T. Boone Pickens has lots of dough and loves Oklahoma State sports. The billionaire alumnus gave $165 million to the school’s athletic department.

This is good news for Bill Self. He is an OSU guy, like Pickens, and the Cowboys happened to be looking for a new basketball coach.

Fresh off his national championship with Kansas, he has a bit of leverage. It appears Oklahoma State can pay top dollar – and then some – for the right guy.

“From the outside looking in,” Self told reporters Tuesday, “it appears they have great resources.”

You think?

So, sure, Self would listen to an overture. “I would answer the phone,” Self said. “Good gosh, I know all those people. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not going to answer the phone. But I wouldn’t answer the phone unless everybody at Kansas knew exactly what was going on.

“What I’d like to have is what everybody’d like to have. I’d like to have some security.”

KU is paying Self $1.3 million per year, plus some hefty incentive bonuses. He got a five-year extension just last year. So his definition of security is different than most folk’s.

Would he really leave such a great job?

“You’d think not — not after finally winning a championship — but he never shot down the idea that he’d listen to how high Okie State’s money stacks,” ChicagoSports.com blogger Steve Rosenbloom wrote. “Only a snake would find a way to soil a perfect moment.”

ESPN.com’s Gene Wojciechowski advised Self to stay put: “Don’t leave Kansas for Oklahoma State. Not now. Not ever. And especially not after you just won one of the greatest Final Four championship games of all time.

“Self was born and raised in Oklahoma. Played at Oklahoma State. Was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. His father still lives in Oklahoma. But no matter how much OSU sugar daddy Pickens pulls from his money clip, Self should stay put. The cash might be greener in Stillwater, but the basketball will never be as sweet. How could it?”

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering what has gotten into the Baltimore Orioles this season:

• Is Anthony Reyes starting to win back Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan?
• Did the Brewers make a $10 million mistake on Eric Gagne?
• Isn’t a bid odd to see the Ottawa Senators cast in the playoff underdog role?
• David Garrard is a $60 million quarterback? Really?

T-SHIRTS WE’D LIKE TO SEE

ESPN.com contributor Jim Baker came up with some alternative Major League Baseball ’08 team slogans we liked. Here were a few:

• White Sox: “Fix-free since 1919.”
• Cubs: “Tinkers to Ever to Not a (bleeping) Chance.”
• Astros: “Come watch the roof close!”
• Padres: “If games lasted seven innings, we’re be World Champions.”
• Yankees: (A tuxedo T-shirt) “We’ve spent $1.4 billion since 2001 and all we got was this lousy T-shirt.”
• Red Sox: “Your pity no longer required.”
• Indians: “Founded in 1901, lost since 1949.”
• Mariners: “Only 188 days until Richie Sexson’s contract expires.”
• Braves: (With tomahawk logo) “We put the die nasty in dynasty.”
• Marlins: “Where big leaguers make less than you do.”

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Will Leitch, Deadspin: “What a fun tournament. Even with all No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, we had three legitimate glories: Western Kentucky’s last-second win, Stephen Curry’s brilliance and Mario Chalmers’ massive shot. That’s three more than last year. We’ll take it.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Max Mosley, president of the governing body of world auto racing, is alleged to have engaged in sex acts with five prostitutes in a scenario that involved Nazi role-playing. Needless to say, the incident has caused quite a Fuhrer.”

Mike Lupica, New York Daily News: “Which Hemingway novel do you think Jose Canseco liked best?”

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “I realize Roy Williams somewhat left his heart in Lawrence, Kansas, when he took the North Carolina job. And this should not in anyway suggest that the man’s affections for his former school affected his coaching job with the Tar Heels. But how did you feel about seeing him sitting 10 rows behind the Kansas bench at Monday night’s final? Actually, it wasn’t just sitting 10 rows behind the Kansas bench that seemed curious. It was cheering and wearing a large Jayhawks sticker on his shirt and also doing an interview on CBS with a Jayhawks sticker on his Jacket. He did all but paint his face. Ask yourself: If this was SEC football, and Nick Saban lost a game as Alabama coach to LSU, then was seen the following week supporting LSU in the SEC championship game, how would Alabama fans feel? Would Georgia fans wince even a little bit if Mark Richt lost a game to Florida State, then stood on the Seminoles’ sideline in a bowl game the following week?”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “Scouting report on Matt Leinart: ‘Has all the tools — strong arm, ability to read defenses, beer bong.’”

MEGAPHONE

“I don’t think that in society in general that’s the way we should operate. What are you teaching kids? Not to try because if you don’t succeed then you’re going to buried, so don’t try?”

World Series goat Bill Buckner, at the Red Sox Opening Day, lashing out against the negativity of the sports media.