The newest Cleveland Cavalier? One can hope.

Thanks to the resurgence of warm weather in the Northern part of the US of A, all 5o states can finally embrace the classic tradition of an American summer. For most, summer brings on the kind of busy only acceptable from June-August. When those of us who work have downtime, we fill our schedules with vacations, BBQ’s and beach parties, with or without real sand. The sports world is no different. Sure, professional baseball players are inundated with work, but that’s because no great American summer can be complete without America’s favorite past-time.

However, unless you have access to soccer games and the summertime country club sports (or if you, GASP, like NASCAR), you are probably with the vast majority of sports fans counting down the days until September when the regular football season commences, as does conditioning for your favorite basketball teams.

Lucky for you, Vico and other bloggers like him work hard to make sure your Buckeye news isn’t lost as the sun heats up. Since he is off on business, it’s been up to Charles, Michael and myself to provide you with as much of the news as we can.

Unfortunately, there isn’t too much to report right now.

Well wait. After what happened Memorial Day weekend, maybe fortunately is a better term.

Either way, since Fickell took over and Pryor sped off into a job market that may or may not exist when he gets there, Buckeye Nation has been relatively calm. However, a few things have happened, and a few more are on the way. I promise, this is all good news, or at least nothing earth shattering.

• Fear not Cleveland fans. In addition to owning the #1 and #4 draft picks, but you have David Lighty exercising the option of becoming a Cavalier this fall. The Cleveland native worked out with the Cavs a week and a half ago. Besides another team snatching Lighty up first, the only upsetting, yet completely fitting, outcome for Cleveland in this scenario is if an NBA lockout persists. Until then, we must remind ourselves LeBron is still ring-less and we just might have a few new kings in town.

• Speaking of recent Buckeye basketball alumni, Jon Threebler tied the knot last Thursday. On the bright side, Aaron Craft is still available and Jared Sullinger is still a Buckeye, proving good things are happening in Ohio State athletics.

• Interim coach Luke Fickell held his first press conference last Monday. I don’t have cable at the moment, so I can’t accurately or passionately re-count the details, but that’s okay because Michael already did.

• Terrelle Pryor might become a Cleveland Brown. I’m not going to comment here. I think it would be more fun to see what you all think.

• Jantel Lavender, the newest LA Spark, was named OSU Female Athlete of the Year Thursday. Per the release on ohiostatebuckeyes.com, Lavender left Ohio State as the team’s leading all-time scorer with 2,818 points, not to mention breaking a few B1G and NCAA records. We at OHD wish her well on the West Coast and congratulate her on this honor.

• Meanwhile, volleyball player Steven Kehoe, who led the Buckeyes to an NCAA title, was named Male Athlete of the Year. Kehoe is the first men’s volleyball player to earn the honor.

That’s about all for now. I’m certain we will have more for you once we see more shifting in Fickell’s recruiting class, and of course, when August happens. Until then, I think we should all embrace this lack of big, bad, scary Buckeye news and enjoy summer as it’s supposed to be: relaxed and drama-free.

Go Tribe. Go MLS. Go Women’s World Cup. Go every other sport I can’t watch because I don’t have cable and if I did I probably couldn’t access those games/matches anyway.

Hello from the sunshine state! (Or, as they say here in Orlando, hola.) Michael here, another one of your new contributors taking his talents to OHD (he said, shamelessly kowtowing to Jeff’s comment on Margie’s introductory post). I will be helping out with shooty hoops and possibly in additional areas down the road. I’m excited about getting my feet wet here and I hope to provide something worthwhile to our loyal OHD followers.

I graduated from The Ohio State University in 1996 and embarked upon a career in sports journalism and public relations that has taken me to three different states, depositing me in SEC country, where I live an expatriate existence, much like Vico. Yes, I too have to hear the incessant SEC fans’ mantra about how they are the bestest, most wonderful conference EVER! I have had the bizarre fortune of living in South Florida during Ohio State’s national championship game against Miami and in Central Florida during the Buckeyes’ tilt with the Gators.

I am a former sports writer, assistant managing editor and sports editor at the Lantern, and I did some freelance writing for the Columbus Chill. After graduation, I shipped out to Amarillo, Texas, to become director of communications for the Amarillo Rattlers in the fledgling Western Professional Hockey League, which was eventually swallowed by the Central Hockey League. A year later, I got my first taste of the fickle world of sports, when the team laid me off, leading to a year as a sports writer with the Amarillo Globe-News. I returned to hockey in 1998-99, spending one cold season in up-state New York with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League. My dream of working in sports at the major league level was realized in the fall of 1999, when I began a five-year odyssey in the communications department of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Tragically, for me anyway, the impending lockout of 2004 led to the elimination of my position and I’ve been a grunt in the corporate world ever since.

I’d like to thank Vico for welcoming me into the OHD family and I look forward to contributing to the site and devoting my life to worship of The Donnie.

My name is Margie and I will be covering men’s basketball, or, shooty hoops as Vico likes to call it in the Twitterverse. I also manage a blog called Life in the Cheap Seats. It’s nowhere near as prominent as this one so this is far from a sales pitch. However, I know that a few of my readers also read OHD, so if you were wondering if this was the same Margie, you guessed right.

I am a 2010 graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism. During my time at OSU, I was a sports writer for The Lantern. My beats were swimming and diving, synchronized swimming, rowing, gymnastics and the football recruit class of 2009. Though the sports I focused on aren’t the most popular Buckeye teams, they are just as important to the University as the big-money squads. I felt every student-athlete deserved representation, and working with them made me a better writer overall.

