So a few weeks back I was listening to the “Poscast” (Joe Posnanski’s Podcast) that we was doing with Ken Tremendous (AKA Michael Schur AKA Mose Shrute AKA my favorite sports blogger ever) and they were doing one of their “fantasy drafts.” This one was “if you could to dinner any five sports figures, who would they be?”

So for our first summer Open Thread, I thought I’d modify that question a little and find out what you guys thought. Since we can’t have a proper “draft”, we’ll leave it open to everyone. If you could have dinner with any five Buckeyes, who would they be? They could be historical Buckeyes, non-athletes, current Buckeyes. Whoever.

Here’s my five. I put a limitation on my list to be Buckeyes I had seen in action with my own two eyes. Live and (for all but one) in person.

1. Vernon Gholston – This one is obvious. I have no idea what we would talk about and it would probably get uncomfortable after a few minutes of me staring, but I would like to meet the man behind the body. Plus, we could reminiscence about his dismantling of Jake Long and his one-armed tackle of Albert Young. And then there was the Northwestern game where he had that beautiful TD. I think we’d eventually hit it off.

2. Alonzo Spellman – This might be a weird pick here, but it makes sense if you understand my fascination with both: physical specimens and Ohio State Defensive Ends. Had MotSaG existed 20 years earlier we would have had Alonzo Spellman Shots of the Week. Before there was Gholston, there was Spellman. He was the original manimal. I’d wager that Mr. Spellman might make dinner conversations interesting.

3. Rob Kelly – My favorite defender on the should-have-been-National-Champs 1998 team. I don’t know if it was the giant cross tattoo on his arm or the white socks pulled high or what, but I loved the way Kelly played and I always imagined my 23 year-old-self would be really good friends with Kelley.

4. Chris Spielman – Here are the obvious ones. No one is more of a Buckeye than Spiels and I would just love to sit back and hear his stories. If I could have two dads, I would want Spielman to be my other one. I think my real dad would be okay with that.

5. Eddie George – And finally, yes, I would love to sit down with Eddie and hear his journey, as well. Possibly the greatest running back I’ve ever watched, I think I’d enjoy hearing him recount his record setting games and everything else that happened during his times at Ohio State. Do you think he ever got car deals?

So those are my five. Within my constraints, I could have added another dozen players, including basketball players. If I expanded it to all-time Buckeyes, I’d be paralyzed trying to whittle the list down to 25, not to mention 5. But I’m happy with my list.

Who are you inviting to dinner?

Last week was vacation week for la Familia del Kaiser and I completely unplugged from pretty much everything. No Internet, no Twitter, no blogs, nothing. Heck, I didn’t even find out the Dallas Mavericks had won the NBA Championship until late Monday morning when I saw the local paper. It was a nice break. We spent our time in Virginia Beach and I made sure I represented the Buckeyes each day with another scarlet and grey t-shirt. More than once I was met with a “Go Bucks” from a fellow fan. It was nice to meet all you wonderful Buckeyes out in the Virginia Beach area.

I decided that I wouldn’t really worry too much about catching up on old news. But I couldn’t let all the news fall by the wayside.

Besides, some of this is good news.

Hey! What’s that over there?! We’ve been waiting for a while for the spotlight to be taken off our team and shone on someone else’s team. Let’s see what rats scatter when they’re under the scrutiny that Ohio State has had to bear. Most people think other schools are going to crumble. First up is the Oregon Ducks and their twenty-five thousand dollar recruiting report:

A national recruiting package purchased by Oregon in February 2010 that included the player profiles for 140 players with the heading “Player Profile 2011” is made up of virtually all 2009 high school graduates.

I know it’s not good form to take pleasure in other peoples problems, but after being beat down it’s only natural. Who’s next?

Do you moisturize? I have a good idea how some Buckeyes got “good deals” on their cars. Think Bernie Mac in Oceans’ Eleven, only Thaddeus Gibson will be playing the part as Bernie. But dealerships are in the business to make money, and the sweetheart deals that so many people couldn’t stop talking about look like they’re almost all on the level:

Ohio State University on Tuesday dropped its review of car purchases by football players and family members after two separate investigations found dealerships made money on almost all of the sales.

