Welcome to this week’s edition of Weekend Wonderings.  Here we are, the last weekend in July. As usual, we’ll be joined by our permanent musical accompaniment.  We’re going to have something about The James, immature professional athletes (I know..) and something from Boston. Grab whatever beverage(s) that you prefer and let’s proceed.

By the time you read this, Lovely Bride and I will be on our way back home from a family wedding in Boston, MA. I’m sure there will be stories aplenty; none of which will be told here.. Congratulations Maureen and Bryan.

The James/Wexner:

Here’s a nice, quick read on the food service program at the new James. It provides for patient-customized meals; what you want to eat, when you want to eat it. This is a great way to get the proper nutrition to individual patients when they need it.

Here is an informative interview with Joseph Flynn of The James explaining his research in CDK inhibitors in cancer treatment.

Joseph Flynn, DO, MPH, focuses on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in his research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Here’s a notice of a live Google+ Hangout with advice to manage cancer treatment side effects while at work. After all, after cancer diagnosis and during cancer treatment, live goes on.  The Hangout is Wednesday July 30th at 6:00PM EST. And work, whatever form it may take, is part of life..

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Tags: Boston, OSUCCC-The James, Pay It Forward
Categories: Humor, Miscellaneous, Pay It Forward

Hello and happy Thursday! We might be a day late and a dollar short with this week’s Silver Bullet Points, but we are here! There are a lot of questions heading into August about what the Buckeyes can do on the gridiron. 14 coffee cups in this Thursday afternoon and I’ve come up with the only answer that matters.

Beat Michigan. 

Oh man — it’s amazing how much better I feel… Let’s get things started with today’s soundtrack, because everybody needs a little G-L-O-R-I-A in their life. 

Buckeye 411

• The Quotable Urb - The Mothership says that Urban Meyer is one of the most quotable coaches in the B1g. Not very hard to do. He’ll be quoted heavy at the upcoming B1G media days. The only thing Brady Hoke will be hitting heavy is the fresh stalls and the Donut line.
• Kicking it off – You know how we know it’s still the off-season? Doug Lesmerises is talking special teams vs. special teams in his Buckeyes vs. Spartans series. He also has touched on the two defenses and much more .
• DB/LB Problems – Jack Jorgensen at Scarlet and Game wonders if the Buckeyes will have an issue at defensive back. It will be tough replacing Bradley Roby, but if there is one position that is young that I don’t worry about, it’s the defensive backfield. Jorgensen also believes the linebacking corps might be under pressure to put up big numbers in 2014.
• Let it flow Matta – Doug Lesmerises is focusing on football this week but had a great profile of Thad Matta — who admittedly wrote a flowchart in the 90s of how to get to Rick Pitino. Only in true Matta fashion would that happen.
• OSU must land a Star — Bleacher Report’s Ben Axelrod says that the Buckeyes need to land a star quarterback for 2015. As a recruiting nitwit, I’ll turn things over to Mr. Doty here at tBBC to discuss whether or not this is true. My gut though wants me to tell you to calm down though Ben. This is Ohio State University we’re talking about.
• Speaking of Recruiting… LGHL’s Brett Favachio updates us on OT James Daniels and all the latest recruiting news.  Including talks about five star QB Torrance Gibson.
• TBDUNIITL – That’s right. Starting new acronyms here at tBBC. LGHL’s Andrew Lind shared why he voted Ohio State’s uniforms as the best in the B1G and shares thoughts on his other votes.
• The Year of Bosa – That’s what this season has been donned by Eleven Warriors’ Patrick Maks — who highlights the very talented defensive lineman.
• A 29% chance – of rain? of meatballs? How about a 29% chance that TTUN fields a quarterback that can actually throw? Nope. That’s too high of odds. Vegas says that Ohio State has a 29% chance of going undefeated next season.
• Victory. Here’s the latest from the Best Damn Graphics Man in the land. Sammy Silverman.

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Tags: Donte Whitner, Joey Bosa, Silver Bullet Points, Ted Ginn Jr
Categories: College Baseball, Conference Expansion, Humor

Welcome to this week’s edition of Weekend Wonderings.  Here we are, mid July, summer is flying by. Of course, that means we’re getting closer to Football Season, so, silver linings and all that. Grab whatever beverage(s) that you need and let’s forge ahead. Of course, we’ll forge ahead to our usual musical accompaniment. We have good stuff regarding The James, commentary of some sort, and some music to wrap it up. Thanks for stopping by.

Speaking of futball, congratulations to Germany for winning the World Cup. In the semi-finals, Deutschland blitzed Brazil like they did the Low Countries in Spring 1940. Sunday was a different story, however. Argentina took Germany to the limit (just ask the players on the pitch) before falling 1-0 on a great goal by Mario Götze. 

Happy Birthday –  I want to take the time to wish my step-father, Bob, a happy 90th birthday today.  A long life and a well lived life. Here’s hoping for many more, Bob.

