About a year and a half ago I pulled up to one of the stoplights at Lewis Ave. near 71st when I finally captured on pixels my white whale, an Oklahoma vanity plate I’d previously spotted in south Tulsa and heard about from friends a few times over the years. It seemed this was finally my day. I quickly pulled out my phone and captured the proof of its existence I so badly craved.
Every now and then, I speculate on the identity of the IMINHIM driver. Could this vanity plate be the expression of an evangelical Christian, clinging to their Lord? A surgeon who refuses female patients, perhaps? Or just an enthusiast for sexual intercourse? I’ve always thought it most likely to be the former, but only a little less probably, the latter. A real-life Sufjan Stevens “Is it gay or about God?” conundrum motoring around south Tulsa. Hell, maybe it’s both.
Anyway, happy Pride everybody! We’ve got some great stories for you to read right now, from Randy Roberts Potts’ reflections for This Land about growing up gay in evangelical Tulsa’s first family to more recent reporting on local subcultures that are, through the diligence and care of hardworking Tulsans, becoming more inclusive by the day.
I Would Like To Know Which OU Softball Pitcher Made Pat McAfee Whiff It
Normally I would not draw your attention to Pat McAfee, the doofy sports commentator who typically shuns shirts with sleeves and always seems to be angling toward a bigger payday. But a recent look behind the scenes of McAfee’s ESPN talk show produced an Oklahoma hook that was just too juicy to pass up. From Andrew Marchand’s reporting in The Athletic:
McAfee cares about his image. During a GameDay stop in Norman, Oklahoma, last fall, McAfee grew upset about being shown swinging and missing during a segment in which he faced a University of Oklahoma softball pitcher. McAfee, according to sources briefed on the incident, demanded to know the name of the GameDay staff member who put it on the air, but he was denied the information.
Wonderful, simply wonderful. If you are the OU softball pitcher who got Pat McAfee to whiff it big time on his own show, please get in touch with us at tips@thepickup.com. I’d like to know if he struck out swinging, made contact, what his batting stance was, everything ya got.
And now, on to the news roundup!
Tulsa News
- Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery won a James Beard Award! Wow!
- City announces major updates in the 1921 mass graves investigation; new victim identified
- Tulsa Great Raft Race sails off into the sunset; celebration planned for Aug. 16
- Gailard Sartain, known to Tulsa entertainment lore enthusiasts as Mazeppa, has died at 78. This Land spoke with the Tulsa actor and artist in this story from 2011.
- Holy Family purchases Church of Christ building downtown
- $6.7M project to renovate Woodward Park underway
- Promenade owner retains ownership by paying bare minimum just before auction
- Councilor Hall-Harper sounds off on PartnerTulsa again
- Parker Millsap and The Get Up Kids are playing Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy tour in Tulsa this weekend
State & Regional News
- The Thunder got trounced in Indy last night; sets up NBA Finals Game 7 in OKC
- The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer dove deep into the state of Oklahoma’s disastrous deal with Cano0o
- Oklahoma Supreme Court determines HB 1775’s ban on discussions of race and sex does not apply to college and university classrooms
- Federal judge finds that poultry companies continue to pollute Oklahoma waters, continuing 10-year-long court battle
- Grand Mental Health launches mobile clinic to serve rural Eastern Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City Zoo welcomes new baby elephant(!) named Xerxes
Jobs & Opportunities
- OKC seeking artist for $875k Route 66 project
- Emergency Infant Services seeks a Director of Development | Full-time | Salary $85,000-$100,000
- City of Tulsa seeks a Director of Public Art & Community Partnerships | Full-time | Salary $88,000-$161,000
- Healthy Minds Policy Initiative seeks a Policy Analyst | Full-time | Salary $60,000-$70,000
- Tulsa Innovation Labs seeks a Head of Business Attraction | Full-time | Salary not listed
