Remember me? I’m still around and I still totally don’t want any attention. I’m trying (but not really all that much) to win a basketball championship here. Can’t you see how not interested I am in talking about football?

Sure. Anyway, the Plain Dealer has an article about the Chosen One’s disdain for trying hard (via Waiting for next Year):

“He plays as well as he needs to play,” says his basketball coach at Jeannette High School, Jim Nesser. “I don’t know if that sounds good, but if he needs to take it to another level, he can do that.”

That makes me nervous. But never fear, he nonchalantly dismisses it all with an explanation:

The Subject explains that his competitiveness, when flashed, is genetic.

“I’m a Pryor,” he says. “My dad used to hit me when I lost at anything, at fights, anything. I mean, your dad is supposed to make you a man, right? That’s what he did.”

Coach Nessler explains the Subject’s on-court approach a final time.

“Terrelle does whatever he has to.”

Note to Terrell: Coach Tressel will totally not hit you if you lose.

We haven’t been following the recent NFL draft declarations and transfer goings-on (hit up 11W for that) but we definitely feel moved to wish MotSaG’s el Kaiser’s man-crush-4-life, Vernon Gholston, some well deserved love.

First, just read this quote from the Dispatch last week:

“As a son and as a man, it is my duty to serve and support my family to the best of my abilities. My childhood dream was, and still is, to one day be fortunate enough to do just that. I feel that time has come.”

College players come and go, most leaving little or no impression after they’ve gone. Yes, they are all Buckeyes and we love them for that, but, for the most part, they are simply fleeting memories of autumns past. Every once and a while, an athlete comes along and leaves an indelible impact. Unfortunately, the impact isn’t always a positive one. There are players like Reggie Germany and HWSNBN who, through actions off the football field, leave a bitter taste in your mouth and Ohio State with a black eye. They are just kids, which must never be forgotten. But they are agents unto themselves and are perfectly capable of doing the right thing. Sadly, they hardly ever do.

On the other side, through events on and off the field, you get momentary glimpses of true greatness. Vernon Gholston was one of those players, one of the good guys. It’s easy to think everybody is innately good. It’s even easier to think when you witness someone like Vernon.

Put aside the freakish nature of the man’s physique (pshaw, like that’s possible) and read that quote again. Don’t tell me that’s something someone told him to say. I’m not buying that. It is heartfelt and genuine. Anyone who sees an opportunity to better not just his life, but that of those he loves, is one who deserves our respect. He also deserves our gratitude. Through the four years he was a Buckeye, he was a class act. There was never even a whisper of trouble or scandal. Vernon kept his nose clean and did his thing through his play on the field. I can’t remember a single personal foul penalty called on the man. If it’s possible to be proud of someone you’ve never met and have no connection to, I’d like to think Buckeye Nation as a whole was proud of our version of the Incredible Hulk.

So with that, we wish Vernon Gholston the best of luck in the NFL and we throw our considerable weight behind any movement that wants to convince the Cleveland Browns into trading Derek Anderson for a first round draft pick and snatch up #50 before someone dirty like the Steelers or the Raiders get their grubby hands on him. (That’s right, I said Derek Anderson. I’m ready for the Brady Quinn Experiment to start NOW.) Keep Vernon in Ohio!

As for MotSaG’s 2008 man-crush? We’re still taking applications. Right now, the leading Candidate is Curtis Terry. Have you seen that guy’s arms?