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Tags: Eric Clapton, Happy Birthday, I Shot the Sheriff, Miscreants, OSUCCC-The James, Sunday Morning, Teaching Moments
Categories: Humor, Miscellaneous, Pay It Forward

Happy “Archie Days Until Football!“, people.  Oh, and please notice that I spelled that with two “Os” and not a “U”, just the way St. Woody would have demanded.  Look, Imma let you finish Germany, but College Football is the greatest game of all time! 

Sorry Jeter, This Is My Favorite #2 Jersey

Ahem. Here’s your Wednesday morning soundtrack. Looking forward to Block O and TBDBITL bringing this to The ‘Shoe

Buckeye 411

• Team Dissension? Did you hear about the all out conflict that the wide receivers and linebackers had within their position groups? Certainly brings a new update on the “shotgun” and “pistol” formations.
• Watching The Watchmen- More “Watchlist” updates this week- Devin Smith has been named to the Bilitnikoff Award list for the nation’s top receiver, while Michael Bennett and Joey Bosa add the Lombardi award to their end of season possibilities.  Interestingly enough Curtis Grant was named to the Butkus List, which must focus on his senior status at Linebacker U.  To be fair, I’d love to see him excel and win the thing… the timing, though, just seems odd. Update: On Wednesday Morning, Braxton was named to the Davey O’Brien watchlist for the nation’s best QB; he was a finalist in 2013.
• Paid Forward- The American Football Coaches Association also named Michael Bennett to the Good Works team for his work with Columbus area charities. Making the great state of Ohio proud, son.
• Getting Crafty! Living on the West Coast, my cable company will often show Laker D-League games; so it was great to watch LaQuinton Ross and Aaron Craft go at it when the Warriors and Lakers squared off.  Q’s time was unremarkable, but Craft stood out both statistically and to the coaching staff. AC4 with the Warriors would be fun, if only because I love watching their current point guard run the show as well.
• SNAPPER- Rigged or no, the Dude Perfect team is pretty well known for their trick shot videos… and the latest one includes current Rams and former Buckeye (as well as friend of tBBC) Jake McQuaide.  I’m sure he called “Bank”.
• Dip Jar Not Available- Love the auction based “reality shows”? Well, here’s your chance to get that fix for yourself, courtesy of a Buckeye player and coaching legend, as well as a Super Bowl Champion. When the Vrabel’s moved to Florida, they left some things behind and now those can be yours! (Dibs on the Ohio State varsity jacket)
• Wanna’ Go Back? Gotta’ Go Back? For those of us who live across the country and can’t get to Columbus on the regular, this panoramic tour of the campus is a quick way to get our fix. I really hope they update it throughout the year; autumn leaves, gameday, Mirror Lake jump would all be spectacular.
• Getting Closer- While you’re in the office working on TPS reports or at home watching your stories, the Buckeyes are working, as evidenced by Sammy Silverman’s latest:

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Tags: Aaron Craft, Big House, College Football Playoff, Curtis Grant, Graham Glasgow, Jake McQuaid, Joey Bosa, Longsnapper love, Mark Emmert, Michael Bennett, Mike Doss, Mike Vrable, Oklahoma, Penn State, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Steve Spurrier, TBPU, Texas Longhorns, The Shoe
Categories: Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football, Pay It Forward

Thanks for popping by on a Wednesday morning, even if the news for today probably won’t be as exciting as it was seven days ago. Thanks, too, for your patience with the website this week… the people responsible for the tech glitches have been appropriately dealt with. Given our lead bullet point today, here’s your Wednesday Musical Distraction.