Because I spent my senior year focusing more on my social life than my professional career, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree. I felt this extra “push” was appropriate to help me figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Now, I am a quarter the way through a graduate PR program at Kent State, and I still haven’t figured it out. All I know is that I love what I’m doing and any extra chance to keep writing is an opportunity worth taking.

I thank Vico for allowing me to use my talents, and I hope you all enjoy what I have to contribute. I appreciate any and all comments because they tell me how you feel and also enhance the blog itself.

Have a wonderful day and Go Bucks!

I graduated from Ohio State in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy.  During my time at OSU, I was in the marching band for two years and the athletic band for four years.  In addition to be a great time, being in the band allowed me to get an up-close view of OSU football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, and women’s volleyball.  I had been a Buckeye fan for a long time, which is sort of strange since I grew up in South Carolina, and my time in the band only intensified my passion for OSU sports.

I am currently a grad student at Michigan State; nothing like moving to the dark, dreary wasteland of Michigan to pursue a PhD in Astronomy.  Fortunately satellite tv with the sports pack, the Big Ten Network, and the internet have allowed me to continue to follow the Buckeyes despite being deep in enemy territory.  To keep up my sports obsession, this year I also became a high school basketball referee, which I hope will give me some unique insight that will help my basketball coverage.

I want to thank Vico for giving me a chance to be part of this blog and hope that my contributions will be enjoyable and informative for the readers.

I intend to make myself very busy in the forthcoming months and 2011 will be a chaotic year for me to say the least.  Professionally, I’m doing several things that will consume the lion’s share of my time and I am seriously flirting with the idea of testing the job market to see if I can’t get the requisite raise and, for my concerns, a change of scenery.  As such, I’m looking for some help with the blog.

Basically, I’d like a basketball writer.  You don’t have to call it the shooty hoops like I do, but I’d ideally like some help covering it.  I do have the Big Ten Network — thank God.  But, I do have a forthcoming vacay, where I would not have the Big Ten Network.   I’d be missing a few games.  Further, I would just like some help, period.  After doing this for about three years, it can become taxing.  I’d like to spend more time working and less time having to worry about keeping posts on the blog.

So, if you’re interested in covering the shooty hoops, let me know.  I’m receptive to having more than one contributor, as I already have one person who is interested.  I would love, love, love to have coverage of women’s basketball¹ and men’s baseball.  I have few guidelines regarding content for the blog, which I can discuss.   Contact me if you’re interested.

I don’t know the appeal of being on this blog, but apparently people read it.  I think they come for The Donnie, but stay for the YouTubes.  Whatever the case, this blog is like a mom & pop shop.  It may take a while to get what you want, may be a little difficult to navigate and is more costly overall, but ideally you just like the people running it.   I could always use cheap labor.

Now, on to the conference selections:

Ohio State’s outright conference champion team of 2009 yielded only few all-conference honors.  Kurt Coleman was a first teamer for the coaches and the media.  Justin Boren made an appearance on the media’s first team offense.  Brandon Saine, Cam Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson made second team.  This year’s conference champion Buckeyes were given more props.

The first thing that stands out, at least to me, is the recognition of the offensive line.  Maligned in 2008 and a source of frustration entering 2009, the play of the line in 2010 has been stellar.  Wisconsin might have played as a better overall unit, but there was a lot to like in our front five.  They were rewarded accordingly.  Mike Adams had the breakout campaign as a junior we were all wanting.  One game in particular — Penn State — saw him manhandle his blocks en route to Dan Herron’s 190 yards. The Buckeyes became a bit of a lefthanded team running the ball.  Adams, combined with Justin Boren and Michael Brewster — both media first teamers and coaches’ second teamers — to make Dan Herron, a somewhat late entry into the conference accolades picture, a first team All-Big Ten running back on the coaches team.

One Buckeye in particular was an obvious choice for first team: Dane Sanzenbacher. Our sure-handed receiver got the coaches’ nod for first team in a tie with Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Tandon Doss and was on the media’s first team with Nerdwestern’s Jeremy Ebert.

The Buckeyes showed on defense too.  The strength of the Big Ten, in my opinion, is in the defensive lines.  Cameron Heyward did not have the kind of season to get defensive player of the year honors.  That debate was between Ryan Kerrigan and JJ Watt, who both play the same position.  The senior captain instead finished first team in both the media, coaches selections.  Our two senior linebackers, Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, also were mentioned.   Rolle was first team in both selections while Homan was bumped to first team in only the coaches’ roster.  Chimdi Chekwa, who had that stellar performance against Miami, was first team for both the coaches and media.   Jermale Hines was first team for the coaches, second team for the media.

Other Observations:

• Devin Barclay was a second team media selection.
• Terrelle Pryor was honorable mention, as was DeVier Posey and John Simon.  Quarterback is a fickle position for these awards. You can have only one, as opposed to three linebackers and four defensive lineman.   Pryor appeared to be behind Dan Persa, Denard Robinson, and Scott Tolzien.
• Ryan Kerrigan won defensive player of the year.  Congratulations, and I’ll be glad to never see him again.
• I found this interesting: Denard Robinson was the offensive player of the year in a coaches-media vote.  However, he was a first team media selection at quarterback while consigned to honorable mention for the coaches.  I would have gone with Dan Persa for offensive player of the year, though I’m not terribly interested in arguing it or defending it.  The discrepancy suggests a greater fascination with him in the media than among the coaches who actually see him play.  That is, he’s better out of conference than he is in it.  Meaning: Michigan once again struggled in conference while its offense was tearing through their non-conference foes that were meek by comparison.  Again, I actually like and respect Denard Robinson.  He is a good story and all-around good guy.  Yet, the discrepancy begs for further explanation.
• Mark Dantonio is your coach of the year, and he deserved it.  This may not sit well with Bret Bielema, who is a living legend, but it’s deserved.  Importantly, it’s another year where Jim Tressel doesn’t win the award.  Good.  Good.  At this rate, with all he’s accomplished, I hope he never wins it because it would be just too amusing.

