I tease because I love.
Congratulations, Buckeyes!
Monday Musings are late again
March 26, 2008 by 6 Comments
… 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!
March 10, 2008 by 7 Comments
After 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!
Congrats, Seniors!
March 9, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Not even the Blizzard of 2008 was enough to cool the SMOKING red hot Buckeyes, as they absolutely torched the paint off the Schott’s floor this afternoon, decimating the Spartans 63-54. This is certainly not Sparta. Don’t look now, but the Buckeyes are 2-1 in March, and 2-0 against ranked teams.
The full court pressure proved too much for Drew’s motley crew of Neitzel’s, so here’s to hoping Matta continues to apply the heat come tournament time.
Big huge congratulations go to this year’s seniors, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter and Matt Terwilliger. I’ve had a rocky relationship with Butler but he has really shown me something this year. I’ve got a soft spot for Othello and it’s hard to hate on a guy like Terwilliger.
Thanks, guys, for a great four years!
Desperate Times
March 4, 2008 by 2 Comments
Call for desperate victories.
I still think the Buckeyes are a long shot to make the tournament (outside winning the Big Ten tournament, natch) but this victory over the Purdue Men-in-Tights was still deeply satisfying.
There’s a lot to be excited about this young Buckeye basketball team, especially Evan Turner. I’m hoping for a good showing in the tourney and we’ll see what happens.
Oh, and Wisconsin fans? You’re welcome!
Monday Musings and Mutterings
February 25, 2008 by 2 Comments
In an attempt to make a weekly brain dump, I’m going to try to do this on a regular basis.
- I know it’s only been one game, but the new Cavs have me excited. Even though Ben Wallace is the headliner of this trade, I think the player I’m most excited about is Joe Smith. Everytime Drew Gooden dropped back to hit a jumper outside of 10 feet, I held my breath and closed my eyes. Joe Smith, on the other hand, has a smooth stroke. I’m looking forward to watching more of the new look Cavs team.
- I don’t remember where I heard it (it may have been during an OSU basketball game on ESPN or CBS) but supposedly Jon Diebler averaged 40 points in high school. I guess he’s the Ohio all-time scorer in high school basketball or some-such. He scored more points than LeBron James! Has anyone else heard this? Did I miss-hear something? They just mentioned it in passing, if I remember correctly.
- Terrel Pryor watch: 19 days and counting. My guess? He’s a Buckeye by the end of the month.
- New blogs of the week: Old Columbus Town and Waiting for Next Year.
- No surprises here, but Vernon Gholston impressed the butchers at the annual NFL meat market. (h/t Old Columbus Town) He hit 37 reps of 225 on the bench. He scored the highest “Personal Gravity Field” test out of all other participants. Oh, and Darren McFaddens 4.33 40? Someone whispered in his ear that Gholston was after him.
- Dads: Let your boys grow up to be long-snappers. Thanks to the Monkey for that link, which he sent along to me. As a former long-snapper myself, it warms my heart to see the most important player on special teams get the love he deserves.
Hope everyone had a good weekend.
Ohio – Year of the #2
December 31, 2007 by Leave a Comment
2007 was the year of the “Almost!!” for teams that hail from the State of Ohio.
There were eight sports teams from Ohio that either lost a championship game or had the coveted #1 ranking elude them in 2007. Never before have so many teams from a single state reached within inches of the promised land, only to fail at accomplishing the utmost feat.
The following teams from Ohio finished #2 in their respective sports in 2007:
Ohio State Buckeyes Football – BCS Title GameOn Janurary 8, 2007, one of the best OSU teams in history waltzed into the BCS title game cocky and overconfident. The Buckeyes had breezed undefeated through their schedule, including playing in two #1 vs #2 games and winning both convincingly.
History shows that the team never took its BCS opponent seriously, and after a 50-day layoff came to the stadium overweight, flat, and uninspired – and was promptly dispatched by a tough Florida team that had grown weary of hearing about its underdog status.
Ohio State Buckeyes Men’s Basketball – NCAA Title GameIn some ways, the men’s basketball team was the antithesis to their counterparts who played in the ‘Shoe. Where Tressel had a team loaded with experienced seniors and veterans, Thad Matta would have to work with a group of highly-rated young freshmen and first-year starters, including the superstar Greg Oden, who was unavailable for the first half of the season.
The Buckeyes survived a tough playoff bracket and matched up against Florida in the championship game. Despite a career game for Oden, the Buckeyes simply couldn’t match up with a Gator team full of talented, experienced veterans.
