Would someone on the Cavs please drive the lane?

May 30, 2007 by 3 Comments

CavaliersIn the third quarter?

I’ve been watching the Cavs all season, listening to the critics knock The King as the Cavs stumbled through the regular season. They could never find an identity and it could be painful at times to watch them play. Then things seemed to come together near the end of the season and I was optimistic going into the playoffs. I kept thinking, “just wait for the playoffs. LeBron will silence all the critics and go NUTS.” He really didn’t need to do anything special against the Wizards and, against the Nets, Vince Carter helped out the Cavs’ cause plenty. So finally, LeBron has been given his chance to shine against Detroit. The final seconds of the first two games looked shakey. Should he have passed in Game 1? (Probably. Marshall was open, afterall.) Was he fouled in Game 2? (Yes, he was). Down 0-2, things were getting ugly.

Then Games 3 and 4 happened and The King has taken over, especially in the fourth quarter. He has gotten to the rim whenever he wants (that dunk over ‘Sheed was NASTY). Players are stepping up when they’ve had to: Drew Gooden has been big when it counts and Daniel Gibson is turning into an excellent player before our eyes (just like they pointed out over at Burnt Orange Nation). I get nervous when they have Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall (Old Man Donyell, if you will) in the lineup at the same time, but the Cavs have managed not to blow it when the “shooter lineup” is in the game. It still makes me nervous, but it isn’t not working, so I’ll go with the flow.

On the Detroit side, Chauncey has been playing unChauncey-like and Tayshaun Prince has been a scrub. Rasheed has been unstoppable and I don’t know why they haven’t been feeding him in the post with regularity, but I still don’t see him as a threat. He’s still got three games to get kicked out of, so I still have faith he’ll do it. And when is Chris Webber going to quit it with the faux snarl? Just let it go, man. Your wheels are getting old and it doesn’t scare anyone any more.

It really boils down to this: if the Cavs can play a competitive third quarter, they can steal Game 5. It’s no secret what the Pistons have been doing — bottle up LeBron at all costs and let the other four beat you. Unfortunately the Cavs have gone cold in the third and the Pistons’ third quarter gameplan is working. If Z can find his jumper or Sasha can hit a perimeter shot or someone other than LeBron can get into the paint, I think the Cavs can shock everyone and win Game 5. Someone just needs to drive the lane!

LeBron over Rasheed

Kinda like this

(Bonus points to the first reader to name the song with the reworded lyrics I used for the title of this post)

Filed Under: Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA

These guys are good (usually)

May 29, 2007 by 1 Comment

GolfThis week brings my favorite sporting event here in Columbus, outside of Saturdays in the Horseshoe — The Memorial Tournament. Like most sports fans, I’m a fan of playing the game of golf, regardless of my handicap (don’t ask, it’s not pretty). So I always get excited about the best of the best coming to play in Dublin at Muirfield Village Golf Club. This field once again sports the best golfers in the world (from 15 different countries, in fact), including the top ten players on this year’s money list.

I try to make it to at least one of the rounds, usually on Saturday. Watching these guys play is amazing. They really “are good.” But the first Memorial I attended left a different impression.

I don’t remember who it was, but the first person I watched tee off that day (about 8-9 years ago) completely shanked his tee shot into the trees left of the fairway. It wasn’t a hook or a slice, it was a horrible shank. For those few brief moments, I thought to myself that even I had never shanked something that badly. Of course, his second shot was a beautiful recovery shot and was up and down to par the hole, but for those few minutes, I felt superior. It was fleeting, but it was glorious.

So I’ll be there once again this year (accompanied by my buddy Zeke) hoping to see another drive go flying into the trees, rooting for my homeboy, Baby Blue Sergio Garcia (I root for anyone Spanish, having lived in Spain for two years) and hoping to get a glimpse of the great ones. Maybe my being close to them will somehow allow me to absorb some of that golfing karma.

Filed Under: Golf

In case anyone forgot

May 1, 2007 by 15 Comments

OSU Football
Vernon Gholston has big arms GIGANTIC PIPES

Vernon Gholston

Am I unhealthily obsessed with #50’s arms? Yes.
Would I marry one of them? If I wasn’t already married, yes.
Which one? The right one. We’d live happily in one of his thighs.

