Just a couple more hours to sign up for the MotSaG Tournament Pick’em Contest. We’ll be closing the registration at 10PM (EST) tonight.
You can read all the details here.
Tournament Pick’em Contest
March 12, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Just a quick update to remind everyone that there’s still time to join MotSaG’s first-ever contest, the Tournament Pick’em Shindig. We’ve already received a handful of requests, but are hoping for more!
If you previously submitted a request via the Contact form, please send it in again, as there was a problem with the email address the contact form was using. It’s all been fixed now, though, so if you’re interested in participating in the contest, send us an email at motsag-at-gmail-dot-com or contact us with our handy-dandy contact form.
We hope to see you there!
MotSaG’s Tournament Pick’em Contest
March 7, 2007 by 3 Comments
We’re going to hold the first-ever Men of the Scarlet and Gray sponsored contest and you’re invited to participate. It’s time to show us how strong your powers of divination are by filling out the perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.
We’re going to have a Tournament Pick’em contest, complete with an actual prize!
For the contest, we’ll be using Yahoo!’s NCAA Tournament Pick ‘Em. The first place winner’s prize will be a $25 gift certificate to Buckeye Corner’s online store or Amazon.com
How do you participate? Simple, just send an email to motsag-at-gmail-dot-com (or use the contact form) with your email address and you’ll be sent an invitation to join our Pick ‘Em league. We’ll leave the registration open until Tuesday the 13th. The brackets will be set on Sunday (the 11th) and you’ll have until Thursday (the 15th) to lock in your selections. After you join the league, just set your brackets (picking the Buckeyes to go all the way, of course) and then sit back and enjoy the tournament.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments.
Congrats to Bevo Sports
January 31, 2007 by 3 Comments
The CFBAs are being revealed today, and Bevo Sports has rightfully earned the Brady Quinn award. Your friendly MotSaGr’s were honored to finish runner-up.
The BQ is defined as the blog that is the most “aesthetically pleasing, while seamlessly incorporating new technologies.” Bevo Sports is a beautifully designed site, one of the few sites to pull off a visual metaphor effectively. Beyond the visuals, however, Bevo sports (ha! we r punny! ) a highly usable and navigable site. Our Texas brethren have done a mighty fine job.
The CFBA also folks burned our ears a little with a few kind words about MotSaG:
Our Runner Up, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, is equally outstanding. Another disciple of the simpler-is-better crowd, MOTSAG is crisply laid out without excess clutter. The headline banner is an attractive montage of Buckeye legends that serves as a perfect headline to the site’s mission.
Stories in the main column are not just categorized with worded labels – the authors also provide a graphic image at the beginning of the story which serves as notice of the story’s content category. Like Bevo Sports, the right column is clean and concise; readers are offered a slew of useful links and site navigation functions, without being burdened by hundreds of links and categories.
Aw, shucks, guys. **MotSaG looks at feet, kicks stones**
Props should also go to Burnt Orange Nation, Rocky Top Talk, and MGoBlog for all the hard work they’ve done on the CFBAs this year. (Let me know if I left any others out!)
We’re still here
December 14, 2006 by 18 Comments
We, like most of you I’m sure, have been a little lax after the excellent 2006 regular season. While we didn’t have finals to worry about, we did have family and other requirements that demand our time. Our updates have been sporadic as of late, but we appreciate all of you checking in peridoically for new content. We’ve got some material lined up and there’s still a lot of great Ohio sports action going on, so bear with us as we come out of our blogging-funk.
We’ll be looking back fondly at some memories of the 2006 football season with the return of “Friday Fun,” we’ll be watching out Basketball Buckeyes tear up the non-conference schedule (the upcoming Bearcats game should be excellent), and of course we’ll keep a watchful eye on the Gators from down south. We’ll be taking a look at how the Buckeyes match up with the scrappy Gators. They’ve got to watch out for that SEC speed!
