Birthdays, Buckeye Basketball, and Troy Smith

First off, a couple of happy b-days need to be recognized. My good buddy Dave Clark turned 30 yesterday (gees that means BDS' big 30 is within striking distance) and cousin AJ finds himself at 28.
So with that out of the way, I've got a few little random notes to divulge as we creep towards the new year.

The Florida/OSU basketball game
I was pretty shocked with the way OSU played on the hardwood on Saturday. I can honestly say that Ohio State played with very little emotion, and I think that is the first time I can say that about a Thad Matta coached OSU Basketball team. In the past his teams might not have been extremely sharp or might not have always played well together, but you could never accuse them of playing without passion.
I saw lazy defense (Daequan Cook primarily) and many more open shots than a Thad Matta team gives up. Toss in those two factors with a very sloppy game on the # 4 team in the nation's court and you've got the recipe for 30 point drubbing.
What good can come from this win? Well, when you've got that many young kids playing, this can be a good learning experience for them. Hopefully this gives the young kids (Conley, Oden, Cook, Lighty) some fire and passion for the Big Ten season and gives the Buckeye veterans (Lewis and Butler) the desire to become team leaders. In college basketball, you need that player or two that looks for the ball and looks to score/make the big play at critical points in the game, and I saw none of that from Ron Lewis and Jamar Butler on Saturday. And who better to want as leaders of team than a SG/SF and a PG/SG? Those are two guys who can handle the rock, penetrate, and either finish at the rim or kick out for an open look. The ingredients are there for Matta to be successful, now it is up to him to make them gel and play as a team.

Next up for the Buckeye hoopsters is Coppin State at the Schott on Saturday, and I've got a feeling that the Bucks will be there to play, and if the spread is 27 or under I'd take the Bucks. On Saturday, Coppin State played at #10 Alabama and got beat 99-49. Tonight, Coppin State traveled to UConn and lost 84-41. Playing #10 Alabama, #12 UConn, and #8 Ohio State-all on the road-is quite a three-game stretch for anyone. So much for happy holidays, huh?

Steroids in Baseball
I saw on the ESPN today that what were once "anonymous" testing results from 2003 are know going to probably be public knowledge in the coming days. There were a reportedly 100 MLB players that were anonymously tested, and now this list is to be made public knowledge?
I do think this will be very intersting and there will be some big names on it (hope you enjoyed the ride, Miggy Tejada), but I was wondering what the legal ramifications of this could be? (Can there be any since this is a gov't led decision/investigation?)

If a player such as an Albert Pujols took a steroids test under the condition of anonymity, and then 4 years later that the results are to become public knowledge, wouldn't you be concerned? What happens when the trickle down effect occurs, when a player such as an Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez doesn't get an endorsement contract or has their contracts terminated due to the outcome of what was once an "anonymous steroid" testing? I think there could be some serious legal ramifications coming, and I really doubt we ever see these names published because of the prospective damage it could do to the game of baseball.
And by the way, I was only using Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez's names as examples and was in no way accusing them of ever using steroids.

Troy or Buster?
I've been watching the Florida State/UCLA Emerald Bowl tonight. Geesus, these could be the world's worst announcers. Dan Fouts is fair (at best) as a color guy. He's been the play-by-play man tonight, along with Tim Brandt, and since the 2nd quarter I put the TV on mute and have had the MP3 player going. It's much better. This also makes me think that something had to happen to whoever the pbp guy was supposed to be.

Anyhoo, this game made me realize how much we, as Buckeye fans, should appreciate Buster Davis' decision that he made nearly 5 years ago. In '02, Buster Davis (a very good ILB for Florida State) was offered the last scholarship of that class. Davis, who is a stocky run stuffer/pass rusher at 5' 11", 240 pounds, turned down that last scholarship in favor of the Seminoles. The scholarship that opened up was then offered to Troy Smith, and I think we all know how that worked out.
So from everybody here in the heart of Buckeyeland, thank you Buster Davis for turning down the Buckeyes, and allowing number 10 to give Michigan fans nightmares for 3 years in a row.

