An Easter basket full of Ohio State and college sports news and notes, as we await one of the sacred holidays of the year. That’s right- “Easter Chocolate On Clearance Monday”.
Buckeye 411
- And now… what? With all the speculation about Sully and Tank’s departure, you might have missed that the Buckeyes may also have several hoopsters who are looking to transfer. Jeff Rapp looks at the possibilities surrounding Jordan Sibert and J.D. Weatherspoon.
- Spring Has Sprung- Tuesday marked the Buckeye Spring Kickoff (video here), an auction and information session from Coach Meyer and the football staff. Several interesting tidbits today, including-
- Captain, My Captain- Following the “Captain of the week” experiment, Coach Meyer said today that the voting would happen in the fall with him having veto power over the final decisions. This was followed by his remarking to John Simon “You’ll be a captain”. Let the man-crush continue.
- First Among Equals- According to Coach Meyer, after Coach Marrioti the most important hire of the off season has been Coach Warinner, since the O Line is the lynch pin of everything that Ohio State hopes to do on offense. And, on Tuesday night we heard whispers that Coach Warinner might just have a new member of the 2013 to prepare for.
- The Guy Behind The Guy Behind The Guy- Tim Hinton was introduced today as the staff’s recruiting coordinator. No pressure, I’m sure. Speaking of recruiting Coach Meyer called Coach Vrable one of the best in the country as a part of the event.
- Nothing Easy Is Worth A Damn- Meyer commented today that the staff’s goal is to run the most difficult program in America to ensure that the Buckeyes are the toughest team in the country.
- Video Evidence- In perusing the interwebs for great Ohio State videos, I discovered that Video Coordinator Mark Quisenberry has his own YouTube channel, and has created some impressive clips that highlight not only current members of the team but also chronicle Ohio State’s football legacy. Here’s one to wet your appetite (although I wish he’d included Harley)- seriously, check them out.
Meanwhile, In Kentucky
- Let’s Get This Out Of The Way- Congrats to Big Blue Nation.
- Ok, Now That That’s Out Of The Way– As a UK alumni who actually worked with the athletic program (including hoops), I’ve disassociated myself from the ‘Kats over the past few years. First and foremost, I came to my senses and decided that having a “second team” was beyond ridiculous. Second, I couldn’t find myself supporting a program who hired a coach that seemed, well, at least a bit sketchy. But you know what? My perspective has changed a bit over the past week. Granted, I’m still not a fan, but I’ve come to understand what Cal is about- Kentucky wanted to win a title, and didn’t care how they got there. The NBA has a stupid rule about players needing one year of college, and Calipari offers them the chance to win a title during that one year. In a culture where Earle Bruce can get canned for not beating TTUN enough, this is the end of that logical progression. It also highlights the hypocrisy of the NCAA… There’s no way you can justify the “Scholar-Athlete” model when the highest profile persons with that tag are only around long enough to figure out how to take one semester of “staying eligible”.
- So, Like I Was Sayin’- Congrats Kentucky. The Coach you paid a lot for put together an AAU team that wears the colors that are affiliated with the state institution where you live and they won a championship. Proud.
- In Other News- If you weren’t listening to the Lexington PD’s Police Scanner or following on twitter, then you missed the excitement and joy of celebration in the Bluegrass. Luckily, Deadspin has put together an audio “greatest hits”, and you can also check the pictures at this twitter account. LPD puts the final tally at 50 arrests and 60 fires… someone’s an over-achiever, it seems.
- Fandom, Man… Fandom- “I’d give my right arm for a championship…” Yeah, but would you give one of your feet? If not- Slacker.
- What’s Most Impressive? They were able to do this back-to-back… that takes dedication. Here’s a handy guide, should this behavior continue.
- And This Means- East Lansing PD, you’re now on notice… I can’t imagine Spartan fans are going to be too excited about being bested in this year’s “Riot-olympics”.
Other NCAA News
- Speaking of Sparty- The MSU hoops team was in the news for all the wrong reasons on Tuesday, as Derrick Nix was arrested on possible marijuana charges. My take? He was just emulating the professionals thereabouts.
- Helmets Are Good- Glad to hear that Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino is OK following his motorcycle accident, although the cause of it is something to behold:
- That’s A Paddlin’- The NCAA gave impermissible benefits to the families of college hoops players from Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, and Louisville this weekend; allowing these institutions to pay for the families’ lodging in the Big Easy. I guess it’s not all that inconsistent, since they’ve already set a precedent that parents who seek benefits are OK.
- Playoffs? Please, oh powerful Easter Bunny, let it be true that these are soon to be a reality for the college football crowd.
“The momentum seems to be — and I’m just reading the tea leaves, pretty much like you — the momentum seems to be toward an eight-team playoff,” (NCAA President Mark Emmert) said. “We’ll have to see how it works. I don’t know whether it will really occur or not. I think there’s a reasonable possibility it could.”
- If So- The gang over at CBS have even more suggestions, including answers to the “big questions” that are out there. One major change that might happen sooner rather than later- giving conferences control over Bowl Games; surely in response to some of the recent scandals involving Bowl finances.
- Although- For all the complaining about the BCS “Rematch”, there were more rematches in the Men’s and Women’s Final Fours than there were first time contests.
And Finally
Here’s hoping that Easter Morning allows you to find what you were looking for:
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