We’ve also got something that, if we release it to the public, could shake the very foundations of Buckeye fans everywhere. We’re still trying to decide what to do with the information we’ve uncovered, but just be aware that we have Ohio State fans’ interests in mind. Watch this space for more information.
We’re not dead
November 28, 2006 by 3 Comments
We’re just now coming down from the high of the Michigan victory. Seriously, for like a week we all had smiles on our faces you couldn’t beat into a frown, even with a ballpeen hammer. It was some serious after-glow. We decided we would take a rest from the blogging game during the Thanksgiving week. With the Thanksgiving holiday now over, we’re getting back into the swing of things, trying to bring you some more excellent OSU content, hopefully entertaining you in the six weeks of downtime until it’s time to go Bowling in Glendale.
We’re not completely ignoring the other Ohio sports, we just have been so laser-focused on Ohio State football that we haven’t had time to mention the other sports. But we’re watching them and we have opinions. Like my opinion that the Browns are the biggest embarrassment the NFL has ever seen. Could the Buckeyes hang with the Browns right now? I wouldn’t be surprised. OSU Basketball is starting to heat up. How good is Thad Motta going to make this team? He must go recruiting with Playboy bunnies or something, he gets whoever he wants. The guy is amazing. The Cavs are looking strong (if uninspired) and LeBron makes some of the best commercials, ever. The Jackets aren’t in my wheel-house of expertise, but from what I can tell, they’ve been disappointing. The Indians aren’t exactly tearing up the off-season with any killer signings. Typical Cleveland behavior, but it’d be nice to see something exciting happen for a change.
Here at MotSaG, we’re working on a number of items, so I thought I’d give you a taste of things to come:
- How does OSU matchup with its potential BCS Championship opponent?
- OSU Basketball has a couple marquee match-ups during the next month. We’ll be taking a look at the team and their chances against North Carolina and Florida.
- What OSU footballers are finalists for what awards, and their chances to win them.
- Lots of Troy Smith stuff
- We’re still in awe of what Joe Paterno has done this year. We’re still going to make fun of him.
- … and much more
Hopefully you’ll stick around and enjoy the show.
I’m tired of it.
November 20, 2006 by 25 Comments
I read Yost & company’s recount of the horrors they endured at the hands of bone-headed OSU fans. No, let me rephrase that. Those people are simply a-holes with an Ohio State shirt on. Or, more likely, a Budweiser “F-Michigan” t-shirt. They are not fans. They are idiots. I’m tired of defending people who call themselves Buckeye Fans but who are so in name only. I’m really sorry what happened to Yost and countless other Michigan fans, I am. It’s unfortunate. But I’m tired of being lumped together with the knuckle-draggers. Stop lumping us true fans with those mouth-breathers. It made me sick to read what happened. But I’m tired of hearing of it. And I’m tired apologizing for it.
I’m not one of the guys that buys the F-Michigan T-shirts those dirt bags are selling on Lane Avenue. I’m not one of the guys throwing garbage at Michigan fans. I’m not the one who’s hurling epithets at them in slurred, guttural drunken-speak. I’m not the person who puffs up his chest, in front of his friends, and tells a Michigan fan to “Go Blow!” Those guys are imbeciles of the finest grade and I am not one of them.
Another thing to remember is that Columbus is a big city. We’ve got a lot of unsavory individuals. A lot. I’m sure there’s a lot more than you’d ever see in Ann Arbor. The majority of the idiots causing problems are these unsavory inidividuals, people that aren’t even peripherally involved with the university. They see it as an excuse to get wasted and bully people around. We wish they’d go away, but it’s something we all have to deal with.
I’m the guy who goes up and apologizes for what the Neanderthals in the “Ann Arbor is a Whore” shirts said to the guy in the Maize and Blue block-M hat. I was the guy apologizing to the Texas fans last year when my fellow “fans” were telling them to “F’ing Go Home!” I’m the guy who gives you an apologetic look when some moron says something he’d never say in front of his mother.
