tonycastricone.com :: a blog for the Central Ohio sports fan

Matta's gotta be Big Ten Coach of the Year

2010-03-03T07:50:00.002-05:00

OSU's 73-57 win over Illinois last night secured a share of the Big Ten championship and the top seed in the league tournament next weekend. At this point, I think it's fair to start talking about Thad Matta as the Coach of the Year in the Big Ten.

Why?

1. He did it his way. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, in college basketball circles doubted his substitution patterns, or lack thereof, as the bench shrank to minuscule proportions. But Thad recognized the chemistry on the court with his Iron Five and realized if anything was going to rally OSU from a 1-3 start to a trophy ceremony, it would be the Turner-Diebler-Lighty-Buford-Lauderdale combo.

2. Foresight. Matta put the team in Evan Turner's hands. In retrospect, it seems like the obvious thing to do. But moving him from the wing to the point guard slot was a big leap at the time, considering P.J. Hill had plenty of Division I experiencing playing the position and Turner had been exceptionally turnover prone when ball-pressured heading into the season. The result: not only did OSU win a league title it otherwise wouldn't have, but Evan Turner is now a college basketball legend, which he may have never grown into.

3. The Rally. Does anyone realize the extend to which OSU's championship run is absolutely remarkable? The Buckeyes are 13-1 in the Big Ten since solidifying Evan Turner as a healthy member of the team! Starting at 1-3 in the conference, talk of a title was ridiculous. But Thad instilled a true (not coach speak) one-game-at-a-time mentality within his players, which was almost flawless, with the exception of a one-possession loss to then-3rd-ranked Purdue.

4. The conference. This isn't the best Big Ten we've ever seen, but it's the best its been in a while. To make a title run in a year with so many strong teams in the league is quite a feat in and of itself. Nevermind all the obstacles, including the loss of what should be the National Player of the Year, to overcome.

Need to hear NeedToBreathe

2010-02-17T08:17:00.005-05:00

I was just introduced to an awesome Christian band last night named NeedToBreathe. Check em out online at http://www.needtobreathe.net/.

They'll be in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom on March 17.

Diebler to play tonight vs. Purdue

2010-02-17T08:03:00.003-05:00

Ohio State coach Thad Matta said yesterday that guard Jon Diebler will play tonight against 4th-ranked Purdue. Diebler sprained his wrist late Sunday in Ohio State's 72-53 win over Illinois and on Monday was considered questionable for the game.

"He's good," Matta said. "We taped it up (Tuesday), but nothing major. He was mad that it was taped. It was more (for the sake of) just another day's rest."

Single tickets still available
Tonight's game featuring two Top 10 teams at the Schott still has not sold out as of 7:30 this morning.

The university is running a buy one, get one free deal, but that option was sold out on Ticketmaster's website at last check. Individual tickets were still available, however, on ohiostatebuckeyes.com in the 300 level.

On the air
Catch Jay Burson and me for the Thrifty Car Rental Buckeye Warmup Show, starting at 5:27 tonight on 97.1 the Fan in Columbus or streaming online at www.971thefan.com.

Tuesday college hoops notes...

2010-02-16T09:34:00.005-05:00

- With Connecticut's 84-75 road win at No. 3 Villanova last night, that made three huge upsets in the Big East Conference in a matter of about 30 hours. Sunday, No. 2 Syracuse lost at home to Louisville, meaning the Orange's only two losses this year have been home conference games to non-ranked opponents. (The other was Pitt.) Speaking of Pitt, they knocked off 4th-ranked West Virginia Friday night. Sunday's other upset went to Rutgers, which knocked down No. 8 Georgetown. Are the Big East powers overrated, or is this, perhaps the deepest college basketball conference we've ever seen?

- One of the best freshmen in all of college basketball has to be Ohio University's D.J. Cooper. He was named MAC Player of the Week for the second time this year after pouring in 33 points in a double overtime loss to Akron on Sunday. From what I've seen of him, his ability to distribute the ball is even better than his ability to score. The kid is scary good.

- I know the economy's not great, but I continue to be astonished by the lack of support for Ohio State basketball. The 9th-ranked Buckeyes still have tickets available for Wednesday's huge home game with No. 4 Purdue. Ohio State sent a press release yesterday saying they're doing a buy-one-get-one-free deal with tickets to try and fill the place up. Wednesday's game will be the first time the Schott has housed a meeting of Top 10 teams since late 2007 when the top-ranked Bucks battled No. 2 Wisconsin. OSU is 15-0 at home this year.

Dispatch: Diebler banged up

2010-02-16T06:01:00.001-05:00

Bob Baptist wrote in this morning's Columbus Dispatch that Jon Diebler sprained his wrist late in the win over Illinois on Sunday. His status is uncertain for the 9th-ranked Buckeyes' huge game with No. 4 Purdue in Columbus tomorrow night.

The paper reports X-rays were negative.

Diebler had six points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in the first meeting against Purdue this year, a 70-66 comeback victory in West Lafayette.

If he's unable to go, or if he's unable to shoot the ball well because of his injury, this could have a serious effect on Wednesday night's result.

Consider that Evan Turner put the Buckeyes on his previously-fractured back in the 2nd half of the first meeting between the teams this year. Turner scored 23 of his career-high 32 points in the game after the break, and that performance not only served as the moment which turned the Buckeyes' season around, but also the moment that Turner became a legitimate Naismith and Wooden Award candidate.

Purdue, one of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten, will look to lock down Turner as much as possible in Columbus tomorrow night, utilizing one of the league's best defenders in Chris Kramer. If Diebler, who made six three-pointers Sunday against the Illini, is unable to be a threat from the outside, it will allow the Boilermakers to pay that much more attention to Turner when he's got the ball in his hand.

If Diebler's minutes are limited, Jeremie Simmons will have to prove himself on the national stage as a consistant deep threat. David Lighty, who is the definition of "hit-and-miss" from the outside, will have to step up, as well.

Purdue will also have the luxury of playing with Lewis Jackson, the team's starting point guard who missed the first 19 games of the year with an injury. He's been limited in the five games since his return, but was a key contributor to the Boilermakers a year ago.

David Lighty's last six games from three-point range...
at Illinois (3/5)
at Indiana (0/1)
Iowa (0/3)
Penn State (4/6)
Minnesota (0/2)
at Iowa (3/4)

I am the worst blogger... ever.

2010-02-15T07:02:00.003-05:00

For evidence, just check my "Library" in the right hand column. I was all about this bad boy from March through May of 2009, then walked off the job, came crawling back for a hot second in August to promote my eventually-failed project also known as OhioHSfootball.com, only to never be heard from ever again.

Until now.

The problem is: I realize my dedication to this thing will inevitably fade away again. This morning, I'm all about taking the internet by storm and having the whole world glued in to tonycastricone.blogspot.com to read what I had for breakfast or who I have going all the way in my N.I.T. bracket. But I realize that's probably not going to happen, so my goal with this blog is to get ONE PERSON hooked on it.

There has to be SOMEBODY out there who loves college sports, running half marathons, playing guitar, Christianity, and obscure humor. If that's you, congratulations. After years of searching through a swampy cesspool of websites, you just pulled back the cattails and laid your eyes upon your personal holy grail of time-wasters through the workday.

I'll make no apologies for the content being geared decidedly and exclusively in the direction of my favorite topic: me. The good news is, if you're one (of the few people) who really, really thinks I'm extraordinarily awesome, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this web log in between your therapy sessions.