Taken from SI’s Top 25 prospects for the 2008 NFL Draft, which includes two Buckeyes, Gholston at #18 and Laurinaitis #20. It also has Chad Henne at #6, which is… Interesting. He’s going to struggle mightily next year if he doesn’t have anyone to throw the ball to.

Update: We have been Everyday’ed. Thanks for the link, Orson.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

More Buckeyes going pro

May 1, 2007 by Leave a Comment

OSU FootballNow that the dust has settled on the 2007 NFL draft, we’ll try to keep track of what undrafted Buckeyes sign as free agents with NFL teams. Three Buckeyes have already signed with teams:

The Indianapolis Buckeyes added another OSU alum, signing a free agent contract with walk-on, feel-good story Antonio Smith.

Brandon Mitchell signed with Houston Texans and T.J. Downing will pack his bags and head to sunny Arizona (a place he’s rather familiar with) to sign with the Arizona Cardinals.

We’ll keep an eye on any more signings.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football, Pro Football

2007 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns Perspective

April 30, 2007 by 1 Comment

BrownsNow let’s take a look at the draft from the perspective of an eternally hopeful Cleveland Browns fan. Again, the facts first:

First Round
3(3) Joe Thomas OT WISCONSIN
22(22) Brady Quinn QB NOTRE DAME
Second Round
21(53) Eric Wright CB NEVADA LAS VEGAS
Fifth Round
3(140) Brandon McDonald CB MEMPHIS
Sixth Round
26(200) Melila Purcell DE HAWAII
Seventh Round
3(213) Chase Pittman DE LSU
24(234) Syndric Steptoe RS ARIZONA

As the draft got closer to actually happening, I had come to grips with the fact that the Browns would probably use the 3rd pick to grab Brady Quinn as the QB of the future. In fact, by about 12:30 on Saturday, I was down-right excited about it. With targets like Sergeant Winslow and Braylon “I can’t catch a fourth-down pass” Edwards, I was giddy with the possibilities of a gun slinger like Quinn under center. Couple that with the moves the Browns did before the draft (picking up Steinbach and Lewis, dropping dead weight like Droughns) and I was ready to be proud of my Brownies once again.

Then they took Joe Thomas with the third pick and I was despondent. Not that Thomas won’t be a good addition to a struggling offensive line, he just wasn’t the sexy first round pick. I was so bummed out that I didn’t feel like watching the draft anymore. I went out and started mowing the lawn. I came back in a couple hours later and the Mrs. informs me that the Browns are picking again. That didn’t sound right, but she mentions something about a deal going down with Dallas and that Cleveland would be drafting for a second time, and Quinn was still available. Wow, that was quite a turn of events. Two first round picks, two picks that should turn out to be integral parts of the Browns offense immediately. Color me excited.

I won’t even pretend to know anything about the other picks, but the Browns are looking good for 2007. They gave up a lot to get Quinn, but I don’t think it was too much. When asked about it, Phil Savage made a great point. The Browns needed a QB. They could pick one up this year or wait and use their first round pick next year. They took a chance and they’ll get a one year head start with Quinn. Things are looking up for the Browns.

Filed Under: Cleveland Browns

2007 NFL Draft, Ohio State Perspective

April 30, 2007 by 2 Comments

OSU FootballLooking at the NFL Draft from the perspective of an Ohio State fan is always fun to do. It’s exciting to see kids you cheered for to make the jump to the professional level (unless they get drafted by the Steelers or Ravens, GRRR!). So first, the facts. Here’s how the draft shook out for your OSU Buckeyes:

First Round
9(9) Ted Ginn Jr. – Miami
32(32) Anthony Gonzalez – Indianapolis
Third Round
35(98) Quinn Pitcock – Indianapolis
Fourth Round
8(107) Antonio Pittman – New Orleans
Fifth Round
1(138) Jay Richardson – Oakland
32(169) Roy Hall – Indianapolis
37(174) Troy Smith – Baltimore
Sixth Round
24(198) Doug Datish – Atlanta

