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

Morning Glory

It’s Wednesday, so you totally should be sobered up from your Memorial Day celebrations.  While many of y’all were enjoying your Saturday slumber, your humble correspondent was up planting flags before the sun arose… certainly better than the usual Los Angeles morning. Well, what do you think was going through my head on the trail? What do you think I saw?

Buckeye 411

• Welcome Home! Quick update from last week… Chase is right back where he belongs.
• Getting Grilled- Also building on last week’s reminder; the Spring Champion’s Dinner was Tuesday, with Buckeyes being served either hot dogs or steak (neither of which were barbecued). Nothing says “family” like steak and swag, am I right??
• A Leader Has Emerged- We told you yesterday about Joe Burrows, the latest Ohio State verbal and another in a long line of in-state quarterbacks to don the scarlet and grey.  Marcus Hartman looks deeper at the Buckeye QB legacy, though… fingers crossed for the future.
• Next? This weekend will possibly be a huge one for Ohio State recruiting, with Nike Camps hosting a number of targets for the Scarlet and Gray. Keep your eyes and ears tuned.
• Old Time Rock And Roll- Carlos Hyde, playing in a “spread” offense, has found his niche as a “throwback” runner. If only they’d given him the ball one more time.
• Stepping Up- Ryan Shazier has also started to carve out a spot with his new team (more later), seeing time with the first string defense in drills over the past week.
• For A Spell- We poked a little fun at our friends up north last week, with their “Michigan Men Spell How They Wish” philosophy. Well, today it looked like the shoe was back on the other foot, until it was clarified that this creation was not from the University… no official logo, and rebuked by OSU’s top man.  So, more likely than not, this is yet another poor attempt by as fan from “The Harvard Of The West”.
• This Is More Like It- Nothing that comes easy in this world is worth a damn… everything requires work:

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Tags: BYU, Carlos Hyde, Champion's Dinner, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Ed O'Bannon, Ezekiel Elliott, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan Shazier, Sammy Silverman, SBP, SEC
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Football

Well, we’ve grown yet again. Not only did we add Mike to the team, but Joe and Scott are both newly christened fathers! Congrats, and we hope that you survive all of the smelly diapers and sleep deprivation.  That goes for you also, Scott and Joe.  Here’s today’s musical kickstart, dedicated to our new dads, even though Mother’s Day is right around the corner.

tBBC Breakroom

Buckeye 411

• Movin’ On Up- We talked about this last week, but Saturday’s graduation saw a number of Buckeye Idols receive their degrees and walking papers. Marcus Hartman hits the triumvirate of tBBC favorites in pointing out that Aaron Craft, John Simon, and Katie Smith are all now on the list of people the Alumni Office will hit up for donations.
• Step Off Of That Ledge- To build on Mike’s take from Tuesday morning, there’s no need to panic regarding Ohio State football recruiting thus far.  If you don’t believe me, trust Eleven Warriors’ Jeremy Birmingham, one of the best in the business. Plus, getting emotionally invested in high school kids’ decisions and actions is never a wise move.
• No More Pro Combat?- Carlos Hyde, adidas rep.  If only they’d stop making ridiculous uniforms, though…
• Getting Drafty- Believe it or not, there are people involved in Thursday’s draft who aren’t named “Clowney” or “Manziel” (as a side note, you realize that Johnny Football is the new Tim Tebow in the eyes of the Four Letter Network, right?). At any rate the University put out a great website resource for all of the draft junkies: The Buckeyes are second in terms of overall first round picks and third in terms of total players chosen. No wonder the Worldwide Leader has invited Urban Meyer to be a part of their draft day coverage.
• Or, For You Visual Learners- Sammy Silverman’s got you covered:

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Tags: Aaron Craft, B1G Tournament, B1G/Big East Challenge, Carlos Hyde, Devin Gardner, Eric LeGrand, Indiana, Jameis Winston, John Simon, Katie Smith, NCAA Reform, NFL Draft, Sammy Silverman, SBP, UConn, Urban Meyer
Categories: Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

Well, another Senior Crawl has come and gone in Columbus and we get ready to celebrate with the graduates of the Ohio State class of 2014 (including our friend Janelle!). You can’t think “graduation” without today’s soundtrack, I’m guessing… and we’ll give you the version that features yet another great Ohioan.