1. I’m serious about it, but you probably already know that.

Meanwhile, here are some things going on around the college football universe.

Computers Select Ohio State Over Alabama in BCS Title Game

These always fall into the “take it for what it’s worth” category, but computer simulations using EA Sports’ NCAA Football 11 have Ohio State finishing the 2010 season the undefeated national champions of college football.

This would clearly be awesome.  Winning the national championship directly at Alabama’s expense would be the very zenith of awesomeness to which nothing could possibly be more awesome-r.  The sacred cow of the SEC, Alabama would bear the scar of “first SEC team to lose to Ohio State in a bowl game” for the rest of the program’s existence.  It’d be a doozy of a scar, and may take longer to heal than the sanctions the program endured as a result of the Dubose years at the turn of the century.  Further, I think such a result would catapult me to being the biggest menace to society in the state of Alabama, likely in the entire history of this wretched state.  My unrelenting gloating about this hypothetical result will eventually be my downfall.  After being chased to the outskirts of town by local shaking their fists and pitchforks to the tune of banjo getaway music, I will likely be captured and subsequently be given the ultimate penalty the state can muster: to be stuffed in a barrel and tossed down the river.  I will die in that barrel floating down the Black Warrior River, but it will be sooooo worth it.

EA Sports points to its track record with the Stanley Cup Finals and World Cup, successfully predicting Chicago Blackhawks and Spain victories respectively.  Of course, these are computer simulations that we as Buckeye fans desperately hope will be borne out in reality.  The 2010 season sees a talented Buckeye team trotting across a veritable minefield.  Bearing out those results requires the diligent preparation through these following weeks in the summer and faithful execution in the fall.  “Execution” is to be taken literally too.  I want the college football landscape to suffer.  It’s not that I want to rain on the parade of the rest of college football, I want to rain sulfur on the parade of the rest of college football.

Other interesting things worth noting:

• EA Sports has Ohio winning the MAC.  Ohio represent, I ‘spose.
• Boise State will apparently go undefeated, again, and not win a national championship, again.  I am fine with this.  I have nothing against the city of Boise, the largest enclave of my ethnic kin outside of Buenos Aires.  Rather, I do have an issue hearing that some former community college is the future of college football while I watch them play Hawaii and Idaho… in your standard nouveau-Nike mess… on a gimmicky blue turf… on a Thursday.
• By saying that Navy will win the “Independents” at 8-4, EA Sports is saying the Middies will finish with a better record than Notre Dame.
• Sanctioned USC will go 11-1 and win the Pac 10.  And (if it happens) it won’t do them a lick of good.
• The last Big 12 title game will not be between Nebraska and the Old Firm of Texas and Oklahoma, rather between Texas A&M and Missouri.  Texas A&M will win that game, says EA Sports.  This would be a welcome change; the last title game to not include the Old Firm was 1998 (Texas A&M over Kansas State).  Nevertheless, it is a result like this that affirms multiple simulations are more desirable.

Bob Stoops: Internet Troll?

On the Big 12 note, there was apparently this interesting exchange between ESPN Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg and Bob Stoops, the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

It starts in a Big Ten chat, where Rittenberg was broached by a fan about life after Tressel.  Perish the thought, but Rittenberg talked about the appeal of the Buckeye program and how it is, obviously, a destination job.  In the course of that answer, Rittenberg mentioned that the appeal of this job should be apparent to prospective hires outside the Buckeye state, including expatriates Bo Pelini (alumnus), Urban Meyer (alumnus (Masters)) and Bob Stoops (no connection, but from Youngstown).  The exact response is blockquoted below.

J-mac, while I think both Fickell and Hazell have great potential as head coaches, Ohio State is too good of a job not to open up to the outside. So many elite college coaches hail from Ohio, and you’d be surprised at some of the names that would be interested when Tressel moves on. Pelini is certainly one who might be talked about, along with Bob Stoops and maybe even Urban Meyer.

It seems a generic enough response, right?  Even if Rittenberg may be overselling the level of interest for people like Meyer² and Stoops³, the essential message that Ohio State is one of the destination jobs in college football remains in tact.

It doesn’t end there.  A “Bob Stoops” of Norman, Oklahoma chimes in later in the chat in response to Rittenberg’s comments.

Adam, simply stated, a move from OU to OSU is a lateral move at best.

Rittenberg responds with the internet chat equivalent of the double leg takedown.

Bob, I’d invite you to take a look at Ohio State’s athletic budget. Your opinion probably will change. Also, at Ohio State, unlike Oklahoma, you can actually make moves independent of what your archrival does. It was comical to me how Oklahoma was willing to follow Texas no matter what, as if it couldn’t survive without UT. Imagine Ohio State doing that.