My thoughts – First off, just like everyone else, I was surprised the Dolphins passed over Quinn for Teddy Ginn. Of course, I can’t hide my satisfaction that, even in the NFL draft, Brady Quinn struggled to beat a Buckeye. A lot of the draft pundits (including MotSaG favorite, Mark May) were calling this pick a huge mistake for a littany of reasons: Ted Ginn isn’t big enough to be a #1 receiver. Ted Ginn doesn’t go over the middle. Ted Ginn was injured in the Championship game, will he ever be 100%? Give me a break. I think they’re missing the point on TGJ value. Of course he doesn’t go over the middle. Why would you send someone that can outrun everyone in the stadium on an 8-yard crossing pattern? Ted Ginn is going to be running wild and dazzling Dolphin fans in no time. If they have a QB that can get the ball in his hands, look out. Remember that move he made in the bowl game against Oklahoma State? Yeah, me too.

It was great to see Gonzo go in the first round as well. Indianapolis seems to have a thing for OSU players, taking Gonzales 32nd over all and picking up Pitcock and Hall in later rounds. Gonzo should be able to ease into the receiver corps in Indy, quietly making clutch catches and will still some how break Michigan fans’ hearts over and over.

Having Pittman fall to the fourth round was shocking to me. By all accounts, he dazzled the scouts with speed and strength and was looking really promising. One of the top 3 RBs by some accounts. Then to fall behind the likes of Tony Hunt and Garret Wolfe doesn’t seem right. Maybe they were worried about his size? Pittman runs the ball hard, he doesn’t just carry it. He runs it. New Orleans got a steal in the fourth round.

Finally, it pains me to see Troy Smith not only fall to the fifth round, but to also get picked up by the despicable Ravens. Steve McNair should be a great mentor for Troy and he’ll quickly regain his pre-championship game form. Of all the Buckeyes in this draft, Troy is the one I’m pulling for the most. I hope he has a stellar NFL career. I just don’t want it to be with the Ravens!

So that’s my take on this year’s draft. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments.

We’ll take a look at our prognistications for the draft later this week. I’m afraid to look.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football, Pro Football

MotSaG needs your help!

April 27, 2007 by 2 Comments

Blog/site newsAs you’ve probably noticed, things have slowed down here at Men of the Scarlet and Gray. While we’re still posting the occasional item, we really haven’t been blogging much at all. It’s not that there aren’t things going on, we’ve just hit a bit of a lull and lost a little momentum. Things always seem to get in the way.

That being said, we’re more than just Ohio State fans. Speaking for myself, I’m a huge Cleveland fan (which means I hate myself) and I’ve been carefully following the Cavs in the playoffs, the Indians and their current 5-game winning streak and I anxiously await the Browns screwing up yet another draft pick. There’s plenty of sports to blog about, and that’s just speaking for myself. I know the rest of the MotSaG crew are huge sports fans as well, so there’s a hundred different directions we could go with the site. We’re at a bit of a cross-roads.

So that’s where you, the reader, comes in. We here at Men of the Scarlet and Gray need some help. We’ve been discussing the topic of “what now?” for the site. We will be covering some of the NFL draft, but after that, there sure won’t be much to discuss, OSU-wise, for the next few months. So we’d like to know what kind of things you guys like to see. Would you like us to increase the coverage of pro sports in Ohio? What about covering more OSU-related news stories? We pass on a lot of the recruiting and off-the-field happenings because there’s a lot to follow. Would you like to see more open threads? Let us know what you guys would like to see.

We will still endeavor, of course, to bring you original, high-quality, Ohio State content. We’ve built up a loyal readership and we want to make sure you are happy at the same time we increase our readership. We’re all Buckeyes here, so comments, criticism and suggestions are all welcome. You can either leave a comment below or use the Contact form to email us directly.

Filed Under: Blogging

And the winner is…

April 4, 2007 by Leave a Comment

tressnacIcon.jpgA big, hearty congratulations to John (aka Buckeye in Texas) whose bracket won the MotSaG first annual Tournament Pick’em Contest.

