Tramel: How the late, great Oklahoma City Blazers helped OU reach the College World Series

Blake Robertson was 13 when he felt the pull. Torn between two loves, he was ready to choose baseball over ice hockey.

But Robertson wasn't hip on telling his father. Blake was so hesitant, he told his mother instead.

Peter Robertson was a hockey lifer.  Born on Canada's Prince Edward Island. Raised in Rothesay, New Brunswick. Hockey player at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia; and in the Central Hockey League, including six memorable seasons in Oklahoma City's Ice Age, with the grand old Blazers.

But Peter loves his son more than hockey. So when Meredith Robertson gave her husband the news, he didn't throw down the gloves.

"I just told him, 'hey, I’m totally fine with whatever decision you make,'" Peter said. "Choose your own path. I’m 100 percent behind you."

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Blake Robertson's path is taking him to Omaha.

He's now OU's sophomore first baseman, and the Sooners have reached the College World Series; they play Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Friday in the historic Nebraska event. Robertson, a transfer from Cowley (Kansas) Community College, has started all 64 games for the Sooners, hitting .311 with five home runs.

Peter Robertson is one of those Canadians who found themselves in OKC during the 1990s and/or 2000s, playing for the Blazers, who took the city by storm when the sport returned to Oklahoma after more than a decade's absence.

The Blazers drew big crowds at the old Myriad and the then-Ford Center, and they became more than local celebrities. The love flowed both ways.

Many of those hockey players stayed in Oklahoma after their playing days. Peter Robertson ranks sixth all-time in Blazers games played, with 382. The top five: Joe Burton 708, Hardy Sauter 590, Tyler Fleck 545, Marty Standish 445 and Peter Arvanitis 386.

All but Burton and Sauter still live in Greater OKC.

"It was the people," Peter said. "Even in Oklahoma City, walking down the sidewalk, people acknowledge you. That’s our culture where we come from. Little bit of small-town Canada. It felt like home.

“You get kind of rooted, develop strong friendships and strong friend groups. When my career was done, we had a house, he (Blake) had started school … didn’t feel like we needed to leave.”

Blake Robertson, now a strapping 6-foot-5, played youth hockey and baseball at a high level. He was on travel teams at an early age.

Baseball would finish about the time hockey season started and vice versa, though one notable weekend in Euless, Texas, Robertson played in both baseball and hockey games on consecutive days.

Eventually, he knew he had to choose.

“I realized I was developing faster in baseball than in hockey,” Blake said.

And dad was cool with it.

“He loves hockey, but he’s enjoying watching me now,” Blake said.

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Blake led Edmond Santa Fe to the 2019 Class 6A state championship in baseball. He signed with OSU but transferred to Cowley after the Covid season of 2020.

Now Blake is a Sooner headed to Omaha.

As a young boy, Blake would bounce around the Blazer locker room as his father forged an OKC legacy.

Peter Robertson had 161 Blazer assists, sixth all-time, and 224 points (10th). Robertson scored one of the most memorable goals in Blazer history -- in overtime from behind the net in Game 1 of the 2001 CHL Finals in Columbus, Georgia. The Blazers went on to win that title.

“Peter was the ultimate gentleman,” said Brad Lund, the Blazers general manager during those years. “Quietly, he was one of the most loyal players we ever had. Never complained about anything; ultimate team player.”

Peter Robertson knew little of Oklahoma culture when he first arrived in autumn 2000. He remembered his first training camp that October, walking over to Bricktown’s Spaghetti Warehouse after practice, and the place was empty.

“Wasn’t a soul there,” Peter said. “I asked, ‘What is going on?’”

It was OU-Texas Saturday. Now, of course, Peter is an Oklahoman and knows all about such things.

Even has a son who has experienced both sides of Bedlam on the diamond.

And Peter Robertson indeed is fine with his son leaving the ice. Peter claims he was the first to see his son’s baseball preeminence.

“Around 11 or 12, it became obvious to me,” Peter said. “I didn’t say anything to him, but between the two sports, it was going to be baseball.”

And now Blake and the Sooners are in the College World Series. From the ice to Omaha. Thirteen years after their final game, the Blazers still are impacting Oklahoma. Call it a hockey assist.

What will Thunder do with JaMychal Green?

The Thunder lit the first match of the NBA trade season when it gave Denver the 30th pick in the 2022 draft (and two future second-round picks), getting a protected 2027 first-round pick and JaMychal Green in return.