Tressel Fallout. This doesn’t fall under the “good news” umbrella, but it’s something the team and specifically the coaches are going to deal with: recruiting just got a lot tougher with the threat of sanctions. One of the prized recruits from the 2012 class, Kyle Kalis, has decommitted from Ohio State after Tressel’s resignation. Ejuan Price, a member of the 2011 class also asked to be released from his Letter of Intent. While Price’s reasons were not because of Tressel’s resignation or the future of the program, we can only expect things to get worse before they get better.

Come and see where Mondello did land! I don’t know what to think about ESPN’s airing of the special Jon Gruden/Terrelle Pryor Circus Sideshow (“QB Camp” ). I have no problem with Gruden, he’s a FOTP, but how can Pryor, after being viciously skewered and absolutely vilified by ESPN suddenly agree to this? Will it be The Decision, Part Two? Are you going to watch?

And there was rejoicing. Word out of a few different places is that Jordan Hall is moving to WR. This, of course, is an answer to all us Jaamal Berry fans’ prayers that he’d get as many carries as possible. This is also good for Hall. Envisioning him in a Percy Harvin-like role is exciting.

Misc: If Ben and Jerry’s doesn’t have this on shelves by the time Parks and Recreation starts its next season, there’s something wrong in this world we live in.

Per the Dispatch:

Beleaguered Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has played his last game for the Buckeyes, his attorney told The Dispatch this afternoon.

“In the best interest of my teammates, I have made the decision to forego (sic) my senior year of football at The Ohio State University,” Pryor said in a prepared statement read by his attorney Larry James.

Asked whether Pryor — under investigation by the NCAA and Ohio State for possible more instances of receiving improper benefits — planned to apply for the NFL supplemental draft, James said, “I think so.

“But right now we are just dealing with the situation at hand, that he has decided to move on.”

Obviously we’ll have more as this develops, but the latest “rumor” floating around the Twitternet is that Terrelle Pryor made $20,000-$40,000 autographing memorabilia, according to a former friend who witnessed it. (via MKimESPNAmerica). That’s a pretty wild range of dollar amounts, Mr. Former Friend. And why are you a “former friend,” Mr. Former Friend?

So, just so we are crystal clear: sources that range from “convict” to “Ellis” (someone who won’t even own up to his own name) to “former friend” have done in one of the most successful coaches and quarterbacks at Ohio State.

Those are some solid foundational sources, professional journalists.

Update: Here is the Outside the Lines piece at ESPN about Terrelle Pryor’s autographing for cash story.

Seriously, this is why it sucks to be passionate about a team. Why does it always have to be about what you hate about your opponents? Why can’t it be about what you like about your own team. I’ll admit to being one of those guys who doesn’t boo the other team. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see Ohio State CRUSH Michigan on every single down every single year. But why the hate? Why is ESPN so willing to incite this hate, under the guise of “trash talking”?

We’ve seen it the past three months, but even more so the past three days. The absolute glee and joy people are taking in Jim Tressel’s downfall is downright sad. I guess any time they can take away from looking at their own team and beating down another is time well spent, I guess.

But, since we can’t beat ’em, we’ll join them. I filled the survey out, only from the point of view of a Penn State fan (sorry in advance for the language):

I guess some things will never change.

Click the image to read the scintillating(*) Sports Illustrated story on the downfall of Jim Tressel. Marvel(**) at the hard-hitting journalism demonstrated by George Dohrmann as he builds his case on the back of a convicted felon currently serving time! Be amazed(***) at all the new allegations as SI plumbs the depths of the depravity of Tressel’s tenure at Ohio State.

(* just kidding)
(** really, the sarcasm is coming through, right?)
(*** Oh for crying out loud, where’s the good stuff?!)

Per the Columbus Dispatch:

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has resigned, university sources told The Dispatch today.

The article also says that Luke Fickell will take over as head coach.

This is a lot to digest on this Memorial Day morning. We’ll have more later, but for now we’ll just stand stunned, jaw on the floor, trying to figure this all out.

We have this on repeat here at MotSaG HQ:

(We’re wondering if Dominic Jones is available for a reenactment. No reason.)

