touring that included stops at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum and the Boathouse District.
At least Mayor Mick Cornett dissed Sir Charles a bit, albeit playfully, by mentioning on a video for TNT that he uses Barkley’s old trading card in the spokes of his bicycle because it creates “the most noise.”
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2012.