Shady's back. Tell a friend.

Spielman Classic II: Good Food, Good Cause!

2009-08-21T06:58:00.002-04:00

Just weeks away from the second annual Spielman Classic, event organizers have teamed up with title sponsor Buffalo Wild Wings to help raise money for the Stephanie Spielman Breast Cancer Research Fund and the Columbus-area chapter of the Fellowship for Christian Athletes.

From August 23rd to August 30th, anyone who presents this coupon when eating at an area BW3 will have a portion of their purchase donated to the Spielman Classic II. The Classic is 100 percent volunteer-based and all proceeds go to the two benefiting charities.

For a complete preview of this year's SGC, go to http://www.ohiohsfootball.com/2009/spielman.php.

OCC wraps up scheduling problems

2009-08-11T09:14:00.004-04:00

OCC commissioner Dave Cecutti told OhioHSfootball.com today that it appears Pickerington North and Dublin Scioto will meet in week one of the season, and Hilliard Davidson will have to take a bye in week three.

Scioto and Pickerington North were both due home games on August 28th before those dates fell vacant, so Cecutti says it's up to the schools to work out a resolution for where to play the game or how to split the ticket sales. Cecutti said he met with City League Director Mike Rotunda to try and find an opponent for Hilliard Davidson in week three, but it appears they were unable to fill out the Wildcats' schedule.

OCC contingency plan passes

2009-08-07T19:45:00.003-04:00

The Ohio Capital Conference principals and athletic directors have approved their contingency plan for the South-Western City Schools levy failure, OCC commissioner Dave Cecutti told OhioHSfootball.com today.

The contingency plans fills vacancies created on the schedule for OCC schools by Grove City, Westland, Franklin Heights and Central Crossing, all of whom have indefinitely suspended their sports programs.

Cecutti says the non-conference games vacated in weeks one through three still have not been replaced, but says he'll be meeting with City League Director Mike Rotunda this coming Monday to see if any OCC schools could pair up with City League teams looking for non-conference opponents early in the season.

The contingency plan has created the following matchups as non-conference games which will not count in league standings:

Week 4: Hilliard Davidson at Delaware Hayes; Reynoldsburg at Dublin Coffman
Week 5: Hilliard Bradley at Hilliard Darby; Dublin Coffman at Groveport
Week 6: Worthington Kilbourne at Mount Vernon; Lancaster at Hilliard Davidson
Week 7: Upper Arlington at Newark; New Albany at Thomas Worthington
Week 8: Olentangy Orange at Upper Arlington; Worthington Kilbourne at Gahanna Lincoln
Week 9: Thomas Worthington at Watkins Memorial; Hilliard Darby at Pickerington Central
Week 10: Big Walnut at Pickerington North

Stay locked into OhioHSfootball.com for all the latest.

OCC meets today in wake of levy failure

2009-08-07T08:52:00.004-04:00

After Tuesday night's failed levy which indefinitely cut all extra-curricular activities at South-Western City Schools, the Ohio Capital Conference principles and athletic directors will meet today at Hilliard Bradley High School at 1 p.m. to devise a contingency plan for this fall.

With Grove City, Westland, Franklin Heights and Central Crossing dropping all athletic programs, the OCC loses four schools from its 32-team super conference. The immediate objective of today's meetings are to officially fill gaps in the fall sports schedules vacated by the South-Western schools.

Sources have told OhioHSfootball.com that the divisions will remain the same for the fall, but divisional realignment is possible for the upcoming winter and spring. The Capital and Ohio Divisions of the OCC will drop from eight to seven teams. The OCC Central will be a six-team league this fall. The Cardinal Division is unscathed by the levy failure.

We'll have reaction from the meetings as soon as they conclude. Check back often to OhioHSfootball.com for the latest.

Dispatch: CBJ drowning in debt

2009-05-29T06:25:00.002-04:00

There's a big story on the front page of the Dispatch today talking about the Blue Jackets being $80 million in the red the last seven years.

I don't know enough about this story yet to comment, but I'm hosting the Midday Show today with Torg and we'll likely get a guest on to talk about it from noon to 2 pm on 97.1 the Fan.

Basically, from my limited understanding, the team wants to sell the arena to the county (which has repeatedly voted down a purchase) by offering a "sin" tax on beer, liquor and smokes. But if they can't do something to get out of this money mess, they might have to start thinking about the possibility of a move.

Yuck.

Michigan football adds 2010 games

2009-05-29T06:19:00.003-04:00

The Wolverines announced they'll play UMass and Bowling Green as two of their four non-conference opponents in 2010. Their rivalry with Notre Dame is also on the docket for that season. UM still needs a fourth non-conference game to fill out their schedule.

This is speculation, but I can't imagine Michigan had all these vacancies one year down the road. They probably wiggled out of some contracts signed during the Lloyd Carr era and are loading the schedule with W's in an effort to rebuild the program. I know OSU has almost every non-conference slot booked for the next four years, so for Michigan to have nothing but Notre Dame slated for next season... I dunno, just caught me by surprise.

I'll look into it.

Isiah opens in Columbus!

2009-05-14T09:10:00.002-04:00

Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman is reporting on his blog that Ohio State will open the 2009-10 basketball season at home against Isiah Thomas and the FIU Panthers!

This should make for a circus atmosphere at the Schott, as Thomas coaches his first game for the tiny Sun Belt school since being fired by the Knicks.

It'll be the first game of the season, November 9th, as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer series.

Changes coming to Coaches' Poll?

2009-05-14T08:00:00.003-04:00

For some time, we've known the college football coaches poll might be undergoing a few changes. But I never realized how much I hate the coaches poll until AFCA executive director Grant Teaff joined the Big Show on 97.1 the Fan yesterday with Spielman and Hooley.

Teaff was nothing short of rude, pompous and arrogant when talking about the coaches' poll, like it was some vitally important staple that the sports world couldn't live without. He was over-secretive about his information and spoke with an air over significance which is completely and totally absent from the reality of the situation.

"Uh, our process includes how we select the coaches, uhh, the number of coaches we select, uhh, from each conference. I bet you don't even know how we do that!" he said with a sound in his voice as if he were looking down his nose at the interviewers.

Nor do we really care, Mr. Teaff. Your poll is a joke, filled with politics, elbow-rubbing and voters with personal agendas. If the BCS had any clue of what it was doing, it would tell you to take your poll and shove it. For that poll to be worth one-third of the national championship formula is a disgrace. You don't let the models crown the winner of the beauty pageant.

Party like it's 1999...

2009-05-13T06:29:00.003-04:00

...because it is!

As today's Cleveland Plain Dealer points out, tomorrow will be the 2,000th day since Michigan last beat Ohio State in football.

OSU's 42-7 win over the Wolverines last fall marked an unprecedented fifth straight victory for the Buckeyes in the rivalry, but to think it's actually been 2,000 days... just... wow.

Hale storm

2009-05-07T07:11:00.002-04:00

One player worth keeping an eye on this spring is Ohio State closing pitcher Jake Hale.

I'm particularly interested because I called play-by-play of Hale's high school basketball games at tiny Alexander High School in southeast Ohio when I worked for WXTQ Radio in Athens.

Hale, who has already been selected twice in the MLB Draft, came back for his senior year at Ohio State to post one of the best seasons in the Big Ten.