Of course, anyone can go on the internet under a pseudonym.  See: yours truly.  Further, you can look across most college football blogs and come across comments that are submitted under the pseudonym of a college football head coach, done for comedic effect under appropriate circumstances.  What makes this all the better is that ESPN’s Big 12 blogger David Ubben is saying that was actually the real Bob Stoops who posted that comment.

To be clear: I’m not at all interested in debating which program is more prestigious or what would be the better destination job.  They’re both fine choices for our purposes.  The real topic of interest here is not that question, but rather questions of what Bob Stoops was doing monitoring that chat and what was he hoping to accomplish (if that was indeed him)?  The answer is probably something pretty uncontroversial.  Aside from tracking his recruits, keeping tabs on current players during the summer and preparing for the upcoming season, Stoops is probably stuck in front of a computer with some regularity.  Just as you or I.  And, just like you or I, there is nary a way to better procrastinate than read and discuss college football during work hours.

Whatever the answer is, even throwing his name in that conversation makes him come off as just a bit of a troll.  I know he’s not leaving Norman anytime soon, but I don’t think he accomplished anything with that comment.  It just seems strange, and out of place for someone like Stoops.  I’d expect that from Pete Carroll; I’d expect a severed horse head in someone’s bed if Jim Harbaugh was involved.  I would never have thought to see Stoops’ name here.  Bob Stoops can make it better by getting in a flamewar with Adam Rittenberg.  There are funnier things out there, but an official state of beef being declared between a college football coach and a nondescript ESPN blogger from an entirely separate conference would qualify as one of the funnier things conceivable for me.

Elsewhere

• Michigan Stadium’s seating capacity is now over 109,000.  Meaning: now over 3,500 more people can go there and watch Michigan football suck out loud.
• Another One Bites The Dust… just months before the season begins.  Bobby Johnson resigns, or retires, or whatever, from Vanderbilt.  I wonder if Bradley Roby is feeling better about his decision now.
• The suspect in the Jamel Turner shooting and homicide of female friend turned himself in.  Unfortunately, a volatile situation in arraignment (where victim and plaintiff families are present) resulted in an altercation.
• Cardale Jones and Shane Wynn are saying they’re a combo deal now.  This would otherwise be unproblematic for Tarblooders and the Buckeye program, except that Jones does not have an offer while Wynn does.  I’m not quite sure how this one plays out.  Regardless, combined with the fallout from Latwan Anderson last year, I’ve been wondering for sometime that a clog in the Glenville-Columbus pipeline is coming sooner rather than later.

A Drive-Thru for the Road

I know a lot of you have been wondering why I haven’t been uploading games to the YouTube-o-vision with some more regularity.  Truth is, I’ve been busy, a few games I’ve wanted to upload have flaws in my copy (1990 Boston College, 2006 Fiesta Bowl, for example), and I’m trying to figure out how I can use my program (Cinelerra) to make the most of the footage I have.  So, you know, a variety of reasons.  Nevertheless, as I am en route to Ann Arbor over the weekend and will be away from my regular computer for those couple weeks, I’ll present one more for the road.

I decided to go with the 2001 Ohio State-Michigan game.  This is an important game in the history of the rivalry, certainly one that I hope becomes more important in the increasing years.  Simply put: Jim Tressel turned the rivalry on its ear when he got to Columbus in 2001 and we are forever grateful for it.  It started with this game.  The underdog Buckeyes enter Michigan Stadium, a place where they’ve only won twice since the 1975 victory, and deny Michigan not only a share of the Big Ten championship, but the BCS bid as well.

I don’t think I need to recite the circumstances entering the game.  Ohio State was playing for respect, animosity and, perhaps, a better bowl.  Michigan was playing for a conference championship and the Sugar Bowl.  Steve Bellisari, the starting quarterback, was suspended for the game following a DUI, throwing a very green redshirt sophomore Craig Krenzel (of Sterling Heights, Michigan) to the wolves (no pun intended), the best defense in the conference (national top 10) before an unsympathetic homestate crowd.  That was the story leading into the game, but Jonathan Wells and John Navarre emerged as the stories of the game.  The senior tailback from River Ridge, Louisiana gashed Michigan’s vaunted rush defense, led by fullback Jamar Martin who effectively neutralized first team All-American linebacker and conference defensive player of the year Larry Foote.  Meanwhile, John Navarre imploded in the first half of this game.  Unable to move the ball for the lionshare of the game, and unable to maintain possession of it (3 INTs, one fumble lost), Navarre handicapped his team even when Michigan’s defense shut down Ohio State’s Wells-less offense in the second half.

The rivalry has not been the same since.  Should this string of results hold for the next 5 years or longer, this game approaches results like 1968, 1969 (and, indeed, most results from the Ten Year War) in historical significance.  You can watch it below.

1. And, no, I’m likely going to behave and just stick to my work.  My bosses, aware that I’m likely insane and antisocial, just advised me to not get in trouble, having faith in my ability to elude suspicion and capture.  My mom gave me a simpler message, telling me that she wants me to behave.  Mom was here first and is more important, so she wins.  This will be disappointing to my bosses, and my colleague (coincidentally from Michigan), who told me they were going to set their Google RSS feeds to include the terms “Ann Arbor”, “University of Michigan”, “arson spree”, “children’s hospitals”, “retirement homes”, “daycare centers” and “Michigan Stadium” to see what came up.
2. …who may retire a few more times from the program in the talent rich tax haven state before Tressel eventually leaves.
3. …clearly has a good empire in Norman, and is approaching that age where starting over does no good

Buckeye Battle Cry 2010

Maple Street Press has carved out a niche in the sports literature market by catering to fans of specific teams, producing high-quality magazines targeted to hungry, hungry fans in the dog days of summer.  Ohio State fans, among the most belligerent and numerous  fans in all the land, are naturally prime real estate.  The Buckeye Battle Cry yearly magazine was started in 2008 to appeal to that audience, inviting yours truly to contribute a recruitng piece.  Now in its third year, I am happy to say that I am still a part of it.