We’re back with another edition of the often imitated, never duplicated ICYMI. ICYMI is a semi-regular news roundup post here at Men of the Scarlet and Gray dot com where we post links to the various Buckeye news stories that have popped up since the last one. A eclectic mix of Ohio State football, basketball and whatever other sport is in season for your consumption with a smattering of other fun stuff.

Bowls, yep we got ’em. First off, we must give a tip of the hat to the Wizard of Odds for the work he’s been doing uncovering the seedy underbelly of the financials of the sacred Bowl Games. Start here and then go to the main site and keep scrolling. This isn’t new to readers of Death to the BCSbut definitely has more detail.

Bowls! What are they good for? In addition to that, The Big Lead Sports has a good article wondering who the Bowls are good for (here’s a hint: one cable network broadcasts 33 of them).

Where are they now? During the summer, we’re going to try a new series of posts here at MotSaG that will fill you in on what former Buckeyes are doing in their lives. You can start with this story about
Donnie Nickey and his Restaurant.

We’re Linebacker U. Yeah, we said it. We know it gets those prickly Penn State fans all fired up, but Tyler over at Along the Olengtangy makes the case that Ohio State’s Linebackers may be the best in the country. We would agree.

It is a school, afterall. Congratualtions to the 523 Buckeye student athletes honored as “Scholar-Athletes for this past school year. You can see the entire list beating Baylor to make it to the NCAA semifinals before falling to Virginia. So close.

Along with Men’s Tennis, we also want to point out Ohio State’s Baseball comeback this afternoon after rallying back from down three to beat Minnesota, 5 to 3, in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament.

We hate those Dukies, BABY. Last week it was announced that Ohio State’s opponent in the Big Ten/ACC challenge will be Duke. The game is scheduled for November 29th, smack dab between the Michigan Game and the Big Ten Championship Game. That is going to be one heck of a week (hopefully) for Buckeye fans.

Also, the Twittering Buckeyes page has been updated, and is finally in alphabetical order.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start this one with the good, the bad, or the ugly. But it’s been a rough couple of months for Buckeyes fans. So let’s go with this. The GOOD:

WE’RE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Ohio State’s Mens Volleyball team won the 2011 NCS (Net Championship Series) Championship with wins over the Nittany Lions (in their own backyard, LOL) and those dirty hippies from the West Coast.

In what is becoming an increasingly common experience, I watched the final sets against UCSB with my kids and nothing is better than seeing them jump around with excitement when the Buckeyes score. This started manifesting itself strongly during the Mens Basketball and I can’t wait for it to continue this fall.

The BAD:
So long, farewell: Dorian Bell, we barely knew thee. What with his problems with staying out of trouble and what I imagine to be crushing expectations, maybe a change of scenery will do him good. Plus, being closer to home is usually a good thing. Since there’s a pretty good chance we’ll never cross our paths with Pitt, we can wish Bell good luck.

And now there are rumors that Kenny Guiton may also be transferring. Again, these are just rumors. But I don’t think it would surprise anyone if he decided to take his talents elsewhere. And if that was the case, we’ll wish him well wherever he may go.

And The UGLY:
Used Cars. And then there’s the Car Scandal. (I will now refuse to refer to any scandal by -Gate. Someone must take a stand.) At first, I thought things were really starting to look bad. Almost Fab Five-level bad. So I really don’t want to think about it. For now, I am putting myself in a holding pattern. We won’t know anything substantial until August. We can speculate and we can hem-and-haw and we can fret. We OSU fans are going to be piled on by fans everywhere (and they’re all hypocrites, don’t let them tell you otherwise). We’re thick skinned and we can take it.

Instead of going on and on, I’ll just direct you to Ramzy’s post over at 11W:

Two former NCAA enforcement officers anonymously told the Dispatch that there was cause for concern. There are exactly two causes for concern in the article as far as I’m concerned: One, obviously Gibson’s $0 car. Two, the fact that four of the Tatgate players also bought cars: That they were willing to part with trinkets at the tattoo parlor is precedent enough to be suspicious at the dealership or anywhere else. It’s circumstantial at best, but unfortunately Ohio State has earned the burden of circumstantial evidence being fishy enough to stink.