As of yesterday, his ERA was 0.95 through 29 games, with 11 saves and 49 strikeouts to just 13 walks over 38 innings of work.

Hale was recently featured in the Columbus Dispatch.

OSU hoops loses two scholarships

2009-05-07T06:24:00.004-04:00

All my speculation as to what Ohio State might do with its one free scholarship has been put to rest.

They don't have a free scholarship at all.

The NCAA took not one, but two scholarships from Thad Matta for a low academic progress rate, meaning the Bucks will not be able to replace either of the players they lost from this year's team (B.J. Mullens and Anthony Crater). Indiana also loses two scholarships for men's basketball, and Purdue loses one.

The shame of it all is Matta has watched the program's team GPA improve almost a half a letter grade (.44) in his time at OSU, and nine of his 12 players to use all of their eligibility have graduated.

But constant defections to the NBA (Oden, Conley, Cook, Koufus, Mullens) and transfers by players like Crater, Eric Wallace, Brayden Bell, etc. have cost the Buckeyes dearly in the NCAA's rigid formula for academic success.

Good thing walk-on Mark Titus decided to come back for his senior year.

The NCAA needs to re-think how it's handling men's basketball. Any athlete who wants to can screw his school by enrolling for spring quarter classes, then declaring for the NBA, then dropping everything academic and failing to finish out the quarter, a la Kosta Koufos.

The Ohio State football team rates in the 80th to 90th percentile nationally, according to the Dispatch. With an APR of 968, the Buckeyes post one of the best scores in the nation for a program of its stature.

I don't know if it's fair or not, but I almost just expect schools with perennial success at major public institutions to have low APR scores. A private school is different, but if a public school becomes a powerhouse in a major sport, the perception is they are just an assembly line to the pros, hardly taking academics seriously at all.

Congrats to Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes for busting this stereotype.

Clark Kellogg's son headed to OU

2009-05-07T06:06:00.002-04:00

This morning's Dispatch reports Alex Kellogg, a 6'7" local product from DeSales, has informed coaches that he plans to transfer from Providence to Ohio University.

Kellogg played 19 games for the Friars last year as a sophomore after playing 25 games and getting a start as a freshman, but never saw significant playing time.

He would have two years of eligibility left starting with the 2010-2011 season.

http://www.friars.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kellogg_alex00.html

Big day for Columbus sports!

2009-04-18T13:43:00.002-04:00

Today's busy local slate includes...

- Ohio State's spring football jersey scrimmage, which was open to the media. I chose not to attend.. I'll be plenty busy later today. I'll talk with some of my sources and report back what I heard. I'm looking forward to hosting the Spring Game pregame show with Craig Krenzel and the Torg live outside the Horseshoe at 11 am next Saturday.

- The Cleveland Cavs open their playoff run at home against Detroit at 3 pm. They're virtually unbeatable at home... 39-1 at the Q this year when LeBron James plays. The only loss came to the Lakers, who I predict they'll meet for the NBA Finals.

- Huntington Park opens today in downtown Columbus as the Clippers play their first ever game at their beautiful new stadium in the Arena District.

- The Blue Jackets hope to bounce back from a 4-1 loss in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals when they visit Detroit for Game Two of their Stanley Cup playoff series. Columbus must win tonight, because I don't believe they can beat the Red Wings four out of five games, which would be their only hope of winning the series once falling behind 2-0. The Jackets came out the aggressor for the first 10 minutes, then held on for dear life in a scoreless tie through the next 20 minutes as Detroit really took it to 'em.

How desperate is Michigan?

2009-04-17T10:04:00.005-04:00

The last few days, it's been reported that former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus is interested in competing for the starting quarterback job at Michigan.

Several things cross my mind at this thought...

- Is Paulus even an option quarterback? If not, why is Michigan interested in him? Because they're that desperate? They already chased off a great pocket-passing QB in Ryan Mallett because R-Rod was too stubborn to try to work around the talent he had.

- How is it possible that Michigan football was ranked 2nd in the nation playing for a shot at the national title in November 2006, and 2 1/2 years later, they're so bad that they're coming off a 3-9 season and they're letting someone who hasn't thought, felt, known or experienced football for four years have the shot to be their starting quarterback!?

- You can't just step away from a sport for four years and pick up where you left off. Look at another former Michigan quarterback, Drew Henson, who was a bust in both sports he tried. Paulus wouldn't even be that good. He'd have the mental capacity (for this sport) of a true freshman, and we all know that true freshmen just can't carry a football team, especially when they don't have any supporting cast. Pryor's struggles last year were overcome by running Beanie Wells on every single play and a much above average defense. What's Paulus going to rest on at Michigan?

Penn State, Rutgers will meet

2009-04-17T06:11:00.007-04:00

Nice work out of the Penn State Nittany Lions, adding Rutgers to their future schedules in the coming seasons. The first meeting will be Sept. 13, 2014 in Piscataway, before the Knights return the favor to Happy Valley in 2015.

Looking at recent schedules, it seems that Penn State has done an exceptionally embarrassing job at scheduling wins. Oregon State turned out to be better than expected last year, and I'd never fault a program for going out and scheduling Notre Dame, but hopefully PSU's non-league schedule strength will improve in the coming years.

A home and home with Alabama is on the docket for 2010-11. I also read that Penn State had scheduled TCU for 2009, but the Horned Frogs backed out.

2009: Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois
2008: Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, at Syracuse, Temple
2007: Florida International, Notre Dame, Buffalo, at Temple
2006: Akron, at Notre Dame, Youngstown State, Temple

Game 1: Columbus at Detroit

2009-04-16T13:00:00.004-04:00

Tonight will go down as one of the biggest nights in Central Ohio sports history.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will play the role of Rocky against the mighty Detroit Red Wings in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals, and Columbus is now actually a significant enough city to follow a major pro sports team through its postseason run.

Despite the overwhelming civic pride I feel, I imagine it will double for Game Three, when the Jackets host their first playoff game in franchise history.

A couple observations for tonight's huge tone-setter...

- Detroit leads the NHL in power play efficiency, scoring 25.5 percent of the time. The Jackets need to be physical and aggressive, yet careful not to commit too many penalties.

- CBJ winger Freddy Modin will return from injury for tonight's first game. Derrick Brassard was evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic yesterday, but was not cleared for contact on his bum shoulder.

- Jersey matchups are underrated in sports. Tonight it will be Columbus (red, white and blue) against Detroit (red and white). Think 1980, because it feels like the CBJ are that big of an underdog for this series.

- Columbus is making its first ever playoff appearance tonight. Detroit begins its quest for its 12th Stanley Cup.

- 7 pm start time at Joe Louis Arena. I know a lot of people are bummed out the Jackets stumbled their way into the playoffs and fell to the 7th seed, but I'm so glad they did. If they were No. 6, they'd be at Vancouver and our first ever taste of emotionally-invested playoff hockey would be starting at 10:30 instead of 7:00. This series is perfectly consumable.

- Last I heard, tickets were still available at the Joe for Saturday's Game Two. It very well may be worth the three hour drive. (Again, much more doable than the seven hour flight.)

Game time set for Indiana

2009-04-15T11:10:00.001-04:00

Ohio State's football game at Indiana on October 3rd, 2009 will be a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Nothin' like a night game in Bloomington. Pff.

Saw that coming from a mile away

2009-04-15T07:44:00.004-04:00

So far, the Carl Pavano experiment in Cleveland has pretty much been a bust.