I’m tired of it. I’m tired of having to defend my school and my team to a bunch of people who are just looking for a place to stand to take the higher moral ground. “Our team lost on the football field, but your team (and school) sucks because a couple drunk half-wits hurt my feelings! They said mean things about my mom!” I’m not asking you to grow up or get over it. Just take things in perspective. In a week or two, the sting from the loss will lessen and you’re realize, in the grand scheme of things, these things really aren’t that important.
And no, Michigan doesn’t have the high ground to take on this issue. As Zeke, SYR and I were heading for a pre-game lunch (at La Bambas, a fine High Street establishment) we watched as the police-escorted buses of the Michigan Marching Band passed by. You’d think these guys, you know, actual representatives of the University, would show some class right? Of course you’d think that. And you’d be wrong. I’m no professional lip reader, but I know how to make out phrases containing four-letter words that start with F and end with YOU. The middle fingers aimed at us OSU fans were a nice touch. Saw a lot of those. But my favorite were the “F-OSU” signs. I saw a couple of those in the windows. That was the epitome of class.
So, to the fans of college football everywhere, get off our friggin backs. We don’t have control over what a few thousand people do to ruin the image of Ohio State. Contrary to what people will have you believe, it is a few rotten apples that spoil the bunch. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. We were down on campus all morning long and I didn’t hear a single F-Michigan or any other derogatory comment. There was easily 200,000 people on campus, enjoying the festivities. I saw some good natured ribbing, some fun at each others expenses, but none of the vile that other people had happen to them. Those of us who care about who we’re perceived were trying to keep our rowdy brethren in line. We are. But most of the idiots you had the misfortune of interacting with were probably young college students with a little extra to drink. I’d be willing to bet that a large majority of them weren’t even students of the University. They were simply idiots. We don’t want them and we don’t claim them. Unfortunately we have to put up with them a lot more often then you do. When they say ridiculous, mean, hurtful things, we do reprove them. We tell them to keep it clean. We tell them that it’s uncool what they’re doing. But that’s all we can do. We try to do our part, but it’s not easy. And it is, quite honestly, pointless. They’re free to say what they want. It’s unfortunate but true. These people are idiots and are going to do whatever feels good to their alcohol soaked brains.
I don’t associate myself with them. I am an Ohio State Buckeye, I love this university and I love those who love it with me. We aren’t all about hating Michigan. We’re about loving the Buckeyes. The team. We love the tradition, the crisp autumn afternoons with a 100,000 friends cheering on the Buckeyes. It isn’t all about hating Michigan. Yost says, “it’s not “Pro-OSU,” it’s “anti-Michigan.”” Do you think the hatred for Michigan fills the stadium when we play Texas? What about when we play Cincinnati?
I know some of the backlash is coming from Michigan fans with wounded egos and fragile emotions. They hurt and they want to strike back, however they can. Saturday’s game was draining. For everyone, not just you. But we’re not sorry your team lost. We’re not even happy your team lost. We’re happy our team won. You had a bad experience and it was amplified by your disgust for the outcome of the game. But I’m sure the memories you had up to that point would certainly be clouded by your disappointment. But don’t you dare lump the people who offended you with those of us who care. I wish I could have been standing next to you in the stadium. I would have shook your hand and said “good game.” Most of us real fans treat everyone with respect. I know some people do not. But we are not them.
I’m just tired of apologizing for them.
Battle of the Blogs
November 16, 2006 by 7 Comments
This week, CSTV.com will be featuring a daily “debate” between rival OSU and UM bloggers. Make sure to check it out each day. There should be a healthy variation in the topics, from classic Xs and Os debates to abstract ones that focus on the rivalry.
We’ve been asked to contribute material for later this week, so watch this space for more details.
