MotSaG Reader’s Digest for July 13, 2014

osuHelmetCavaliersThe MotSaG Reader’s Digest is back! The MotSaG Reader’s Digest is just that — a quick glance at the past week of content here at Men of the Scarlet and Gray. This will give you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed during the course of the week. This isn’t everything we posted this week, so we always encourage everyone to subscribe to our feed, sign up for email alerts or simply check the website on a regular basis.

We’ve all been on a little hiatus except for Michael, so this should hopefully signal a return to more content moving toward the upcoming season. Less than 2 months away!

Site News

We haven’t had a chance to formally introduce him, but we’ve added a new writer in Michael Rockstedt to our writing ranks. Mike has been covering recruiting for us and has been on a tear the last couple months. He’s also a great follow on Twitter, so make sure you add him. I’m pretty sure he’ll answer any recruiting question you might have. We look forward to having him on staff and hearing more than just about recruiting from him.

Another one of our writers, Garth, has been asked by the OSU Wrestling Team to cover the team for the official Ohio State Athletics website. You can follow his wrestling writing over there, including his latest on Hunter Stieber. But we’ll still be hearing from Garth around these parts. As a former Golden State Warriors blogger, he’s planning on covering the Cleveland Cavaliers for the website. I know that for the past few years this site has been mostly about Ohio State football and basketball, but we’re all fans of professional sports and we can’t help but be excited about the return of LeBron James to the Buckeye State. The excitement is palpabale in Cleveland and his return will pay dividends for Ohio State on the recruiting front, as well. Expect to see some Cavalier content moving forward.

Ohio State Football

We haven’t talked much about the actual team that will take the field in 2014 (that should change shortly) but we did have to mention the unfortunate circumstances of Tracy Sprinkle’s dismissal from the team.

Recruiting

Michael spoke with a few future recruits. From the 2016 Class, he talked to RB Robert Washington from North Carolina. With offers from a third of the major football programs out there, he’s going to be able to go pretty much anywhere he wants. He has Ohio State in his top 15, but that’s about it. But he does love the tradition, especially at running back:

“I love the tradition that Ohio State has, especially at running back,” he said of why he loves Ohio State. “The running backs they have had like Carlos Hyde and Archie Griffin, are just special players. The coaches are amazing too. I love coach Drayton, he is a good coach and we continue to build our relationship. The university has so much pride and I love everything it has to offer.”

Michael also spoke to a pair of kids in the 2017 class, Aapri Washington and Marcus Williamson. Coach Coombs is heavily involved in their recruitment, so you can probably just put these two guys down as future Buckeyes.

Ex-Clevelanders Can’t Jump

If you haven’t heard, Ohio Governor John Kasich issued a resolution on Monday that honors the NBA-champion Dallas Mavericks as “Honorary Ohioans.”

In particular, he recognized MVP Dirk Nowitzki, who “chose to keep his talents in Dallas by renewing his contract with the Mavericks in 2010 and foregoing free agency.”

Oof.

In response, LeBron issued a statement that said, “John, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m the greatest!”

Gov Kasich then responded “You still putting up bricks? What is this a masons convention? Clang!! Clang!! You need a welding torch to play in this league. Let’s stop right now and gather up all these bricks and build a shelter for the homeless so that your mother will have a place to live!!”

 

In all seriousness, though, LeBron deserves credit for attempting to make good on his good-natured $1 wager with a Cleveland fan over the outcome of the finals. When confronted to pay up, he gave the fan 75 cents and sheepishly declared, “Sorry, I don’t have a fourth quarter.”