That's really all I've got on a slow Wednesday night in late December. I'll try and post before all of the bowls on Monday (New Year's Day), so hopefully we'll talk to you then.
Happy New Year!!!!

Merry Christmas Bucks Fans

This post is primarily a response to a few of the comments that were made after my last post that briefly touched on the National Championship game in which our Buckeyes will play the Florida Gators.

For the fella that wanted to know how many days it's been since Michigan last beat Ohio State....I've got it at 1,123 days since Michigan last beat Ohio State (and I did incorporate an extra day in there because I believe that 2004 was a leap year). The last UM victory came on Saturday, November 22nd, 2003 at Michigan Stadium. Braylon Edwards had 130 yards receiving and two receiving TDs, and Chris Perry ran wild on the Bucks for 154 yards and 2 rushing TDs.

Before I get into a long and winded blog, I'd like for everyone to know why I'm responding to a post. You can read the comments at the bottom of the Back Again post or just click on this link, but consider yourself forewarned as it is a pretty long comment....but it is well put together and Mr. Ferguson has some solid points.
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=33987512&postID=116604233707836591

A different era
I'm at a loss on where to start on this one. I'll kick it off by saying I've never had anything against the SEC conference. I know that the SEC has dominated the Big Ten in bowl games, as the SEC's record is 34-23 against the Big Ten in bowl games. Ohio State is 0-7 in bowl games against the SEC, and the most recent Buckeye loss was to South Carolina in the 2002 Outback Bowl.
All of those losses were from 1978 to 2002, and the Big Ten played a different brand of football than the SEC then. The team that Coach Tressel has assembled is far different than that of what Earle Bruce and John Cooper put together. In fact, this OSU team resembles a SEC team, and you could even say that Michigan has a SEC flavor to it now as well. The reason for this is that the upper echelon and elite college football programs have become somewhat homogenized in the brand of football that they all play. College football coaches across America have seen the National Championship recipe, and the main ingredient is being heavy on team speed. Ohio State is now considered one of (if not the) fastest teams in college football.

Response to Ferg
First off, I've read JD Arney's OSU blog, and I really haven't been on board with what he has said and his stance on some OSU related issues. It's been about a month since I last visited his site (http://www.aroundtheoval.com), mostly because if I don't care for his views, why should I visit his site? I've taken on some OSU media types in the past (Adam Jardy, then of The Lantern when I was part of OSU Student Radio), and I'm still not afraid to voice my opinions now. So Ferg, don't let all OSU media outlets rub you the wrong way, because there are some Buckeye idiots out there (I guess when you have 300-plus Buckeye experts, you're going to have your handful of morons).

As for you thinking that the "ratings are going to be a flop," well I'm not so sure on that one. Ohio State is one of the biggest ratings draws in America, and I can't see any National Championship game that tOSU plays in being a flop. Call me a homer if you like, but when you've got OSU Alumni clubs in every major city across the U.S. and one of the most entertaining football teams to watch, I that this would be the recipe for a ratings flop.

Another quote from Mr. Ferguson was that OSU "is not ready to keep up with the speed and athleticism of the Florida Gators." Ferg's point is valid on this one, because the Gators are very quick and athletic. I feel that with OSU's speed and depth on offense, mixed in with Tressel's scheming, that OSU will find ways to take advantage of mismatches and confuse the Gator defense. I doubt that Ferg has any idea of how good Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie and Chris Wells actually are.

In response to the OSU schedule not being very strong, well a few of my buddies and I have had this conversation five times over with our one buddy who is a Wisconsin fan. When OSU has to travel to the then number two team, and beat them handily (24-7 win over Texas) on their own turf....that's a pretty big win to me. The Penn State win was kind of ugly, but every Buckeye fan and Columbus resident can tell you how crappy of it day it was here in central Ohio. And this is one thing that Mr. Ferguson failed to mention....and that is the weather being a factor in most Big Ten games. I'm sure he was probably just too busy putting on more suntan lotion on his SEC body to mention that conditions aren't always as pretty in October and November in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan as they are in the southern part of the U.S.