It is also the first of the series that is edited by Jason Priestas, of Eleven Warriors.  He has run with it, inviting an eclectic array of journalists, bloggers and college football pundits to contribute to Buckeye Battle Cry 2010.

• Primed: The 2010 Ohio State Roster, by Jason Priestas
• Know Thy Enemy: The 2010 Ohio State Schedule, by Patrick Vint
• Extending Best Practices, by Alex Gleitman
• Pryor Emerging, by Brandon Castel
• A Meeting Of The Minds, by Ross Fulton
• Exceeding Expectations, by Matt Markey
• Buckeye Battalion, by Sam Eley
• Protecting Pryor, by Dave Biddle
• Bigger, Better More Often, by Doug Lesmerises
• Back On Top, by Ramzy Nasrallah
• Roadmap To Glendale, by Dave and Drew Thurman
• The Fall Of Michigan, by Tony Gerdeman
• Marquee Talent And Intriguing Potential, by the Staff at OurHonorDefend.com
• Ohio’s Finest, by Alex Gleitman
• Winds Of Change, by Luke Zimmerman
• Graduate School, by Corey Carpenter
• When Chic Harley Got Away, by Todd Wessell
• One Game Short Of Glory, by Joe Beale
• Remembering John Cooper, by Jason Priestas
• Jim Tressel, Future Athletic Director, by the Staff of Eleven Warriors

You can recognize many of the names, and some names that will soon be familiar.  For example, Todd Wessell is Chic Harley’s great nephew.  The periodical is available now for pre-order and should be on newsstands everywhere in the upcoming month.  CONSUME.

Turner Goes Second Overall to Sixers

The NBA is not my thing, far from it, but it is important to note that Evan Turner has rebounded from being undrafted by the Harlem Globetrotters, settling for being taken second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA Draft.  It is a significant milestone for Evan Turner, who started his high school career as second fiddle on a team loaded with talent.  The necessary patience and diligence demonstrated to get offers from places like Ohio State and to thrive in college over the course of a three year stay have reached their logical conclusion: gettin’ that cheddar.  In the end, that’s what’s really important… especially in the NBA.

While Turner is the one ultimately reaping the rewards, this is definitely an accomplishment for everyone involved.  It is a testament to strength and conditioning coach Dave Richardson, whose program prepared Turner (and company) to shine every game, for 40 minutes or more.  It also speaks well to the coaching staff, Thad Matta in particular.  Turner is the sixth Buckeye taken in the first round in the past four years, the most of any college basketball program in the country.  We may want more from Matta and voice frustrations here and there, but such a track record — in the NBA and on the basketball court itself — is an accomplishment that Buckeye fans may have thought would be relegated to their dreams.

Naturally, Evan Turner will throw out the first pitch at the next Phillies game.  Work on that breaking ball, young man.

Evan Turner dressed for the occasion, including the Ohio State cufflinks

Seantrel Henderson’s Recruiting Saga Takes Another Twist

Choosing USC was certainly not for lack of options.

You may remember that Henderson delayed signing his LOI ostensibly over pending sanctions to be leveled at USC.  So, it must be a pretty big shock that he could not see the writing on the wall regarding the NCAA’s jimmy-kick of USC.  That, or he must have only now discovered that his snake oil is just a bad alchemy.  Either way, the Hendersons don’t appear to be pleased.  Seantrel has responded to the issue by no-showing for orientation and telling local media “I don’t want to talk about it.”  USC, on their end, had to fly out the three top guns on the staff — Kiffycakes, Monte Kiffin, and Ed Orgeron (presumably not shirtless) — to the Twin Cities to check on Henderson.  It’s not a good situation for USC, considering they probably expected Henderson to be in the two-deep the moment he stepped foot in LA.

It is important to depress that little bit of the schadenfreude reflex and comments about the aspiring hip-hop career of his dad in order to see what’s going on here.  Kiffykins and company are having to fly out to Minnesota to convince Henderson to report for two reasons.  First, no-showing is a pretty clear indication that Seantrel feels he was fleeced.  He now does not want to be at USC.  Second, and here is where it gets interesting, there is no way in hell that USC will release him from his letter of intent.  This much is clear.  If they were going to do so, they would have already done so.  You may remember a sorta similar situation emerging with Thad Matta and Greg Oden and Mike Conley.  Uncertain of the prospect of future postseason bans on top of what the program self-imposed, Matta made sure to work with the athletic department to give an explicit promise to release Oden and Conley from their LOIs, with no penalty, if the Buckeyes suffered additional penalties.  No such promise was made by Kiffin, except that USC was in the clear regarding the Bush/Mayo investigations.

