Oklahoma basketball coach Kelvin Sampson has been hired at Indiana, ESPN.com reports. Sampson's departure comes after he signed one of the nation's top recruiting classes last November that included former Irving MacArthur star Jeremy Mayfield. A 6-9 forward, Mayfield spent the last season at Gulf Shores Academy in Houston. The same school that Gerald Green attended before being drafted last year by the Boston Celtics. Mayfield originally signed with Nevada out of high school in '04 but opted to spend a year at a prep school.

Nacogdoches forward Damion James also signed with OU as well.

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione may have sent Sampson signals that he was looking for a change from Sampson's hard-nosed, defensive-oriented style. Castiglione is considered one of the nation's bright young ADs, He's 1-0-1 when it comes to big hires. Castiglione hit a homer with Bob Stoops in football, but Castiglione whiffed in baseball when he hired Gene Stephenson only to have Stephenson change his mind. OU seems to have rallied by promoting Sunny Galloway, who was overlooked the first time but has the Sooners ranked No. 14 nationally this spring. 

Around these here parts, the sports stuff is about to hit the fan.

We're about to delve into the Cowboys draft (while hoping Bill Parcells is planning to participate). We're about to plunge into the Mavs playoffs (while hoping they can somehow avoid the gauntlet of Spurs AND Suns). We're about to dive into the Stars playoffs (while hoping anybody else in Dallas cares).

Oh, and I guess there's baseball, too.

So this is the calm before the storm. And a chance to play Sports Media Ring Around The Rosy.

I've recently bitched and moaned about the way the thin-skinned sports media works in this town, about the way commentators around here seem to be able to dish it out but not take it, about how competitors can't seem to understand that we are all supposed to be like that sheepdog and that coyote in the Warner Bros. cartoons -- at war between punches of the clock, but 'G'nite, Sam'' civil acquaintances before and after work.

And I've caught nothing but heck for it.

So now, how about some rosy news on this subject? How about three examples of how the DFW sports media really can work "against'' each other without being AGAINST each other?

Let's bring into the circle Channel 8's Dale Hansen, KLUV-FM/CBS11's Jody Dean, and the Dallas Observer's Richie Whitt.

And me.

Now, we're all in competition, right? And given the usual tone around here, when an opinion is given, another commentator is not supposed to dare critique that critique because. ... well I don't know. Queerly, that's just the way the DFW sports media works.
Except in these three recent rare and refreshing examples:

EXAMPLE No. 1: Jody Dean. The other day in this space, I made mention of how "un-footbally'' the Cowboys' relationship with KLUV always was. Jody took some offense to my mention of some KLUV voice(s) referring to Charlie Waters as a "sports player.'' Jody essentially called me a jackass, but he did it with so much polish and so much class and such good manners!

We exchanged emails, had fun debating the point of Cowboys coverage, and concluded with Jody saying he enjoys reading my crap and also enjoyed "kicking dirt on my shoes.''

EXAMPLE No. 2: Dale Hansen. Dale's anti-T.O./anti-Jerry Jones commentary on Channel 8 (and the Ticket) actually featured a line that went something like this: "The weekend rain isn't rain at all, but rather the teardrops of Tom Landry and Clint Murchison looking down from Heaven.''

I used the word "treacly'' in my harsh analysis of Dale's harsh analysis.

Is Dale mad at me? Hardly. A big boy, Dale understands that if he gets to be town crier with his opinion on one street corner, another guy might be across the avenue from him, town-crying something else. And then we all go to the saloon together and crier (over a beer) about it. Together.
Dale is so not-mad at me that he emailed me a note saying, "Take your best shot!'' and offering to appear as a guest on my radio show (Thursday the 30th, 8-10 p.m., on Texas Progressive Radio (www.txproradio.com).

EXAMPLE No. 3: Richie Whitt. Richie is a dear friend and now the sports columnist over at the Dallas Observer. In busting on people who believe T.O. joining the Cowboys is some violation of sacred law, Whitt devilishly uses me in a column explaining that the Texas Stadium star cannot be all THAT sacred since "Fish finagled Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones into holding his wedding in the stadium and said "I do" right in the middle of the star. Fish’s marriage ultimately collapsed–coincidentally, the same result many expect from Jones’ relationship with T.O. ... Methinks Fish should have T.O. as a (radio-show) guest, and they could swap stories on the air about what it’s like to tarnish the star.''

Richie Whitt: Mean-spirited bastard? Or impish poker of fun?

Well, I am not offended. Why? Because such discourse, from wet-towel-slapping-in-the-locker-room and on up, is fun. It's what sports is about. It's the whole point of sports! AND, because I can dish it out. ... and take it. Which is the way it is supposed to be. And believe me, Mr. Whitt -- also divorced -- will get his. Oh, he'll get his.