Is this thing on…

So the burnout of another season took it’s toll on the MotSaG…or more particularly YNBA…

Surprised? Not Really. It is tough to come up with brilliant material on a weekly basis when nothing is going on in the college football landscape. Here is a quick list of 20 general happenings over the last few months:

  1. Tim Tebow did something magical…not quite sure what it was…
  2. The CBJ made the playoffs and were happy to be there for a week.
  3. Jamal Berry likes to carry the ‘sticky icky‘ in his car.
  4. FC Barcelona won the Champions League against Manchester United and an angel got it’s wings.
  5. Tim Tebow did something philanthropic…not quite sure what it was…
  6. Carlos Hyde is a poor test-taker, or he is dumb, or he doesnt care, or he just really wanted to attend Fork Union next year.
  7. Terrelle Pryor looks like he can read a defense and cleaned up his throwing motion (a little), but there are still 4 QB’s on the Penn State roster that are better than him and a few PSU trainers, as well (Source: Any Ohio State Thread on Audibles).
  8. Ole Miss and North Caolina are in the top 10 in the pre-season polls. Thus fulfilling reason #4576 why polls shouldnt be released until the sixth week of the season.
  9. EDSBS’s Digital Viking Series has won over a nation of blog readers
  10. Deadspin…something is missing over there..well..besides Leitch, “Hirshey is the Closer”, and a gentle dose of “This Week’s Apologies”, but hey, they can embed youtube music videos like no other.
  11. Real Madrid spent over 200 million euros on two players…and that is without including the player salaries for the non-soccer crowd.
  12. The Cleveland Indians bi-annual YNBA soul killing exercise is in full effect this year.
  13. We were kind of ‘witnesses’ to BronBron getting faced…in a Ferris Bueller 31-Flavors kind of way…
  14. The Cavs got Shaq Diesel. Well maybe the Bio-Diesel Version. Doesnt this make Cavs fan hate Carlos Boozer a little more each year?
  15. The US Men’s Soccer Team had a great and completely unexpected run in the Confederations Cup (Spain…really?) and Landon Donovan has been rejuvenated. Did you hear that? That was Bob Bradley getting up from sucking his thumb in the corner.
  16. The Browns continue to be the Browns, but it could be worse…they could be the Seahawks (giggle giggle).
  17. Our Honor Defend’s “Better Know a Buckeye” Series has been top notch work for a slow summer.
  18. David Beckham came back from Italy to sounds of boo’s and a simple chorus of no one really giving a flying crap about David Beckham anymore. Beckham Experiment = EPIC FAIL
  19. Rick Nash signs with the CBJ for 25 years. Oh alright…8 years. Sorry Maple Leaf Fans.
  20. South Carolina really wants Ohioans to leave. It’s like a little kid running a lemonade stand asking someone with a ten dollar bill to get lost.

Quick Hits

CavaliersOSU FootballOSU LogoOhio State beats Wisconsin 61-57 in the Big Ten tournament. I didn’t get a chance to catch the game on TV (due to a nasty habit of working from nine to five) but thanks to 97.1’s streaming of their broadcast, I was able to listen in on Paul Keels calling the game. Things didn’t look good with five minutes left, but all’s well that ends well, so we’ll take it.

We’ll see Michigan State tomorrow at 1:40 PM. Three times a charm, right?

Beanie Wells is fast. The internet is atwitter with the performance of one Chris “Beanie” Wells at Ohio State’s pro day today. Word is that he pretty much killed it, running at least forty yards in under four and four-tenths of a second. Those in the know seem to think that is rather rapid. From what we hear, this speed is unheard of north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Some Swedish dude took off almost all of his clothes to hit a shot out of the mud at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral yesterday. He’s getting a lot of credit for his dedication to his craft. I’m not impressed. I’ll show you dedication: I’ve written well over half of the MotSaG posts in my skivvies. Even when the heat is turned off and it’s 50 degrees in the house. That’s dedication.

Finally, Delonte West showed teammate Ben Wallace and the rest of the world how to rock ‘fro.

Delonte Fro

Holiday Weekend Open Thread

FootballOSU LogoOSU FootballCavaliersBrownsIt’s been quiet around these parts recently, mostly due to heavy workloads and blogger burn-out, but…

There’s a lot going on and a lot to talk about. Hopefully everyone’s holidays were enjoyable and the loot haul was plentiful. What did Santa bring all you?