And while I'm at it, all of Ferg's stats are accurate and factual, but many times you have to look beyond the stats to understand things. Ferg had a nice statistical breakdown of the OSU/Texas game and hit on the point that the OSU defense allowed just as many yards as the Texas D allowed. While that might be a great stat for your argument, you've got understand that OSU replaced 9 (NINE of ELEVEN!!) defensive starters for the 2006 season. Since the Texas game was only the second game of the season for the Buckeyes, this means that the starting defensive unit only had played 60 minutes together before their trip to Austin. It should also be mentioned that the James Laurinaitis strip on the goal line (and Donald Washington recovery) might've been the biggest defensive play of the year for the Buckeyes, and it came only 80 minutes into the 2006 season. It's also worth mentioning that the OSU defense has made drastic steps in the maturation process throughout the season.

Also, after reading Ferg's statement of "Kentucky would've given the top 5 (Big Ten teams) a run for their money," I realized that it was now time to take all of his SEC greatness with a grain of salt. I mean, Kentucky? Come on Tubby Smith, this isn't basketball. There is no way that Kentucky would've held it's own against OSU, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Wildcats might've hung with Penn State, but to think that Kentucky could've hung with the big three, well, as Cosmo Kramer would've said, that's cooky talk.

I'll wrap this up with a thank you to Ryan for posting such a thorough and well thought post that gave me motivation to so rabidly defend my beloved alma mater. I want to also state that the ENTIRE Buckeye team is predicated on team speed. The defense, special teams, and of course the offense has phenomenal team speed and I think that some of these SEC fans who didn't really see OSU play that much in 06 has underestimated what OSU can do in all facets of the game. I really think the X factor here will be Coach Tressel and the entire OSU coaching staff. Tress game plans, schemes, and creates mismatches better than any other coach in D-I, and his game plan will confuse the Florida Gators more than they think.

Back Again...

Sorry for not posting over the last couple of weeks, as I'm apparently suffering from serious Buckeye football withdrawal.

Since my last post two weeks ago, our beloved Buckeyes have found out they will have a new opponent in the Fiesta Bowl on January 8th. The Florida Gators will face the Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship game, and they bring a very athletic squad to face the Buckeyes.

Their offense is very gimmicky, which is led by senior QB Chris Leak and freshman QB Tim Tebow. They've got a very speedy WR/RB in freshman Percy Harvin, and with these three players the Gators can run out of different sets and formations while incorporating a tricky playbook.

The Florida defense is very good, with good speed at linebacker and an All-American DB in Reggie Nelson. There has been a lot of hype around this Gator defensive unit, but there was also a lot of hype around the Michigan defense and our Buckeyes only posted 42 points during their November 18th matchup at Ohio Stadium. Many "so-called" experts have been giving the Gator run defense a lot of pub recently, saying it's really something while only allowing 70 rush yards per game. Keep in mind that Michigan was only giving up less than 40 rush yards per game entering the Buckeye game, and OSU only blew them up for 187 yards and 2 TDs on the ground.

I've seen that Buckeyes are favored by 7 and 1/2, but I'm seeing a Buckeye win by 13. Jim Tressel OWNS the desert, and is 3-0 in Fiesta Bowls since the 2003 National Championship game. I'm not going to buy into the post-Heisman jinx hype for Troy Smith, because he and the rest of the senior class have way too much invested in this season to lose focus on what is at stake on Jan. 8th. I expect the O-Line to play their best game to date, as Doug Datish's injured right hand should be 100% by the time the Fiesta Bowl comes around.

Also, at 3:45 on Saturday Ohio State plays Cincinnati in Men's hoops, so make sure you catch that one. A week from Saturday, on December 23rd, the Bucks play at Florida at 4:00 p.m., and this will be our first chance to see Greg Oden against legitimate D-I competition.