Today’s discussion: Today’s topic features our post, which answers the question, “Who wins: Ohio State O or Michigan D?” (Interesting side note, but originally the question was “Who wins: Ohio State O or Rutgers D”. Was CSTV being snarky, prescient, or did they just make a mistake? You decide). Anyway, we fellow bloggers presented our arguments (many of which you can find in this post) for why OSU’s offense should be able to give the business to Michigan’s D. The counterpoint comes from Dave of Maize and Brew. While Dave’s description of some of the Michigan personnel may be a bit … hyperbolic … he does a good job of looking at matchups. He mentions using “Pat White” as a fullback, but I think he means “Stan White Jr,” whom he refers to later. Overall, minus the prediction of a Michigan victory, Dave makes some valid points.
Advantage: Do we even have to ask?
Sunday’s discussion: Which program has the better game day atmosphere? Keith from Buckeye Commentary and David from Michigan Against the World participate.
Advantage: Keith
Monday’s discussion: Which stadium is better: the Big House or the Horseshoe?. Ryan from Pfef’s Sports Blog and the guys (I assume?) at M-Zone square off.
Advantage: Push. Both were good pieces, but the M-Zone had a little more meat to it. But since we toe the company line, we’ll call it a Push.
Tuesday’s discussion: Who wins: Michigan O or Ohio State D? Sean from The 614 and Kenny Chung at the Westsider Rider duke it out. I’m not sure what strength of schedule Kenny is looking at but Michigans is not #2 (I take that back, I noticed on Kenny’s site that he is using the NCAA SoS). I believe that honor belongs to Southern Cal.
Wednesday’s discussion: Which is better, Michigan’s Fight Song, or Ohio State’s dotting of the ‘i?’. Sean from the 614 and Frank from UM Tailgate square off.
Advantage: Sean. Frank loses points by talking about UM and Notre Dame in the first sentence. He then gets negative bazillion points for confusing “dotting the i” with “performing script Ohio” during the climax of his argument, claiming that UM invented “dotting the i.” Hey Frank: Just because the UM band once spelled out “OHIO” on the field in 1932 does not mean that UM invented the dotting of the ‘i.’ (Lots of bands were writing opponents’ names on the field.) It was OSU that invented “Script Ohio” and turned it into a march. And it was OSU that invented “dotting the ‘i'” at the crescendo of the song.
Site updates
November 14, 2006 by Leave a Comment
I know we’re right in the thick of Michigan Week, but we’ve been working behind the scenes to make MotSaG better.
I’ll be gradually updating the blogroll with a bunch of sites (mostly OSU blogs) that I’ve been meaning to add but always seem to be sidetracked. One of my favorites is The Blog for the Sports Gamer, a blog run by three sports (and video game) fans. It also turns out that one of the bloggers (Todd) happens to be from the sorry state up North and the other (Bill) is a dyed-in-the-wool Buckeye. They’ve always have a good mix of Sports posts and Video Game posts. So if you’re a gamer and a sports geek like me, check them out.
I’ve added a couple Google Ad units to help defray the cost of hosting the blog. As per terms of the serivce agreement, I’m not encouraging you to click on them, but just wanted to make sure you were aware of them.
We’ve added a item in the sidebar which highlights some of our favorite (and most popular) posts here at MotSaG. They were a lot of fun to write, but due to the nature of a blog, they’ve been buried by newer posts. This is a chance for new readers to check them out.
Of course, we’ll be bringing some good OSU/Michigan content over the next few days, and as sportsMonkey mentioned, we’ll be participating in the Battle of the Blogs of CSTV. I’ve post-dated Monkey’s post so it floats to the top until the end of the week.
Happy Halloween
October 31, 2006 by Leave a Comment
The boys over at the M-Zone bring the funny with their “Coaches’ Halloween Costumes“. Excellent stuff. Behold:
Charlie Weis – Notre Dame
Costume: BallerinaCharlie proved you can dance around the fact that you haven’t beaten a top team yet still get a $40M contract extention.