We saw some trade coming – the Thunder has the No. 2 and No. 12 picks in the draft next week and didn’t need another first-round selection. First-round picks have guaranteed contracts, and the Thunder doesn’t need another guaranteed contract on a marginal player.

But Green? We didn’t see that coming. The Thunder has little need for a journeyman forward, so the question becomes, what will Sam Presti do with Green?

First, a little background on Green.

He turns 32 next week. Grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and was a four-year starter at the University of Alabama. Good player there; he averaged double digit points all four years, with career averages of 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Green was not selected in the 2014 draft – NBA squads aren’t keen on 24-year-old rookies – and signed on with the Spurs. He played four games with San Antonio, was cut, then signed with the Grizzlies.

Green found a home in Memphis. He played three full seasons with the Griz and parts of two others. Green started 149 games and played in 271; he averaged 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds. Green even developed a 3-point shot; he made 36.2 percent of his Memphis deep balls.

In December 2018, the Grizzlies traded Green and Garrett Temple to the Clippers for Avery Bradley. The trade was mostly for financial reasons.

Green was a solid player for the Clippers over two seasons – 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 39.3 percent 3-point shooting.

Before the 2020-21 season, Green signed with Denver as a free agent. He was used by the Nuggets in much the same way as he was with the Grizzlies and Clippers, but his shooting went south this season – 26.6 percent.

The trade to OKC gave Denver a little payroll relief and got the Nuggets a first-round pick, but the Thunder figures to get a better pick come 2027.

Green has one year left on his contract, provided he picks up his option, at $8.2 million.

So what does this trade mean for OKC?

► It eats up part of the Thunder’s $32 million in payroll cap space, which means it’s more improbable OKC takes on a big contract in trade. That wasn’t a likely option, but it was at least possible.

► The 2027 first-round pick potentially could be more valuable than is the 2022 pick now, and not just in selection order. OKC could use it in a trade to bolster what we all hope is a contending team in five years.

Non-lottery first-round picks have lost a little value in recent years. I don’t know why. Somebody probably does know, but it’s irrelevant. Teams are more apt to trade late first-rounders now, which decreases their value. Maybe that will change in five years. These things go in cycles.

► Green could be immediate trade bait. That 3-point shooting dip lessens his value, but in the three seasons before 2021-22, Green made 39.5 percent of his 3-point shots. That’s an excellent ratio for a power forward. So maybe there’s still some market for Green.

► We don’t know the protection on the 2027 first-round pick. If it’s top-20 protected, it’s close to a wash. The difference between No. 24 and No. 30 is not great. But top-10 protected? Lottery-protected? That’s different.

Will the Nuggets still be a contending team in 2027? Nikola Jokic will be 32. Probably still doing amazing things, but you never know. If that Denver pick comes in at No. 17, that’s a big upgrade from No. 30.

► Could the Thunder actually play Green, try to rehabilitate his status? I don’t see it.

The Thunder already has Darius Bazley; why give Green some of Bazley’s minutes. Give Bazley every chance to develop. Plus some big man is coming in the draft, and there’s also Isaiah Roby (same deal as Bazley, only not as good a prospect) and Mike Muscala, who doesn’t do anything except help you win games.

Seems more likely that if Green stays on the Thunder roster, he’ll be Derrick Favors 2.0. A veteran who plays occasionally but not much.

Kenny Evans made Top Daug come alive

Kenny Evans died over the weekend. Maybe you don’t recognize the name. Then again, maybe you do. That was Evans’ magic.

He did more than bring a mascot to life. Evans made the man in the mascot uniform matter to people.

From 1987-90, Evans was OU’s Top Daug, the Billy Tubbs-inspired mascot who became the sensation at those wild Sooner games of the Billyball era. From crowdsurfing with the students to holding up cards mocking Bobby Knight, Evans resonated with OU fans.

In 2003, long after his days as an OU student, Kelvin Sampson asked Evans to return to the role. Alas, OU in 2004 retired Top Daug (and wrestling’s Underdog), in favor of Boomer and Sooner.

But no OU mascot reached fans the way Top Daug did, and no one ever transformed Top Daug the way Kenny Evans did.