Pavano, who did nothing to earn his $40 million contract with the Yankees, actually significantly lowered his ERA to 16.72 yesterday by giving up four earned in six innings.

Cleveland fans are known for their affection for their heroes, but also the relentless pursuit of their goats as they chase them out of town. Exhibit A, Larry Hughes as a Cavalier. The man never met a shot he didn't like, which prompted a popular Northeast Ohio blog called heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com.

No word yet if the same webmaster is working on a baseball version: heycarlpavanopleasestoplobbingsomany****shots.com.

OSU hoops loses an assistant

2009-04-15T07:26:00.003-04:00

Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch reports this morning that OSU assistant coach Archie Miller is leaving the Buckeyes to join his brother Sean Miller's staff at Arizona.

We speculated on this blog last week that it was imminent, but Baptist reports that not only has it happened, but Ohio State has already found a replacement in Akron assistant Jeff Boals.

Archie Miller will continue climbing the coaching ranks, as he comes from a great pedigree. I had the chance to interview Miller after an Ohio State victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay in the Preseason NIT last year. He's a pretty nice guy and a coach with a bright future ahead of him. We wish him continued success and the best of luck at Arizona.

Michigan wraps up spring practice

2009-04-14T06:32:00.005-04:00

We had John Borton of The Wolverine on the Midday Show yesterday on 97.1 the Fan to talk about Michigan's spring football game, which took place over the weekend. A couple highlights from the conversation...

- Michigan had a record crowd at the Big House for its spring scrimmage of around 50,000. That surprised me, because Ohio State has put anywhere from 63,000 to 80,000 when the weather is nice.

- Borton was very impressed with freshman quarterback Tate Forcier, saying: "He was very impressive. What you had was a kid who could hit open receivers, roll out and hit receivers, run the ball in the spread, read option offense. He did a lot of things that weren't seen in Michigan Stadium last fall."

- The Wolverines had a horrible secondary last year, and their defensive line will be incredibly thin for first-year defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, who likes to play an aggressive, swarming style and like to blitz a lot, according to Borton.

I don't see how Michigan can do much better than 6-6 in 2009. Borton said he agreed going into spring ball, but came out of it feeling like with a weak schedule and another projected down year for the conference, an 8- or 9-win season is possible. Look below. Accurately predict for me how Michigan can be significantly better than 6-6, and I'll pay for your trip to the Meinike Car Care Bowl to watch them play.

Sep 5- Western Michigan (W)
Sep 12- Notre Dame (L)
Sep 19- Eastern Michigan (W)
Sep 26- Indiana (W)
Oct 3- at Michigan State (L)
Oct 10- at Iowa (W)
Oct 17- Delaware State (W)
Oct 24- Penn State (L)
Oct 31- at Illinois (L)
Nov 7- Purdue (W)
Nov 14- at Wisconsin (L)
Nov 21- Ohio State (L)

My Sportscenter: April 14

2009-04-14T06:25:00.004-04:00

I really need to do my taxes. But first...

- The Blue Jackets etched the playoff logo in the Nationwide Arena ice yesterday. Columbus opens its first-ever playoff series Thursday night at Detroit.

- The Cavs lock up the best record in the NBA (66-15) with a 117-109 win at Indiana. 37 points for LeBron James.

- Xavier AD Mike Bobinski says he's close to having a new coach in place, and wants to make the hire in the next couple of days.

- Legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas is dead at 73. Thoughts and prayers go out to one of the all-time great men in my industry.

- Another sad passing, as former Arizona State football coach Bruce Snyder died after a battle with cancer. He led the Sun Devils' 11-1 season in 1996, with their lone loss coming to Ohio State in the epic 1997 Rose Bowl. Snyder was 69.

- Around the horn:
* Reds 7, Brewers 6 ... Edinson Volquez gets the win, despite allowing six runs in five innings.
* Royals 4, Indians 2 ... Tribe left a dozen on base, KC is tied for the AL Central lead.
* Clippers 3, Indianapolis 2 ... Jeremy Sowers throws five scoreless innings.

Tune in to the 4/13 Midday Show!

2009-04-13T07:58:00.002-04:00

I'll be along side my Sunday Sports Brunch co-host The Torg for today's Midday Show on 97.1 the Fan.

Lots for us to get to, including...
- Was Kenny Perry's blown lead one of the all-time biggest choke jobs?
- Blue Jackets playoff preview vs. Detroit. We expect to get Red Wings GM Ken Holland on the program...
- A recap of Michigan's spring game over the weekend
- How do you fix the Indians' awful 1-5 start?

Make sure you tune in today from 12-2 pm on 97.1 the Fan.

My Sportscenter: April 13

2009-04-13T07:43:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone had a better Easter weekend than Kenny Perry...

- The 48-over-old PGA vet had a Masters meltdown, pulling a bogey on 17 and 18, blowing a two-stroke lead and allowing Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell to prolong Sunday at Augusta with a two-hole playoff. Cabrera, who had an awful tee shot on the first playoff hole, saved par to survive and eventually won the playoff for his first green jacket and second major championship.

- The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set. Western Conference matchups look like this...
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim
(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary
(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis
(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus

- The Jackets' first-ever playoff series begins Thursday at 7 pm at Joe Louis Arena. Alexandre Picard has been recalled for the postseason.

- The Cavs are one win shy of the best home court record in NBA history. Cleveland is 39-1 at the Q after crushing Boston 107-76, and can tie the 1986-87 Celtics' home mark by winning the home finale against Philadelphia.

- Yesterday's baseball roundup:
* Cleveland 8, Toronto 4 ... leaving the Nationals as MLB's only winless team
* Cincinnati 2, Pittsburgh 0 ... three-hitter for Aaron Harang
* Louisville 5, Columbus 1 ... Kirk Saarloos gave up five earned in six innings, striking out seven
* Ohio State 6, Michigan State 1 ... completing a weekend sweep of the Spartans.

- NFL note: ESPN reports Byron Leftwich to Tampa Bay for two years

Apologies...

2009-04-10T14:50:00.002-04:00

...for the lack of blogging the last couple of days. Just as a heads up, I'll be taking most of this weekend off from the blog to celebrate the Easter weekend with friends and family.

I'll be back in full force Monday as we'll know the Blue Jackets' playoff matchup, how the Reds and Indians handled the first week of the year, and the latest from OSU spring practice.

Today's Big Show

2009-04-10T14:47:00.003-04:00

Tune in today from 4-7 pm on 97.1 the Fan as I fill in for Bruce Hooley on "The Big Show" along side Chris Spielman and Craig Krenzel.

On the docket...

- Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema at 5:05, as we check in on the Badgers' progress through spring practice.

- Ohio State holds its annual kick scrimmage today. We'll look at the Bucks' special teams.

- Blue Jackets at Saint Louis tonight. CBJ voice George Matthews will be with me sometime in the 6:00-hour.

Wilson's recovery 75% complete

2009-04-08T09:52:00.003-04:00

One note coming out of yesterday's spring football practice open to the media at Ohio State...

Buckeye defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson says he is about 75 percent through his rehab from a torn ACL that kept him out most of last season.

"I'm at about five months," Wilson said. "Typically an ACL takes about six to nine months without having minor setbacks. I think give me about a month and a half more and I think it'll be strong."