Henderson’s problem is that he holds none of the cards.  He has options, but this is where it gets tricky for him.  If he assumed he was on the express lane to the NFL, he loses at USC.  I don’t doubt the Trojans will retain some of their “NFL Factory” aura even on probation, but the postseason ban is a killer.  That is lost practice for Henderson that he will not have in order to develop into the NFL franchise left tackle.  If he transfers, he loses.  He may end up at the University of Miami and be fine there.  But, since the ink is dry on his LOI, he will have to sit out a year.  It would be a big road bump on the express lane to the NFL.  If he tries to get an appeal with the NCAA, alleging that he was fleeced, he loses.  The more time he spends playing pro-am basketball (as he is doing), the more time he spends not developing into that future NFL tackle.  In a sense, he loses no matter what he does.

I take nothing for granted with this situation.  Seantrel and his family may sue USC for a penalty-free release, for all I know.  Seantrel’s ultimate dilemma is that he is getting his wish.  He wanted to be a USC Trojan and, come hell or high water, it seems Kiffykins is going to make him get his wish.

First up, judging from listening to the regulars at the bar I frequent, I think people may be making too much of Texas’ squeaker against a hit-and-miss Aggies football team.  The Longhorns are no. 2 in the country (or, at least, the best non-SEC team in the country, per the metrics) and the Aggies are one of the few and proud to lose to Colorado this season.  In fact, they’ve gotten pasted by the haphazard defenses of Oklahoma, Kansas State and Arkansas, but hung 39 on the Longhorns.  Embarassing, yes.  Yet in watching that game, it just seemed more that A&M had the perfect gameplan coming in and killed the Longhorns with expertly executed QB draws for which the Longhorn D wasn’t prepared.  I don’t think they were “exposed” as such, but I guess forking over 39 points doesn’t mean that there’s not some new reasons for worrying.  Further, the defense owes the offense some steaks.  For Ohio State this season, it’s mostly been the other way around.

Has Ron Zook’s Illini team invented a new style of defense? I’ve never seen the Cover Negative 1 executed to perfection.  Man was that awful to watch.  Further, if this quote from Illinois DC Dan Disch isn’t a misprint, then he should probably hand in his badge and gun.

The Nike Pro Combat jerseys for this weekend were mostly just putrid (see: Florida, Miami, Va Tech).  By comparison, ours looked pretty good.

Do you hate the pro-SEC banter from its mouthbreathing Skoal-sucking fanbase as much as I do?  Well, sit back and enjoy them boasting over how two of their 6-5 teams knocked off the ACC divisional champions Georgia Tech and Clemson this weekend.  Watching Georgia’s meek offensive line blow up Georgia Tech’s defense on the ground was stunning.

On that conference note, the Iron Bowl did corroborate what I’ve felt about Mark Ingram for awhile: People overstate his contributions to that team.  That’s not to say Ingram isn’t good; he is.  Still, all that separates him from the freshman Trent Richardson is an additional year in the program, evidenced in better patience and more physical maturity.  The offensive line is the star of that show; Ingram isn’t.  For 3 quarters, the offensive line wasn’t helping and Ingram had no rabbit to pull out of his hat.  Alabama won that game in a fashion that suggests they may very well win the national title (that drive was impressive), but Ingram hurt his Heisman chances by looking like he was running scared in the second half.  The switch to Richardson for, in essence, the rest of the game was a wise move by Saban, one done before Ingram came off looking like he hurt his hand.

Helping his chances? Toby Gerhart.  For the record, I’ve been on his bandwagon since the beginning of last year when my former colleague and I went to the bar and caught their 2008 season opener against Oregon State, watching him attack his running lanes to the tune of 19 carries for 147 yards.  He even lovingly called him the “White Beanie”.  Well, White Beanie mauled Notre Dame up front, even when Notre Dame’s strong safety and linebacker corp were nominally making the right decisions.  He trucked safeties, linebackers, carried the line with him.  Hell, he even threw a TD pass (that was well caught too).  Even knowing Nick Saban’s offensive philosophy, I think he’d swap Ingram for Gerhart in a heartbeat (knowing full well that a coach will always have his player’s back).  Unless Tebow or Ingram do something spectacular in what should be a low-scoring SEC championship game, I feel the Heisman race is a two-horse race between McCoy and Gerhart.  Or, at least, that’s what my vote would look like.  I have Gerhart and McCoy tied for first, then Ingram, Kellen Moore, and Tim Tebow rounding out the visitors to New York.

How about lending your old pal OHD a few bucks, Mr. Millionaire.

Giving me money accomplishes the following:

• It makes you happy.
• It allows me to afford hosting this blog for another year, so I can continue spamming your RSS feeds with long, rambling posts fostered from delusions of self-importance.
• It makes you happy.
• It allows me to hunt for more and more Buckeye games to put on the YouTubes.  You guys like those, right?  Want some more? Well, give me some money.
• It affords me the opportunity to spend my monies on other things, like Pabst Blue Ribbon, books for leisurely reading, more PBR in order to read books and maybe even some food too.

Lastly, and most importantly, it makes you happy.  So give me some money already, as even the world’s loudest band acknowledged.  Form is at the top of your page, to the right.

To incentivize you even further (as if the other reasons were not sufficient), here’s the most random game I have in my collection: the 1980 season opener against Syracuse.  It’s one of my prized possessions in my collection precisely because it’s so obscure.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2_FbU4IKMk

Maybe if you give me some more money, I can dig up some more of these moldy oldies from Buckeye lore.

On point, I’m going to be in Columbus, Ohio for the Penn State game.  Yes, I know the game is being played in Happy Valley, but that’s kind of the point.  I’m gonna be catching up with friends and watching the game with them, knowing that they would otherwise be at the game if it’s in the Horseshoe.  While I have money to trek up to Columbus for a few days, I don’t have enough to shake down a ticket.  That, and the timing is fortuitous.  LSU is going to be in Tuscaloosa, my current town, that same weekend.  I’ve learned from experience: wherever LSU fans are, be somewhere else.