We’re Watching…

Buckeye 411

• Hey y’all… Watch This! It’s “pre-season watch list” time again, and the Ohio State squadron is pretty well represented as you might imagine. Braxton Miller returns to the Maxwell Award list for the best player in the nation, while tight end Jeff Heuerman finds himself on the Mackey Award list for the best player at that position. Wrapping up the offensive, Dontre Wilson is on the list for the Paul Hornung award, given to the most versatile player in the country. A pair of Buckeyes anchor the Bednarik Award watch list for the best defender in America- that both Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett are on there says quite a bit about the state of the Buckeye front. UPDATE: You can add our favorite Aussie punter to the “list list”, as he’s a candidate for the Lou Groza award. Hopefully he’ll get zero chances to earn it this year.
• Getting Freaky- Bosa’s on there due to his excellent play as a first year student, but he made another list due to his amazing athletic ability.
• Redemption- We talked a few weeks ago about how Buckeye fans should respond when there favorite players end up on their least favorite pro franchises, and used Ryan Shazier’s tenure with the Steelers as a prime example. If you needed another reason to pull for Mr. Shazier, how about the fact that he’s taking the roster spot and jersey number of a former Wolverine who’s not real excited about those turn of events?
• Cost Of Attendance, Yay! So sayeth our favorite athletic director… who also highlights my passion that student athletes should be allowed to complete at least one degree if they’ve been a part of revenue production for the University.
• I Demand A Recount- Ohio Stadium finished second to LSU’s “Death Valley” in a recent survey… which was supposed to assess “Best Stadium”, but seemed to be more about “Best Gameday Experience”, given the parameters outlined by the Athlon staff. Speaking of surveys, this one is total crap.
• Wanna’ See For Yourself? Single game tickets go on sale on Thursday… and my grandmother is convinced that those game tickets are sure to find that special someone someday.
• Let There Be Lights! If you get tix for one of the night games this season, you’ll get to enjoy the new luminescence. I’m glad this is finally happening; we can’t always rely on God to drop a beam of light onto his favorite team.
• A Bit Late- but happy anniversary to Coach Meyer and Shelley!
• Cover Your Opening- With Oregon Nike doing their annual “It’s not creepy to fawn over high school kids, no not at all. Nope.” event in Beaverton this week, you can bet your bippy that the Buckeyes are well represented (and recruiting others to join the #Elite15). Even though yours truly has connections in Oregon, my schedule this year kept me from traveling north… so I’d strongly advise you to follow longtime Buckeye Brother Jeremy Birmingham, who’s on site and covering the gig for Eleven Warriors. From the sounds of it Hilliard, Cornell, and Tyler Green are all in the ears of Damien Harris (RB), Van Jefferson, Torrance Gibson, and Josh Sweat. Two or three of those fellers would be ice cream on top of the icing on the cake.
• As If That Weren’t Enough- Sounds like there’s at least one other Buckeye at the Opening preaching the gospel of Scarlet and Gray as well-

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Tags: 'Da U, Braxton Miller, Cameron Johnston, Dontre Wilson, Gene Smith, Jeff Heuerman, Jerry Sandusky, Joey Bosa, LeBron James, North Carolina, Purdue, Ryan Shazier, SBP, Stacy Elliott, The Horseshoe
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Football

Welcome to this week’s edition of Weekend Wonderings.  I hope that everyone has enjoyed their 4th of July celebrations and are finding relaxing family time this weekend. Grab whatever beverage that you need and let’s proceed.

The James/Wexner:

Obviously, a cancer patient goes through numerous and profound physical and emotional changes during treatment. Here is a list of several physical changes to expect.

Here is a great pic of the new James Hospital framed by a rainbow.

Finally, here is a brief video introducing the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) Unit at the new James.

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Tags: media excitement, Ohio State football recruiting, OSUCCC-The James, Question, The Moody Blues
Categories: Humor, Miscellaneous, Pay It Forward

Look, I know that today’s SBP is the girl that you’re dancing with while you’re looking around the club for that special someone else.  I can live with that, and assure you that the news you’re refreshing your computer for will be here around… say… 10:00 or so. In the meantime this is stuck in my head (thanks Jason), so let it wash over you until you find your next dance partner.

Oooo! Shiny!!!

Buckeye 411

• Hoops News- Well, after getting shut out in the NBA Draft, it’s great to hear that Craft and Ross have found great landing spots. Senor Swoon will start the summer playing for the 76er franchise in Orlando’s Summer league, and will have pretty good company. “Q” is headed my direction to play with the Lakers during the summer season, and we’ve even heard that DeShaun will be getting another look with the Spurs program during this evaluation time.
• Recruiting News- Later today we’ll find out the futures of Justin Hilliard and Jashon Cornell, with Benedictine’s Jerome Baker to announce next week.  If that weren’t big enough, the Buckeyes could grab a verbal of the shooty hoops variety as well… stay tuned.
• Boys Will Be Boys- Wherever Cornell and Hilliard end up, they’ll probably spend a lot of time talking about where they are now.  Because… sure.
• Women’s News- The B1G will be kicking off it’s first women’s lacross season this coming year, and the Buckeyes are expected to be in the thick of things from day one.
• Ticket News- Ohio State actually has some extra seats this year, and will be selling them starting next week.  If you’d like to gift those to any of your favorite tBBC writers, you know, with airfare and so forth…. that might be awesome. You know where they won’t be selling? Groupon.
• B1G Air- With the newbies a part of the conference now, the mascots have taken over the DC Area and the Big Apple.  While it will be a minute or two until the basketball tournament will make it to Madison Square Garden, Brutus decided to show the rest of the folks what to eventually expect:

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Tags: Aaron Craft, Big Ten Network, Deshaun Thomas, LaQuinton Ross, Maryland, NCAA, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Stephen Collier, Tickets, Uniforms, Women's Lacrosse
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Welcome to this week’s edition of Weekend Wonderings. Here we are, end of June, which means we are getting closer to football season. If your appetite needs whetting, you can check out Patrick’s weekly season opponent preview series.  Since your appetite is now properly whetted, grab whatever beverage that you need, appropriate for time of day of course,  and let’s proceed.

We have a little something regarding The James, some baseball and our Sunday Song. Of course, accompanied by our article soundtrack from Maroon 5.

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Tags: Baseball, Grant "Home Run" Johnson, OSUCCC-The James, Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research
Categories: Humor, Miscellaneous, Pay It Forward