Wilson, a vital talent along OSU's defensive line, has suffered season-ending injuries in the season-opening games against Youngstown State in both 2007 and 2008.

Calipari to UK could help Bucks

2009-04-08T07:09:00.005-04:00

A follow up from an earlier post...

A story developed overnight which could be exciting for Ohio State basketball, if for no other reason than its potential trickle-down effect.

New Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari has reportedly lured one of his star recruits, DeMarcus Cousins, to Lexington, who originally had committed to play for Calipari at Memphis before he took the UK gig.

Here's where it gets interesting. Cousins is a 6'10" post player. So is Oklahoma City native Daniel Orton, who had signed with Kentucky, but was on the fence as of a couple days ago because of the coaching change.

Now that UK has roped in Cousins, does this mean Orton wants out? He's allowed out, since the coach who recruited him to Lexington no longer coaches there.

Bucknuts.com's Jeff Rapp told me Orton was interested in Ohio State before signing with the Wildcats. Stay tuned...

My Sportscenter: April 8

2009-04-08T05:58:00.002-04:00

Top things you should know before you do anything this morning...

- Taxes are due in a week.

- The Blue Jackets can CLINCH A PLAYOFF BERTH TONIGHT with a point at Chicago. However, they remain only two points ahead of both seventh and eighth place, so a win would go a long way toward helping get the best seed possible.

- Recent NBA Draft declarations: Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, Pitt's DeJuan Blair and Arizona's Chase Budinger.

- Cavs look to avenge an embarrassing loss at Washington last week by getting the Wiz at the Q tonight. Cleveland's got more than twice as many wins at home this year (37-1) as Washington has all season (18-60)

- The Bengals sign gun-totin' defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who had 33 tackles and three sacks the last two years in Dallas.

- Ohio baseball goes under the lights for the first time this spring...
* Mets at Reds, 7:10 pm, Edinson Volquez vs. Mike Pelfrey
* Indians at Rangers, 8:05 pm, Fausto Carmona vs. Vicente Padilla

Another spring practice for OSU

2009-04-07T23:16:00.001-04:00

Fantastic reporting today by Lori Schmidt of 97.1 the Fan, who had these observations for me about OSU spring practice...

- Robert Rose was carted off the field after hurting his left knee. No word on the severity of the injury, but it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.
- Cameron Heyward is one heck of a vocal leader for this defensive line. He was more than willing to get into teammates faces and tell them what they could do better.
- When it comes to the offensive line, Justin Boren is a beast! Meanwhile Andrew Miller could be a very nice surprise.
- Terrelle Pryor shows some signs of improvement, but he was occasionally staring down receivers when I saw him.

Hosting the Big Show Friday

2009-04-07T23:14:00.001-04:00

Tune in to 97.1 the Fan Friday from 4-7 pm, when I'll be filling in for Bruce Hooley, co-hosting along side former Buckeye quarterback Craig Krenzel.

My Sportscenter: April 7

2009-04-07T06:04:00.002-04:00

Here are my top stories this morning...

- Last night was another reminder how great of a game and how much of a classic last year's title game was between Kansas and Memphis. These championship games have been blowouts more often than not recently, with Florida winning by 16 in 2006, Gators by nine in 2007 and UNC by 17 (but feeling like much more) in 2009, drumming Michigan State 89-72. The Tar Heels proved they were a dominant champion this season. Period.

- Xavier's Sean Miller leaves to become the new head coach at Arizona. He gets a seven-year deal with more than $2 million a season.

- Reds struggled to score against 37-degree temperatures and Mets ace Johan Santana, as New York beat Cincinnati 2-1 on Opening Day. Just three hits for the Red Legs.

- Cleveland Indian Cliff Lee's first start post-Cy Young was a rocky one. He gives up seven runs in five frames of a 9-1 to the Rangers.

- The Dispatch reports the Blue Jackets will be without Kristian Huselius (concussion) tomorrow night when they hope to sew up a playoff spot at Chicago.

College hoops notebook

2009-04-06T23:57:00.004-04:00

What a dud of a title game: I was right about North Carolina racing out to an early lead. I just thought it'd be eight, not 18. And in the end, Michigan State's best push was to get it to 13, as the Tar Heels won their fifth national championship 89-72 over the Spartans. Too bad for Tom Izzo, whose team looked like it lost its poise after getting blitzed early and started chucking up bad looks and made a habit of turning the ball over. However, they remain a great representation of the Big Ten, having made it to the title game and beating two top seeds in the process.

Best case scenario for OSU: I wrote a while ago that Ohio State might have some interesting, yet unconventional choices as they shop their one potential scholarship around, if they bother to use it this year at all. Bucknuts.com's Jeff Rapp told me today that one of the top big men in the 2009 recruiting class, Daniel Orton, may not go to Kentucky now that a new coach has taken over the gig, and he's free to break away from his commitment to the Wildcats. Rapper told me Orton was interested in OSU before choosing UK.

Title game prediction tonight

2009-04-06T16:59:00.005-04:00

Very much looking forward to tonight's National Championship game between Michigan State and North Carolina.

Of course, this is a rematch in the exact same venue of a game that happened back in December, when UNC smashed Michigan St. 98-63 with a huge 2nd half and a very balanced attack, led by Ty Lawson's 17 points, eight assists and seven boards.

Despite the 35-point margin in the first meeting, I expect a different outcome tonight for several reasons:

a) Lawson will face his toughest match defensively of the tournament: Big Ten defensive player of the year Travis Walton.
b) Goran Suton didn't play in the first meeting. I've heard people make fun of this argument, but all he did was score 19 points and 10 rebounds against Louisville to get MSU to the Final Four.
c) The crowd won't be a factor noise-wise because of the horrible layout at an absurdly large Ford Field venue, but it will be a constant reminder for MSU of something bigger that they're playing for: the state of Michigan.
d) April basketball has drastically more emotion and intensity than December basketball.
e) The tournament isn't about the best team. It's about the hottest team. UNC has beaten everyone by at least 12. MSU has beaten two straight number one seeds. Both teams are red hot.

That said, I draw an eerie parallel to the OSU-Florida matchup two years ago, when Florida won in December against OSU by 26, and later faced the Bucks in a title game rematch.

Florida's swagger, strength and superior athleticism helped build a 10-12 point lead. While the Buckeyes never let it get out of hand that day, they still never got over the hump. Whenever they'd get it within six, the Gators struck with a dagger.

I see Carolina building an eight-point cushion or so tonight, and it pretty much staying there. Of course, foul trouble is the one variable in a game which is completely unpredictable, and that could change things. But I see UNC winning the championship tonight by somewhere between 6-9 points.

If there's one thing Michigan State does a fantastic job of, it's getting the ball up the court before the opponent even has a chance to set up its defense. The Spartans will try to capitalize on that tonight against a Tar Heels team whose strength is not its defense.

I will be pulling for Michigan State, though. Sure would help the Big Ten's image....

Happy Opening Day!

2009-04-06T16:27:00.003-04:00

It's the day hope springs eternal for folks from coast-to-coast with a favorite Major League Baseball team. Truth is, there were a handful of teams that used to feel like they were out of the race to the playoffs before the season even started. Thanks to last year's Tampa Bay Rays, I don't know that any team feels like that anymore. Thank you, Tropicana Field of Dreams.

Cleveland fans love to think they've got a better chance than they really do. That's why I was relieved that my prediction in last week's Columbus Alive of 88 wins and no playoff spot was re-iterated to a 'T' today on the Midday Show by Indians' MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince.