The specifics are up in the air.  Is there an interest from anyone out there in making it a quasi-public type of thing?  That is: a get-together.  I always assume that no one reads this blog and I know for fact that, in person, I’m rather meek and unimpressive.  Whatever the case, if on that Friday (November 6th) you see a guy wandering around Ohio State’s campus nostalgic for day’s past and simpler times, that would be me.

So You’re Telling Me Then Terrelle Pryor Is A Heisman Candidate…

Buckeye fans are upset with Pryor’s overall performance this season.  It’s not as much that he isn’t putting up Nintendo numbers, but more that there’s real fears he’s regressed, not learning from his growing pains and so forth.  He had a very good performance against Minnesota, evidenced in how assertively he played and his aggregate numbers.  We hope to see him continue to get better, starting with New Mexico State this weekend, Penn State the next, Iowa and Michigan to conclude the regular season and against whoever we play in a bowl game.  The manner by which this has been phrased obviously leads to the conclusion that Heisman hopes for Pryor this season were premature, as was his Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award in the preseason.

Then I noticed a tweet, re-tweeted by friend of the program WSAS, on Pryor’s Heisman numbers vis-a-vis another quarterback. Guess who’s who:

• Rushing: 66.6 y/g; 6 TDs | Passing: 63.6% completion; 166 y/g; 8 TDs
• Rushing: 58.9 y/g; 5 TDs | Passing: 55.4% completion; 176 y/g; 12 TDs

The first set of stats belongs to Tim Tebow; the second to Terrelle Pryor.  The clearest distinction is in the passing game, but remember the nature of Florida’s offense this year.  They’re a ball-control offense that relies on short passes (screen-draw options especially) because they don’t have the speed demons they had last year to stretch the field vertically.  Both Tebow and Pryor have had their fair share of boners.  Pryor’s mistakes were huge differences in the losses to USC and Purdue.  Meanwhile, Tim Tebow was a one-man offense for Mississippi State on Saturday.  He accounted for 13 of their 19 total points that game.

I guess the good news for Terrelle is that he’s still a Heisman candidate.

Speaking of Which…

I feel for Adam Rittenberg as I think we might be kindred spirits.  We’re both Californians and adopted Midwesterners.  While I have an allegiance to a university; he lovingly covers the conference much maligned for my university’s pitfalls in big games.  It’s probably a burden for him; I at least know it’s difficult for me.

Getting on track, Rittenberg decided that it was high time the Great White Hope of college football got called out, noting the difference in behavior between Tebow and Pryor this season.

“[The Purdue loss and fallout] opened me up to the world and opened me up to myself and who I am as a person, and us as a team,” Pryor said. “Maybe that was the best thing that happened to us. Maybe we’ll learn from it.”

(I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that Pryor didn’t shy away from the media like Tim Tebow did after a poor performance Saturday in a win (!) over Mississippi State. Pryor has received much more criticism in a year and a half than Tebow has in three-and-a-half seasons, but Pryor never dodged reporters after a game, no matter how poorly he played.)

I enjoy Adam’s coverage of Big Ten football.  It’s why I’ll miss him greatly after he’s stoned to death for his heresy.

Award Winners for the Minnesota Game

Here.

Thaddeus Gibson, with a career-best three sacks, is the defensive player of the week. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who rushed for 104 yards and passed for 239, is the offensive player of the week. Etienne Sabino, with two key tackles, is the player of the week on the special units.

Jim Cordle was named as the Jim Parker lineman of the week. Doug Worthington received the Attack Force award on defense. The Jack Tatum big hit of the week has not been decided.

Players of the week on the scout teams: Ricky Crawford (offense); Nate Ebner (defense); K.C. Christian (special units).

Thaddeus Gibson also shares Big Ten defensive player of the week honors with Adrian Clayborn, that monster of a defensive end for Iowa.

That said, with the season we get the return of my two favorite personalities: Lou Holtz and Lee Corso.  Never underappreciate watching two old guys enjoying doing something that they clearly love doing, especially when one — if not both — is clearly insane.  Further, I think we all look forward to seeing what a 6’6 240lb weapon of mass destruction with a 4.33 40 can do under center.  May our offensive line be worthy of him.  They were not worthy of the last nightmare-ish skillplayer we had.

Getting on point, I thought I’d use the month-away thing as a cover to announce my upcoming YouTube schedule.  Remember: last year I, more or less, uploaded a Drive-Thru compilation relevant to the foe at hand.  I think the only one that I was not able to do was Michigan State.  At the time, I had no games involving Michigan State.  Now I do.  Alas, Sparty isn’t on the register for 2009.  This time around, I have YouTubes lined up for all but two opponents: USC and New Mexico State.  With respect to New Mexico State, 2009 will be the first meeting between the two.  Regarding USC: we seldom beat those clowns.  I already uploaded the one available victory over them to be had on DVD.  As far as I know, there’s no usable copy of the 1974 Rose Bowl.  If you have a presentation quality DVD of that game², please, please let me know.

Alas, here’s what I have in store.  I’d like to limit myself to one a week.  So, if there are more than one game available, let me know if you have a preference… and, no, I’m not uploading the 2005 Michigan game.  That’s too easy.