Are you ready for some football?! – We’ve got a ton of sports going on this weekend. the Non-New Year’s Day Bowls are in full-force now, with the Big Ten’s first appearance as Wisconsin represents the hopes of Big Ten fans at the Champs Sports Bowl. Can Wisconsin out-muscle and run over the Seminoles? I’m not hopeful, but who knows. It’d be a great way to start the Bowl Season. (I know it started last week, but I don’t recognize any bowl with a name like “magicJACK St. Petersburg Bowl.”

Movin’ on Up – “… just cause it’s a theme song don’t make it not true.” We haven’t talked much about the Basketball Buckeyes here, but that’s not for lack of things to talk about. They’re off to a 9-0 start and are talking on a West Virginia team lead by Bob Huggins this after noon. The Buckeyes miss David Lighty, but this should still be a great game.

Witness – Speaking of basketball, how about those Cavaliers? I wasn’t blown away by the Mo Williams trade earlier this year, but now I’m a believer. This is the best Cavs team I can remember, and they’re just getting better. Two games upcoming with the rejuvenated Miami Heat should tell us a lot about this team.

Dumb and Dumberer – Whether you’re a Browns or a Bengals fan, have you given up yet? Did you give up eight weeks ago? Will you watch the final game? I’ll be on the road tomorrow during the Browns game, but I’ll be smiling if they beat the hated Steelers.

Monkey and me – We aren’t totally slacking off. We’re working on a handful of posts for next week, leading up to the Fiesta Bowl. I’m not feeling the excitement of bowl seasons past, so I’m hoping the next week or so will get the juices flowing once again. Go Bucks!

Once a Buckeye

I wanted to highlight a couple articles that have piqued my interested lately.

The first is a little bit old, but it was ESPN’s first mock draft for the NBA that had the Cavaliers somehow ending up with Kosta Koufos (h/t The Sports Diva Magazine). I think Kosta will eventually become a solid NBA performer but he needs to get mean first. He needs to get to the free throw line a little more frequently for a big man. But the Cavs have a need to start developing the next Zydrunas and he could fit that bill nicely. Another part of the article mentioned the possibility of the Bucks wanting to trade Michael Redd away in their efforts to rebuild. I know it’s a long shot and pipe dream, but I would love to see Redd in the Wine and Gold.

One can dream.

The other is about a MotSaG hero, our favorite #10, Troy Smith (h/t The Silver Bullet):

With a big arm and even bigger chip on his shoulder, Smith has outplayed the other quarterbacks during this spring’s minicamps, backing up his claim there is “no doubt” he can go from a fifth-round pick to a starting quarterback in one season.

Everyone in Buckeye Nation wants to see Troy prove all the non-believers wrong. Even if he is a Raven, we are all rooting for him to take over his team and succeed.

The coaching staff, though, has been just as impressed with Smith off the field as on it. He has perfect attendance in the weight room and the classroom.

This is what four years under Jim Tressel will do. When Smith was a freshman, a quote like this would have surprised me. Four years later, not so much.

He proved himself to the team when he showed poise despite being pushed into starting the final two games last season. It seems veterans respond to Smith more than the other quarterbacks.

Looks like the Ravens are starting to see what Buckeye fans saw at the end of the 2004 season and the beginning of 2005. The Buckeyes just played better when Troy came in. It was a noticeable difference in the way the other players responded when he came into the huddle. It was his team and everyone played that way.

So good luck, Troy. Just not when you play the Browns.

There’s always next …

I started a post on Friday during the Cavs/Celtics game, when the Cavs were down, saying how I was actually going to feel relieved if the Cavs lost Game Six. I wouldn’t have to go through the pain and agony of a close Game Seven.

Of course, I’m a fan of a Cleveland team, which means I am doomed to suffer the maximum amount of pain. This fact accounts for the close game, up until the very bitter end, this afternoon. LeBron provided an LeBronian effort, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

In the end, I guess I can take a bit of bittersweet solace that Kevin Garnett has proven, yet again, that he can not win the big game. For all his mean-face, chest-thumping bravado, he faded like he always does. And that makes me happy. This was all Paul Pierce. Turns out the “Big Three” is really “Paul Pierce and that really skinny guy who can’t win the big one and that dude who was in that movie with Denzel”. Hopefully we can put talk of “The Big Three” to rest. It isn’t even the “Big Two Featuring Ray Allen“.