G'nite, Sam.

Heralded senior-to-be quarterback G.J. Kinne enrolled at Gilmer on Tuesday after he withdrew from Canton High School on Monday.

The emotional strains and his father's departure as Canton coach to be an assistant at Baylor will lead Kinne to try his fresh start at Gilmer, another Class 3A state football power in East Texas. The UIL will have to approve that Kinne's transfer wasn't for athletic purposes, but the dramatic situations surrounding the move will have to be taken into consideration and Kinne is taking somewhat of a gamble in that he's leaving a school where he just passed for 3,859 yards,threw 41 TD passes and rushed for 15 TDs.

The Kinne family has been part of a whirlwind year that started last spring when former Canton Coach Gary Joe Kinne, was wounded in a near fatal shooting by a disgruntled Canton player's parent. Kinne survived the shooting and, with G.J. at quarterback, marched to a school record 12-2 record and reached the 3A Division II Region II final before losing to eventual champion Tatum. Canton, by the way, defeated 2004 3A state champ Gilmer in a memorable 61-58 quarterfinal victory.

Coach Kinne left in January  to be an assistant at his alma mater Baylor. Kinne cited the draining emotions of the last year and the chance for Coach Kinne and the Canton community to move past the incidents of the past year. The man who shot Kinne was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month.

When Canton officials decided not to promote one of Kinne's assistants as head coach, G.J. Kinne began wondering about his future. Kinne met with Canton officials last week and decided to withdraw from school. Canton named Lance Angel from Cooper as head coach last month.

G.J. Kinne, 6-2, 205, is being heavily recruited and is considering Baylor, USC and Oklahoma. He is interested in Texas, but the Longhorns have offered scholarships to Texarkana's Ryan Mallett and John Brantley of Ocala, Fla. and are waiting on their decisions before offering another scholarship to a quarterback.

Garland WR Malcolm Williams and Waller FB Cody Johnson gave Texas its 16th and 17th commitments for next February's signing day. The Longhorns picked up 4 commitments this past week and had their second junior day on Saturday. The Longhorns are rolling to an unprecedented early commitment list.

Texas will have about 20 scholarships available after its '06 seniors depart and its 05 signing class is in school. Only transfers and academic losses will add to the total.

Texas has made scholarship offers to several other players and which ones commit first could determine whether other offers are retracted _ usually according to position. Also weighing offers from the Longhorns:

RB/WR Joseph Reese, Pflugerville Hendrickson

DE Brandon Joiner Killeen Shoemaker

RB Lennon Creer, Tatum

DB Eric Cherry, Creekside (Ga.) (longshot to sign)

DB Dionte Allen, Orchard Lake St. Mary's (MI)

DB Antwoine Baker, LA (Calif.) Jordan)

OL Trey Allen, SGP (wants to wait until US Army All-American game in Jan. to announce)

DE/LB Richetti Jones, Lincoln

WR Ahmad Paige Sterlington (La.) (longshot)

QB Ryan Mallett, Texarkana (down to UT, Mich.)

ATH Ronald Johnson, Muskegon ( Mich.) (longshot)

QB John Brantley, Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic (coach is former Fla. star Kerwin Bell, announcing April 5 between UT, Fla. Ala. OU)

QB G.J. Kinne Gilmer (if Brantley doesn't commit to UT)

CB Phelon Jones McGill (Ala.)

TE Blaine Irby Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure

DE Joseph Barksdale Detroit (MI) Cass

DE Marvin Austin Washington DC Coolidge

Committed to Texas

Malcolm Williams Garland WR 6-3, 205
Cody Johnson  Waller FB 5-10, 225
John Chiles Mansfield Summit QB/DB/WR 6-1 195
Zack Pianalto, Springdale (Ark.) WR 6-4, 210

Ahmard Howard Brenham TE-DE 6-4, 240

Keenan Robinson Plano East LB 6-3, 215
Kyle Hix Aledo OL 6-7, 305

Matt Nader Austin Westlake OL 6-6, 295

Jerrod Gooch Vidor OL 6-5, 290

Aundre McGaskey LaMarque OL 6-4, 290

Michael Huey Kilgore OL 6-4, 290

Ben Wells Bmt. Ozen DB 6-1, 175

Earl Thomas WO Stark RB/DB 5-10, 180

Curtis Brown Gilmer DB 5-11, 180

Andre Jones EP Andress DT 6-4, 305

Foswhitt Whitaker Pearland RB 5-9,170

Russell Carter Westbury DE 6-3,230

LB Derrick Stephens Cy Falls (committed to Aggies but Horns still working. Potential backroom squabble with Aggies about respecting commits)