• Navy: 1981 Liberty Bowl.  This game is one my prized possessions.  It was Art Schlichter’s finale, but a disappointing one at that.  He was not his best in this game and was frustrated by the Middies en route to a close victory.  It was sadly the start for more disappointments regarding someone who I still consider the most talented Buckeye QB in the program’s history.³ This game is also interesting for a variety of reasons.  There were some big plays on special teams, made possible by Buckeye hero Fred Pagac Sr.  He was a GA at the time, but was responsible for coaching the special teams.  Therein, he gave a preview of the defenses to come when he took over as coordinator in 1996.  Further, not many Buckeye fans my age remember that this game preceded the “New Years Eve Massacre” in Columbus.  The 1981 Liberty Bowl, played on December 30th that year, capped off such a disappointing effort that Earle Bruce axed his defensive coordinator, his defensive line coach and his secondary coach.  The secondary coach firing was curious.  He was a young and upcomer who came from West Virginia to fill the vacancy left by Pete Carroll (yes, that Pete Carroll) when he left Ohio State after the 1979 season.  When he was fired on December 31, 1981, he was replaced by the aforementioned Fred Pagac Sr.  His name: Nick Saban⁴.  Yes, that’s right Nick Saban: Earle Bruce fired you for sucking on the job.  Anywho, I have a feeling Joe Fox at 11W and I are probably going to do respective write-ups on this game since he’s their resident historian and I’m interested in this game.
• Toledo: Toledo @ Ohio State 1998.  I don’t have much to add on this, other than it’s a rare game involving the Toledo Rockets that I actually have.  That, and we blanked them 49-0.  It was our first meeting with them (and to date: only) and it should be fun.  I thought about uploading Michigan’s encounter with the Rockets last year, but, nah, too easy.
• Illinois: Illinois @ Ohio State 2005.  I like to shy away from the recent stuff, but the 2007 result leaves a sour taste in my mouth… and I want blood.  Lots of it.  I have the 2000 game, but enh… this one is going up.
• Wisconsin: Ohio State @ Wisconsin 2002.  This, to my knowledge, is the oldest game available involving the Badgers and the Buckeyes where the Buckeyes won.  Badger upsets of the Buckeyes in the Bruce era are out there, but they’re not for me.  This game is one of my favourites in Buckeye lore since, at the time, I thought of Camp Randall as hell on earth.  The Buckeyes being able to go into Camp Randall and secure that victory let me know the Buckeyes were probably on to something that year.  I’m thankful to John F. for finally giving me a copy of the game.
• Purdue: Purdue @ Ohio State 1985, Purdue @ Ohio State 2003.  The 1985 game was more lopsided and had more fireworks, but the 2003 game had Ben Jones being the hero of the day⁵.  If you have a preference here, speak up.  Unless I can somehow get my hands on the 1968 game between these two teams, one of those two is going up.  Besides, I already uploaded the 2002 game.  I’m still looking for the 1999 game.
• Minnesota: Ohio State @ Minnesota 1989.  Yep, one of the biggest come-from-behind victories in college football history is in my possession.  This game is a classic.
• Penn State: Ohio State @ Penn State 1976, Penn State @ Ohio State 1996, Penn State @ Ohio State 2000, Penn State @ Ohio State 2002, Penn State @ Ohio State 2003.  I’m torn on which one to upload.  The vindictive monster in me wants to upload the 2000 game⁶ because that game was an ass-kicking.  However, the 1976 game is important because it was the first of a then 60 year old (non-continuous) series to be played in Happy Valley.  1912 was the first meeting, but 1976 was the first game played outside of Columbus.  It was also the Rod Gerald show.  I could just as well upload the 2002 game, but that’s too easy.
• Iowa: Ohio State @ Iowa 1990.  I already uploaded the famous 1985 game, where we derailed the Hawkeyes national title aspirations and Chuck Long’s Heisman hopes.  Iowa had no one in the Heisman race in 1990, but they were the best one-loss team in the country when we punked them in their house.  I don’t have — but could easily get — the 2000 game between these two, but I’m not inclined to do so.  I also don’t have any of the meetings from 1995 to 1999.  That said, I think someone contacted me awhile ago with an offer for the 1977 game between these two.  I know nothing about that game, but the fact that it’s out there, and involves Ron Springs, makes me really interested.
• Michigan: Take your pick.  I have too many options here.  I will upload the 1974 game and give a lengthy write-up on it.  It’s a classic in the century-long Ohio State-Michigan enmity, and this will be the 35 year anniversary of it.  I’m also considering uploading another game too.  I have the 1982, 1987 and 1998 games.  I also have 2005, but that’s too easy.  The aforementioned friend of the program, John F., also told me that there’s a copy of the 1979 game out there.  Having that game in my hands would make it one of my prized possessions.

1. …rather than recognizing it for what it is: a good run that comes after rather grim years from 1998 to 2005.  The way it gets discussed by talking heads, and by the locals, takes on a rather ugly, primordialist bent that’s setting discourse in this country back to the 19th century.
2. …and by presentation quality, I mean one that’s not silent game film for all of the first half, since that’s all I have seen so far.
3. Please prove me wrong Terrelle Pryor.
4. A friend of mine who currently works for him in an unspecified role (for his or her privacy), speaking under condition of anonymity, described him as “an angry little smurf who obsesses about winning.  I love that quote.
5. …inside joke, let’s see if my college friends reading this can remember.
6. I won’t upload the Taliaferro injury, though.