I don't see anyway Cliff Lee can have the same sort of season this year that he did in 2008 when he won the Cy Young. His spring was a rough one, and it continued today, getting shelled for seven runs in five innings during Game 1 of 162.

Texas leads 8-1 in the eighth...

Could OSU hoops lose an assistant?

2009-04-06T16:17:00.004-04:00

With Sean Miller making the move to the Pac 10, keep an eye out to see whether or not he grabs his younger brother Archie Miller, who is an assistant coach on Thad Matta's staff at Ohio State.

Arch has been a key part of the Buckeyes' coaching staff since John Groce left to take his first head coaching gig at Ohio University. I did a one-on-one interview with Archie last year, and I'll post it if I can find it.

Miller was a standout player at North Carolina State, where he played under Herb Sendek, and when Sendek made the jump to Arizona State a few years back, Miller spent a year as an assistant in the desert. Wonder if he liked it there...

It all depends on where Miller stands on Matta's totem pole of assistants, and if his brother could place him higher on the totem poll in Arizona. If so, my guess would be Miller's likely gone.

Xavier's Miller headed to Arizona

2009-04-06T16:09:00.004-04:00

A handful of different media outlets broke this story while I was on the air with Torgy today doing the Midday Show on 97.1 the Fan.

Xavier's Sean Miller, who led the team to three straight Atlantic Ten championships and several runs past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, has decided to pack his bags and leave for Arizona after all. Initial reports this weekend indicated he'd stay with the Musketeers, but that just seemed completely unrealistic from the start.

Zona offered five years and $13 million first, according to one report, which Miller ended up turning down. But Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports was reporting he was only making $800,000 a year at XU, which simply doesn't compete with what the big boys can offer. Miller is apparently getting a seven-year deal at UA. Just too much to turn down.

It sucks being a mid-major basketball fan... but this happens all the time. Your coach leaves for supposedly greener pastures, and you're left looking for the next up-and-comer. Butler's Brad Stevens just signed a fat extension with the Bulldogs, but might be a logical choice for Xavier brass. Would Gary Waters at Cleveland State be interested?

One thing Xavier does better than anyone else is find the right guy to replace him. Some great coaches have gone through the Jesuits in Cincinnati. Who's next?

Depth chart analysis

2009-04-04T10:24:00.005-04:00

OK, here are my gut reactions to reading Ohio State's depth chart...

Backfield: Obviously, Terrelle Pryor is your starting quarterback, and will be the entire season. Boom Herron is the hands-down favorite to start at tailback, but Brandon Saine will be exciting to watch now that he's healthy, and I expect him to touch the ball frequently this year. After that, I see a lot of potential out of some of the recruits who haven't yet made it to Columbus, and there will be some true freshmen competing for touches early in the year behind Herron and Saine. Fullback is listed as a technicality. The Bucks won't run nearly as much I-formation this year, and other than out of the I, they'll probably only use a fullback on short-yardage situations.

Receivers/Tight ends: nothing too surprising here, other than defensive lineman Todd Denlinger getting a shot as a run-blocking tight end on short-yardage situations. Whichever players become the top three or four wideouts for Ohio State are going to need to showcase their big-play ability in a hurry, because there's no one with a ton of experience at this position, except for guys like Sanzenbacher who have simply gone over the middle and ran shorter routes. Tressel noted Wednesday that Lamaar Thomas has showcased explosiveness in the return game.

Offensive Line: This unit's development will be critical to Terrelle Pryor's growth as a passer. Michigan transfer Justin Boren comes in with a ton of experience, but he's been considered a work-in-progress with his pass blocking. Tressel says he's great at getting push in the running game, but he needs to improve at creating a pocket. Mike Adams and Michael Brewster are heralded sophomores who were major recruits last year. Jim Cordle seems to have taken on a lot of responsibilty for the O-line's problems that last few years, which is good to see. He'll have the shot to play on the outside for the first time at tackle, and years at guard or center. Bryant Browning was abused at times last year as a tackle, and may fit in best on the interior.

I'll break down the defense later.

Random PS- What the hell happened to the Cavs last night? First they end their 13-game winning streak against Washington, then they lose at Orlando by a thousand?

Bucks release early depth chart

2009-04-03T17:30:00.002-04:00

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/fls/17300/pdf/fb/guide/09_SpringGuide_p1to10.pdf?SPSID=87743&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE:
QB Terrelle Pryor
RB Boom Herron
FB Jermil Martin
WR Dane Sanzenbacher
WR DeVier Posey
TE Jake Ballard
LT Mike Adams
LG Justin Boren
C Michael Brewster
RG Bryant Browning
RT Jim Cordle

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE:
DE Thaddeus Gibson
DT Dexter Larimore
DT Doug Worthington
DE Cameron Heyward
LB Ross Homan
LB Tyler Moeller
LB Austin Spitler
CB Chimdi Chekwa
S Anderson Russell
S Kurt Coleman
CB Andre Amos

I've got lots of thoughts. I'll post them tomorrow.

Tune in Monday 12-2 pm

2009-04-03T16:31:00.005-04:00

Hosting the Midday Show on 97.1 the Fan Monday, April 6th.

We'll talk to Indians.com writer and old college drinkin' buddy Anthony Castrovince at 1:30 to preview MLB's Opening Day.

Chimera's return imminent

2009-04-03T11:58:00.002-04:00

Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said after yesterday's practice that Jason Chimera might be ready to return from his groin injury, which has kept him out of the lineup since Feb. 24.

I've seen Chimmer skate the last couple of weeks at practice and he's looked pretty good. Hitch said it's a matter of making sure he's up to speed, and if he still feels good after today's skatearound, expect him to play in tomorrow night's big game at Nashville.

Spare scholarship for OSU hoops?

2009-04-03T09:53:00.005-04:00

With B.J. Mullens leaving early for the NBA, conventional wisdom says that should free up a scholarship for the Ohio State men's basketball team. But the Dispatch's Bob Baptist wrote earlier this week that it might not be that simple.

The Bucks obviously could use help at point guard, where two JUCOs in P.J. Hill and Jeremie Simmons did most of the ball-handling this year, but at this point in the recruiting season, the only guy with Division I potential the Bucks could land would be a junior college player, anyway.

And even then, what are the chances that a guy with no Division I experience at all could come in and perform better than Hill or Simmons, guys of equal caliber talent but some time under their belt on the Big Ten level?

Hopefully, the Bucks get to keep this scholarship. Now, I talked to several recruiting gurus at Jim Tressel's press conference and none of them have heard a peep on what OSU might do if they can add another player.

In my opinion, there's no sense in wasting the scholarship on a player for next year if he can't help you get better immediately, and he probably won't if he ends up sitting the pine behind Hill or Simmons. So... (just thinking out loud here), why not go after Luke Babbitt again? He averaged 17 points and seven boards as a freshman this year at Nevada, and had originally committed to Ohio State before Wolfpack coach Mark Fox stole him.

The catch is, Fox doesn't coach at Nevada anymore. He was just named the new head coach at Georgia. Does this mean Babbitt, a physical go-getter on the boards who can also step outside and knock down triples, might be interested in leaving Reno?