Cleveland Cavaliers – NBA FinalsIn June, the Cavs made it to the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history. Down by two games in the semifinals, LeBron James led the Cavs to four straight wins and a berth in the championship series against the Spurs.
San Antonio then swept the series, 4-0.
Columbus Destroyers – ArenaBowl XXIThe Columbus Destroyers were the AFL’s Cinderella story in 2007. The Destroyers made it to the ArenaBowl with momentous upsets of Dallas and Georgia in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
They lost the championship to the San Jose Sabercats, 55-33.
Columbus Comets Football – NWFA Championship GameWhat? You’ve never heard of them? Too bad. Columbus’ own women’s professional football franchise (full-contact, none of this powder-puff stuff) dominated the competition in 2007.
The women won the Southern Conference and made it to the NWFA Championship game — where they were beaten 32-0 by the Pittsburgh Passion.
Cleveland Indians – American League Championship SeriesThe Indians capped a fine regular season by tying Boston for the best record in baseball. Behind Cy Young winner CC Sebathia, they upset the Yankees in the AL division series in four games.
Cleveland then took a 3-1 lead against Boston in the ALCS, but then lost the pennant with three straight losses to the Red Sox.
Saint Xavier Bombers – HS Final RankingsCincinnati’s legendary Saint X squad made it to 15-0 and the state title, but was given the #2 spot in the final national high school composite rankings.
The Bombers came in only four points behind Northwestern of Miami Florida. The two did not play against one another.
Ohio State Buckeyes Men’s Soccer – NCAA Title GameOSU entered the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Playing as a five seed, they outworked their opponents though the playoffs, and met Wake Forest in the championship game.
The Buckeyes played a dominant first half, but Wake Forest came from behind late in the game on a controversial goal. The Demon Deacons went on to win.
So, what say you? Is this list an example of Ohio superiority in athletics, or weakness?
2008 starts off well, with another Ohio team competing for a championship as the football Buckeyes get a chance to redeem themselves in the Bourbon Bowl. Let’s hope that this pattern of #2 ends on January 7th.
Buckeyes fill the draft
June 29, 2007 by 1 Comment
As was expected by everyone outside of Austin, Texas, your very own Greg Oden went #1 in this years draft. Long time buddy and Buckeye Hero Mike Conley, Jr. (his dad was an olympic athlete, didntchyaknow?) followed shortly thereafter at #4. Daquan Cook, the pride of Dayton Dunbar, went #21 to Philly and then was quickly traded to Miami. Not a bad racket for Cook — he gets to play with Shaq and D-Wade. Living in Miami can’t be too bad, either. Bienvenido a Miami!
It’s good to see these guys go so high. It’s been said before, but Oden has had a huge positive influence on the Ohio State basketball program. I don’t think we’ve seen the full effect of what he (and the rest of the Thad Five) did for OSU. We can only dream about what they would have done if they stuck together for one more year. Would have been amazing.
I think Oden’s prospects in Portland, however, were slightly diminished with the NY/Portland trade. Zach Randolph may not have been the best influence for Oden, but having a player like Stevie Franchise isn’t going to help either. Oden and Francis are polar opposites — Oden is the consumate team player whereas Francis… isn’t. It was cool that Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts, as he and Oden also played together in their pre-college years. (Who hasn’t Oden played basketball with? I know he played high school and AAU ball for like 14 years, but this is ridiculous!)
Conley Jr. will definitely miss playing with Oden, but Pau Gasol is no slouch when it comes to big men (he’s also a Spainard, which is like +10 to awesomeness right off the bat). He’ll also play with the second ugliest player in basketball (Mike Miller). He was the ugliest player until Joakim Noah got picked up by the Bulls.
Speaking of Noah, I can’t wait until the Human Elbow #2 (Varejao) brings it down to bear on Noah’s pretty face. That will be something to see. It will be an explosion of hair, fugliness, and ethnicity. Awesome.
Now I just hope someone does the right thing and picks up Ron Lewis.
Another great draft showing by the Buckeyes. Let’s hope they keep happening.
So long, big guy (UPDATE)
April 19, 2007 by 9 Comments
UPDATE:
Confirmed. Oden will declare tomorrow, and will hire an agent. He’s gone, folks.
Mike Conley and Daequan Cook will also enter the draft, but will not hire agents, preserving a way to return to OSU if their projected draft status is not favorable. They have until June 18th to make a final decision.
Image credit & copyright AP (Gerry Broome)
Final Four: Ohio State vs. Georgetown – Open Thread
March 30, 2007 by 10 Comments
The 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!