I’ll have to admit that it’s tough to see a bracket that didn’t even have OSU in the Final Four win it all, but we’re hoping John went with his head and not his heart when he made his picks. John has won a $25 gift certificate to Buckeye Corner’s online store or Amazon.com
(Drop me a note, John, with your choice so I can send your prize along.)

Honorable mention goes to MotSaG’s own sportsMonkey, whose bracket netted him the most correct picks, at 51 out of 63. And as for Mr. Inconsequential, that dubious honor also belongs to fellow MotSaG’er, Sylvester-Yon Rambo, who was almost wrong as often as he was right on his way to the lowest score in the contest.

Thanks to everyone who participated, we hope you had fun. We’re hoping to be able to continue to do stuff like this in the future, so keep an eye out for contests down the road.

Filed Under: Blogging

NCAA Championship Game — Ohio State vs. Florida

April 2, 2007 by 21 Comments

Block O.bmpHere we are, mere hours from yet another OSU vs. UF matchup for all the marbles. Sounds vaguely familiar.

If Terwilliger tackles Conley Jr. after making a sweet reverse layup, I will probably breakdown in tears.

Okay, so let’s not dwell on the past. We’ll just forget how the last game ended up and look forward to being the underdog that no one thinks has a chance.

A few thoughts before the game starts:

If Oden is whistled for a ticky-tack foul in the first three minutes of the game, I’m punching someone in the face. There will be bloodshed. If the refs care about Zeke’s pretty face, they’ll swallow their whistles for a while.

If he survives the first few minutes without a foul, Oden is going to have a huge game. Mark it down.

I’m not opposed to assigning one of our bench players as a “pony-tail puller.” I’m just saying.

How are you guys feeling about the game? Nervous? Excited? Wishing this could be a rematch of the football teams?

Halftime
#1 Ohio State: 29
#1 Florida: 40

It’s all about the three right now — Florida can’t miss and OSU can’t seem to make. Frustrating as the 11-point deficit is, I’m confident. Oden has been devouring anyone they throw at him. Noah is a joke, Horford can’t stop him and Richard is just a human foul-out. How can Noah sit after three and a half minutes?

I was most worried about Humphrey killing us with his three, but it’s been Brewer. Stop his and his 12 foot arms and I think OSU will be in good shape.

Final
#1 Ohio State: 75
#1 Florida: 84

If there’s any consolation to be found in this loss, it’s that Joakim Noah had absolutely nothing to do with the Gators victory. That is consolation enough for me. I have no malice towards any Gator not numbered 13. They’re a great team and they played flawlessly. Brewer played huge in the first half and Horford played great in the second. They didn’t miss their shots, all the balls bounced their way and they made good on their opportunities. Missing almost 90% of our threes was our back-breaker.

Did you see that last shot of Oden at the end of the game? That was his “I’m coming back next year” face. Just watch. The country got to see what he can do when he’s not being hampered by foul trouble. He is nigh unstoppable. Throw in one perimeter player that was hitting their shots and this game was much closer.

We tip our hats to the Buckeye Basketball team. They took us for a thrill ride all season long, all the way to the top. We’ve enjoyed the great games, the heart-stopping comebacks, everything.

Thanks for the great season, OSU!

Filed Under: College Basketball

Final Four: Ohio State vs. Georgetown – Open Thread

March 30, 2007 by 10 Comments

OSU LogoThe Road to the Final Four has ended with Ohio State clashing with Georgetown, the team that sent the Buckeyes packing in last year’s tournament. While this Georgetown team looks similar to last year’s team, Ohio State definitely does not. There are many intriquing questions to be answered this Saturday in Atlanta:

Who will win the Battle of the Bigs?

Who will step up to be the hero?

Can OSU stop Jeff Green?

Can anyone stop Mike Conley Jr. from getting to the basket?

Consider this your open forum to discuss all things Final Four. We may not have a chance to live blog the actual game, but post your comments before and after the game here!

Filed Under: Blogging, Ohio State Basketball
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