It's true the Bucks need a point guard, but Evan Turner has four months to work on becoming a point forward, and Hill did a really solid job improving as the season continued. Babbitt would help the Bucks where they need it the most: on the boards. And while he might not be eligible until 2010, Ohio State has a loaded recruiting class coming in that season, and he would probably be able to help make a run to the Final Four, which is something completely out of the question in Reno.

I know it's a pipedream. But I'm just thinking outside the box here.

Bet you didn't know...

2009-04-03T07:25:00.006-04:00

...that the Final Four is actually one of the easiest and most affordable annual major sporting events to attend in the United States.

It's even easier this year, with the games being played right up I-75 in Detroit.

Here's the trick...
1. Set a limit for how much you're willing to spend to get in (I suggest going below face value).
2. Show up on Saturday for the semifinals happy to be in a buzzing environment with no expectations.
3. Find a cool, local establishment to order some good eats, cold drinks and big TVs to watch Semifinal Game #1.
4. When the game ends, go hang out outside the venue.
5. As fans of the losing team start to exit, approach them and politely ask if they're selling. Chances are, they're incredibly bummed out after a heartbreaking loss, and they're looking to get out of town ASAP rather than hang around all weekend.
6. Start dealing, but always be ready to walk away. Don't bend on Step #1.
7. Remember you're buying a pass for the entire weekend. While this is exciting that you are buying a ticket for the championship game on Monday as well, always use the fact that the ticket is already one-third expired in your negotiations.
8. Don't pick up any bad habits by becoming a fan of a team just for the sake of having someone to root for that day. You never know if they'll end up beating your team in the title the very next season.
9. Have fun watching history be made!

I was able to get a pair of pretty good seats to the 2006 title game between UCLA and Florida for only $40 a pop. Could have spent less if we wanted to glue binoculars to our heads.

This year, every seat in at Ford Field is sure to be a pretty crappy one, because the NCAA is screwing over its fans for the sake of trying to fill a football stadium for a basketball game. They used to put the court in the endzone, and only fill half a stadium. Every seat in that set up was relatively decent. Now, they put the court in the middle of the football field, making every seat seem like it's watching a game in a different area code.

So if you decide to go, make sure you know the seating chart well so you know what you're getting into.

I've never tried this, but I guess if you're a good enough negotiator, you could probably buy cheap heading into Semifinal #2, enjoy a game at the Final Four, then sell to a fan of the winning team on your way out of town, and actually make money by going to Detroit.

Bucks open spring practice

2009-04-03T07:06:00.006-04:00

Ohio State held its first of 15 spring practices yesterday, leading up to the Scarlet vs. Gray Spring Game which can be heard April 25th on 97.1 the Fan.

I'll try to break this down as simply as possible, but here's my spin on Tress's presser Wednesday...

- Despite the boatload of talent leaving for the NFL by either early-entry or graduation (Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Wells, Boeckman, Freeman, Washington, Robiskie, Boone, Hartline, etc.), Tressel still likes what he has to work with this year. "I feel good about the talent," he said. "I feel good about the interest in being good. Now we need to see good, rapid growth." Where's the growth need to be most rapid? At quarterback, wideout, offensive line and cornerback.

- It feels like a rebuilding year, so you wouldn't expect too many superlatives this spring (at least positive ones). But Tress had an interesting one going into the first practice: offseason conditioning. "I think our guys this winter were as responsive and accountable and competitive as any winter we've ever had."

- OSU is extremely thin at quarterback this year, so don't expect to see a very exciting spring game. Terrelle Pryor and Joe Bauserman might literally be knights in shining armour to prevent any injuries heading into the fall. Two scholarship quarterbacks just isn't enough in college football. Look at Michigan last year. The Bucks are talented, but a couple freak injuries, and they get thin in a hurry. True freshman Kenny Guiton did not enroll early.

- As for the positions that seem to be wide open heading into the season: slot receiver, 2nd linebacker (Tress said he anticipates playing quite a bit of nickel this year), and the two cornerback spots opposite Chimdi Chekwa. The offensive line needs to replace a couple starters, but will slide in players with experience, including transfer Justin Boren from Michigan.

My Sportscenter: April 3

2009-04-03T06:58:00.003-04:00

We're heading into one of the biggest sports weekends of the year with the Final Four and MLB's Opening Day right around the corner. Here's what's gone down in the last 24 hours...

- The Cavs' franchise-record 13-game winning streak is over. Washington, of all teams, ends it with a 109-101 win. The Wizards are now within 44 games of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference standings. Cavs are at Orlando tonight.

- Penn State wins the NIT, beating Baylor 69-63. Good for Jamelle Cornley, a Penn State senior and all-around class act kid from Columbus Brookhaven, who scored 18 points and was named the NIT's Most Valuable Player.

- Columbus is at Nashville tomorrow. The Preds will be fiesty after getting jumped by St. Louis last night for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. Blues beat Detroit 5-4 behind a hat-trick-plus-one from David Backes.

- Reds lost their last ever spring training game at Sarasota 6-5 to the Pirates. Cincinnati fans reportedly showed up in embarrassingly low numbers, and those who were in attendance booed Sarasota's mayor for not building a new ballpark, forcing the Reds to move westward next spring. Cincy has been in Florida for spring training since the 1920s.

- Crew lost to Real Salt Lake 4-1.

Catch the details every 20 minutes on 97.1 the Fan.

Cutler goes to Chicago

2009-04-02T18:12:00.002-04:00

BREAKING NEWS: ESPN's John Clayton reports QB Jay Cutler is officially leaving Denver, but not for Cleveland...

Off to Blue Jackets practice

2009-04-02T10:39:00.005-04:00

I'm heading down to Nationwide Arena now to catch up with a few of the players and coaches after their skate around this morning. The CBJ don't play again until Saturday night at Nashville, which is big for a handful of reasons.

- They're 3-2 against the Predators this year. A win Saturday night means Columbus will win the season series against their top rival. An overtime loss would mean they'd tie the season series 3-2-1.

- Columbus (88 points) is sitting at 6th place in the Western Conference as of today, with five games left in the regular season. Coach Ken Hitchcock said yesterday on his call-in show on 97.1 the Fan that he thinks 92 points would pretty much guarantee a playoff spot. That said, there's no guarantee on their seeding. There's still a lot of hockey to play.

Coming up Friday...
- A full recap from Jim Tressel's press conference yesterday
- Ohio University gets ripped for its football scheduling
- How to make money by going to the Final Four

My Sportscenter: April 2

2009-04-02T07:06:00.003-04:00

All of our computers and servers at the Fan hit the fan this morning, so I'm a little behind, but here's what's going on...

- Ohio State football begins spring practice today. I'm not big on spring football because the roster's incomplete and there's only so much a team can do with this time, but Coach Tressel had a lot of interesting things to say at his press conference yesterday. I'll get to those later...

- Really sad story here. Browns WR Donte Stallworth is in court this morning, charged with DUI manslaughter. Turns out his blood alcohol content was .126, more than 1 1/2 times the legal limit, when his car struck and killed a pedestrian in Miami last month. He's looking at up to 15 years behind bars.

- Indians trade RHP Edward Mujica to San Diego for future considerations, aka a player or cash. Tribe tied Seattle in a spring training game 14-14 yesterday. Not a good outing for last year's Cy Young winner Cliff Lee in his last go-round before the season officially starts. Gave up seven runs in five frames.

- Reds lost to Houston 7-2, but Homer Bailey looked good. Six innings, two runs, eight strikeouts.