The university, through its men’s basketball Twitter account, saluted Evans after his death:

“The OU men’s basketball family is deeply saddened by the passing of Kenny Evans, who entertained countless OU fans as Top Daug in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. Kenny transformed Top Daug into an iconic Lloyd Noble Center figure with his unrivaled spirit, energy and passion, and had an innate ability to make people laugh.

“A genuinely great guy and a Sooner through and through, he was the best to ever wear the costume and will be greatly missed. Kenny was truly the top dog.”

Evans, who lived in Phoenix and had a long career in real estate, also was a professional mascot. He was Boomer, the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival mascot; Eddie the Eagle, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association; Globie for the Harlem Globetrotters; and Sergeant Slammer for the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the Continental Basketball Association.

And it was Top Daug that elevated Evans to fame. He somehow made his version of Top Daug stand out. Think about it. The Thunder’s Rumble and OSU’s Pistol Pete are iconic mascots, but who wears the uniform never has mattered. Same with Boomer and Sooner.

It mattered with Top Daug.

“I have fun," Evans told The Oklahoman back in 2003. “My joy comes out of creating positive experiences for kids. Breaking barriers through laughter."

Evans always regretted OU’s decision to discontinue Top Daug.

"Top Daug was huge,” he said. "They could have kept him on and used different uniforms. I didn't think the horses would work as a mascot. They're non-functional.”

I’m not a Boomer and Sooner basher. They seem OK to me. They have just one problem. They’re not Top Daug. And every other Top Daug had just one problem. They weren’t Kenny Evans.

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The List: CWS odds

The College World Series of baseball begins Friday, with OU-Texas A&M leading off. With Notre Dame’s upset of Tennessee in the super regional on Sunday, there are no distinctive favorites to win the NCAA championship.

Here are the odds for the eight teams:

1. Texas 4/1: The Longhorns are Omaha regulars and a household name. They also finished fifth in the Big 12 standings this season.

2. Arkansas 9/2: Dave Van Horn is in his 20th season as the Razorback coach. He turned Nebraska into a national power and has done the same in the Ozarks.

3. Stanford 5/1: The Pac-12 has won three of the last nine NCAA baseball titles (Oregon State 2018, UCLA 2013, Arizona 2012), so a Cardinal title would be a rousing counter to Southeastern Conference dominance

4. Notre Dame 11/2: No great reason why the Fighting Irish are this high, other than the name.

5. Ole Miss 13/2: The Rebels were 32-22 entering the NCAA playoffs and were not considered a lock to make the field.

6. Oklahoma 7/1: The Sooners are hot. They join Arkansas, Notre Dame and Ole Miss as CWS teams that hosted neither a regional nor a super regional.

6. Auburn 7/1: Butch Thompson twice has taken the Tigers to Omaha in his seven years as coach. Thompson replaced the fired Sunny Golloway.

8. Texas A&M 15/2: This makes no sense. The Aggies and Stanford are the only top-eight national seeds still alive.

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Mailbag: OU softball batting order

You know OU softball’s fan interest has hit runaway mode when people start analyzing Patty Gasso’s batting order. So here goes.

Lance: “Why did Jocelyn Alo bat second instead of cleanup?”

Tramel: Easy answer. You want your best hitters batting as often as possible. For 120 years, most baseball managers had no clue how to construct a lineup. Bill James and his band of outside-the-box thinkers came along and showed managers they were goofy for having stereotypical lineups.

Why bat Alo fourth when you could bat her second and potentially get her an extra at-bat every few games? You don’t want to lose a game with Alo on deck. That didn’t happen in 2022 – in OU’s three losses, on deck were Jana Johns against Texas, Taylon Snow against OSU and Jayda Coleman against UCLA.

The best alternative for Alo other than No. 2 would be to bat her leadoff.

By the way, Babe Ruth batted third, not fourth. Manager Miller Huggins probably batted the Babe third not necessarily to get him more at-bats, but for some kind of protection. With Lou Gehrig batting cleanup, the theory goes that teams were less likely to pitch around Ruth. That was true to some extent with Gasso’s Sooners, which had Tiare Jennings batting behind Alo.

Still, I’d go with Gasso over Miller Huggins. The ‘27 Yankees would have been even better had Huggins dropped second baseman Mark Koenig down in the order and batted Ruth and Gehrig 2-3 behind leadoff hitter Earle Combs.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Hockey's OKC Blazers help OU baseball reach the College World Series