So now it’s total boredom for the next three months. Great. I’m going back to GTA IV.

Witnessing once again

LeBron is rising up and, once again, we are witnesses.

Is there anyone less menacing than Kevin Garnett? He does his scary “I’m pumped up!” growl mean face and no one notices. I think when Garnett gets mean, an angel is given its wings and puppies giggle uncontrollably.


Grrrh

Monday Musings are late again

CavaliersBlog/site newsOSU FootballOSU LogoIndians… For which it apologizes.

Who says the NIT isn’t exciting? I was at the Quaker Steak last night with my bro-in-law, having my way with a basket of chicken wings with the UMass/Syracuse game on in the background. The BIL commented that certainly UMass couldn’t come back from 20 down, right? I mentioned there were ten minutes left, anything can happen, but probably not. We watched in awe as UMass did the pretty much impossible.

It was a lot more enjoyable to watch than Duke embarrass itself last week.

Let’s hope tonight’s game is just as exciting.

Sometimes I wish I could be adopted in the Tressel family. Just kidding mom and dad!

One of my favorite stories about Tressel is when he explained to his kids what it means to take the OSU job, and said, “when dad lost games at Youngstown State, eighty thousand people would say he was an idiot. Once I’m at Ohio State and I lose a game, eight hundred thousand people would say I’m was an idiot.” I think he underestimated.

No one likes the Knicks. And no one likes desperate fans. This is just sad.

For your OSU football fix, Sunday Morning Quarterback preps you for a season of smack talk from fans of teams from other conferences. No matter how irrational or ignorant we all know this kind of talk is, be prepared to listen to it all season long.

It is going to chafe so many people’s hides when the Buckeyes are in the BCS title game yet again. I can’t wait.

I don’t talk much about the Indians here, but I couldn’t pass this up. When The Dugout did their thing with the Indians, I almost died laughing. This is probably only funny to me, but man are those guys good.

Pronky_Kong: then we could talk about how my dog and I can do the Fastball Special like Wolverine and Colossus and how Casey Blake is totally screwed

That, my friends, is absolutely pure genius.

Finally, your new blogs are: Our Honor Defend and Dotting The “I”

Go Buckeyes! Beat the Flyers.

Monday musings are back!

Blog/site newsCavaliersOSU LogoOSU FootballAfter already failing in my attempts to blog on a regular basis, the Monday Musings are back after a one week hiatus. And just barely!

The Terrell Pryor watch continues: Now he’s courting offers from places like Memphis. Memphis? I actually told the Monkey last month that he may be one-and-done if he plays both sports, no matter where he plays. As Massey mentions, if he gets a whiff of the cash the NBA will throw at him, he may be tempted to hang up the cleats early. Don’t say we didn’t tell you. And Brian reminds us that while the signing “deadline” is April 1st, he doesn’t actually have to sign anything. He can show up at the Woody Hayes Althetic Center and step right into a scholarship.

The King James Cavaliers: Now that the Cavs have had a couple weeks to mesh, I think they’re really starting to look good. I still think Joe Smith is the diamond in the rough with this trade, but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far. And this is without Z, Boobie, and Sasha.

Ohio State Basketball: The All Big Ten teams were announced, and Jamar Butler was voted on the first team by the media and the second team by the coaches. Kosta Koufos also received mentions. But the real travesty is seeing accolades heaped upon the most overrated player in the Big Ten, Eric Gordon. It’s a joke. And before the Indiana fans crawl all over me, just look at the stats. Yes, he leads the Big Ten in scoring. He’s barely serviceable from behind the arc. He plays out of control. He was constantly bailed out by the refs on ill advised drives. He also took almost 400 shots. He’s bound to make a few of them! I could go on. He’s not a bad player. He’s just overrated.

New blogs: The Sports Diva Magazine and On the Banks of the Olentangy.

Future pieces on tap: Mancrushers unite!

Got any thing you need to get off your chest? Something we’ve missed? Am I an idiot? Let us know!