- Arizona looks like it has a new men's hoops coach: USC's Tim Floyd, according to published reports.

Jackets call up Filatov!

2009-04-01T10:06:00.005-04:00

This just in from 97.1 the Fan's Scott Torgerson...

A reliable source sent Torg a text saying rookie forward Nikita Filatov will be recalled from minor-league Syracuse and will be available for the Blue Jackets' first-ever push toward the playoffs in franchise history.

Filatov has been sensational while playing with Columbus this season, but has been kept in the minors because if he plays 10 games this year, it will count as a full season on his contract. If he plays nine games or fewer, he'll still have the full length of his contract remaining.

He's scored four goals in eight games with the Jackets this year, including a hat trick against Minnesota on January 10th. He's posted 32 points in 39 games with minor league Syracuse, including 16 goals and 16 assists.

Bucks to spread it out in 2009

2009-04-01T07:58:00.006-04:00

I'm well aware of the losses Ohio State suffers on defense heading into the 2009 season, but I think the offense is the main focal point this spring. With spring practices beginning tomorrow, OSU will try to improve upon an offensive unit which ranked 76th in yardage last year and failed to score a touchdown in its two biggest games of the season.

Columbus Dispatch beat writer Tim May reported this morning that the Bucks will likely open things up much more this season for several reasons, but most notably because of the loss of Beanie Wells in the running game and the year of experience Terrelle Pryor has under his belt.

The already-republican Tressel turned ultra-conservative last year, allowing his freshman quarterback to throw an average of just 12.5 attempts per game. In order to have a more effective offense, they're going to have to go vertical more often and get more creative than the I-formation, run-Beanie-Wells-on-1st-and-2nd-and-again-on-3rd-down playbook.

Cutler to the Browns?

2009-04-01T07:20:00.005-04:00

With the news that the Broncos and cry-baby quarterback Jay Cutler are officially parting ways, Cutler definitely becomes the hottest commodity on the market now, just 24 days before the NFL Draft.

There are a handful of teams that need Cutler more than the Cleveland Browns, but ESPN's John Clayton said last night that Cleveland may be in the best position to land Cutler if they feel unhappy with either Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn. And considering there's a new head coach and new GM in town, anything could happen.

"At least the Cleveland Browns can give them one or two options: Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson," Clayton said last night while the story was breaking.

"In fact, I would imagine right now that Cleveland's very happy with the decision that came out of Denver because now they know they're back in play."

My Sportscenter: April 1

2009-04-01T07:04:00.008-04:00

Here's what went down over night...

- Blue Jackets rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat Nashville 2-1. Goalie Steve Mason was fantastic in the third period yet again. Raffi Torres scored the game-winning goal in the third. Since being acquired in the offseason, Torres hasn't scored often, but when he does, he's been so clutch. The Jackets are five points above the playoff line with just five games left in the season.

- John Calipari has decided to take up Kentucky on its $32 million offer. He leaves Memphis after nine years with the Tigers, where they were either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments coming out of Conference USA. The coach who beat Calipari in the Sweet 16 this year, Missouri's Mike Anderson, gets a seven-year extension with the Tigers.

- The Cavs extended a couple of franchise records last night, both in wins (61) and consecutive wins (13) by holding off Detroit 79-73. It took a 12-4 run at the end of the game to do it, but Cleveland improves to 36-1 at the Q this year.

- The Broncos have finally had enough of QB Jay Cutler. They said they're going to trade him, and the Cleveland Browns might be a contender since they've got a pair of expendable signal-callers.

Game 77: Nashville at Columbus

2009-03-31T08:28:00.005-04:00

The Blue Jackets will feel a little pressure tonight when they entertain rival Nashville. Columbus is playing for its playoff life, despite Michael Arace's thoughts in the Dispatch this morning.

St. Louis looked like the more urgent team, winning both games of its home-and-home with the Jackets over the weekend, and thus, vaulting itself into the eighth and final playoff spot (for now) in the Western Conference. Now, Columbus prepares to take on a team in a similar situation in Nashville, but head coach Ken Hitchcock told me yesterday there's no difference in these teams' attitudes.

"They've been playing like this, we've been playing like this. We've all been in this mode for a month now," he said at Nationwide Arena. "I don't see any change. There's probably 10 teams that are in that mode in the west now, and none of them are going away."

If Nashville sweeps the next two games, not only will they leapfrog Columbus in the standings, but they'll give several other teams the opportunity to do the same thing.

Also...
- We'll learn the status of Ole-Kristian Tollefsen today, who is at the Cleveland Clinic this morning, as reported by Aaron Portzline.

Pelini extended at Nebraska

2009-03-31T07:54:00.002-04:00

Former OSU player Bo Pelini's first year as the head coach at Nebraska was a reasonable enough success to earn a one-year contract extension and a healthy pay raise from Cornhuskers AD Tom Osborne yesterday.

What's wild to me is how much coaching salaries are escalating on a yearly basis. Remember 1997, when Osborne walked off the field for the final time in his Hall of Fame career as a national champion? The Lincoln Journal Star reports his salary that year was $150,000, or approximately 12 times less than Pelini is making after signing his new deal.

Too much April football!!!

2009-03-31T07:43:00.004-04:00

I've heard some fans grumbling in displeasure because the Scarlet vs. Gray Spring Game is going to be held the same day as the NFL Draft. I personally look at this as a win-win situation. Two of the more over-hyped sporting events of the year are happening at the same time, meaning I only am forced to pay attention to one of them.

The spring game simply feeds a fix. I know people love sitting in the Horseshoe for the same price as a Subway footlong, but the game simply isn't important. That's why they usually roll a running clock through the third and fourth quarters.

As for the Draft, I'm well aware of its significance. I just never understood the big production. You don't watch CSPAN for eight hours just to see if a bill passes, right? So why would you watch the Draft for eight hours just to find out who are the two newest members of your favorite NFL franchise?

My suggestion: if it's a sunny day, enjoy the pagentry of the 'Shoe and catch all five hours that you missed at the Draft in 30 seconds by reading the ESPN ticker once you get home. If it rains, sit on the couch and watch the Draft, sparing yourself a soaking at the 6-2 Gray victory, which will include something like nine snaps with Pryor at quarterback.

Meeting with Tressel tomorrow

2009-03-31T07:16:00.008-04:00

Keep an eye on Wednesday's Columbus Dispatch, which has promised a story on Ohio State's new look offense heading into the 2009 season.

Spring practice begins Thursday for the Buckeyes, with OSU coach Jim Tressel meeting the media tomorrow to preview the upcoming 15 NCAA-approved workouts. I'll be at the press conference and let you know what comes out of it.

Without Beanie Wells, you'd expect Boom Herron to become the feature back for the Buckeyes this year. The big key for OSU's backfield will be developing a strong, consistant No. 2. Will it be junior Brandon Saine or a newcomer? Either way, Ohio State's offensive potential has a glass ceiling on it if Terrelle Pryor doesn't develop as a threat down the field.

Remember, the offense has a lot of work to do. It failed to score a touchdown in losses to USC and Penn State, and probably came around too late in the bowl game against Texas.

Welcome

2009-03-31T06:45:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone. I decided to join 2003 and start a blog. I'll post a couple updates a day about all the essential stuff going on with the Buckeyes, Blue Jackets, anything else of significance to the Central Ohio sports scene, and anything else of interest to me.

Thanks for checking in, and don't take anything I say too seriously. I sure don't!