Soon…

Buckeye 411

• Lesser Charges- The story of the day on Tuesday was Bradley Roby’s decision to plead to a charge lesser than the OVI that he was initially confronted with, and accept a sentence of $375 and a three day driver’s intervention course. Given what came out regarding his field sobriety test and an anonymous call the night of the incident, it may be a good thing that this wasn’t pressed further. Whether or not this impacts his draft status is yet to be seen.
• Getting Drafty- If you’re the type who likes projections and that type of thing, here’s a look at LaQuinton Ross’ skills as the NBA process nears.  I’m not a guru, but this seems to be pretty dead on.
• June N00b- Former Crimson Tide Chad Lindsay will be getting a jump on things and will be enrolling at Ohio State in June- just in time for the voluntary (wink wink) workouts.
• Two Hats And A Sweatervest-Jim Tressel is in the top three at for the presidential searches at both Akron AND Youngstown State, making for a really awesome potential “selection ceremony” if the schools would chose to go the NLOID route.  Another option would be to have the selection via American Idol type announcement or even one a bit more dramatic.
• Wither Wimbush? I try not to pay much attention to the whims of 17 year old adults, but there’s been a lot of frustration regarding Ohio State’s current recruiting successes. Most recently, one time “strong lean”QB from New Jersey seems to have fallen out of love with Ohio State, looking instead at Penn State as a strong possibility to “take his talents to”.  It will be interesting to see if the other PSU news from Tuesday (see below) has any impact on the James Franklin’s mystique.
• Wrasslin’- It’s almost as awesome as Mr. Poffo (mentioned above), but there will be some Buckeyes who hit the big stage as a part of an exhibition match in New York City.
• It’s Swimsuit Season- So you’d better get in shape… If you’re not working out with Clair, then you better hit the weight room… and Sammy Silverman reminds you where the best one in Columbus is:

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Tags: Bradley Roby, Chad Lindsay, James Franklin, Jim Tressel, LaQuinton Ross, LSU, Penn State, Sammy Silverman, SEC, Vanterbilt
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football, Pay It Forward

Like the rest of Ohio, we’ve got Stanley Cup fever here… we’re on a series of shots and medications, but to be honest, we hope it sticks around for a while.  So, in preparation for tonight’s game, here’s a little something to help you get ready to #BeatPittsburgh.

Gameday

Buckeye 411

• The League- Pretty good week for Buckeyes in the NFL, as Cam Heyward’s 5th year option was picked up by the Steelers.  This comes one day after Terrelle Pryor was traded from the outhouse to the penthouse the Raiders to the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. Rumor across the league were that the 49ers and ‘Hawks were both pursuing Pryor diligently, with Pete Carroll finally winning the day. Good luck in the Emerald City, Terrelle… be sure to pay for your doughnuts, m’kay?
• Next Men Up- NFL news on Tuesday also included Draft Day invitations… and not to the latest Costner flick. Bradley Roby and Ryan Shazier will both be in New York City; here’s hoping that neither win the Brady Quinn Sitting Around By Yourself For A Really Long Time Award.
• Night Moves- Ohio State added a fourth night game and a third one on the 2014 home slate on Tuesday, when the BTN announced that the intra-state tilt against Ohio’s BCS Team would be under the lights in the ‘Shoe.  There’s still the possibility that the number could grow- the game in East Lansing might just be pushed into prime time if both the Spartans and Buckeyes have the seasons most are projecting.
• Flippity Flop- Over the weekend, Ohio State “lost” one of their 2015 recruits, as Ben Edwards followed up his “soft verbal” comments to North Carolina by giving his verbal to the Auburn Tigers. As you can imagine, this unleashed the highest in philosophical and intellectual debate among some Ohio State fans… many of whom are way too emotionally invested in the lives of 16-17 year old boys to be healthy.  One question, though… Would you as a fan rather that the staff pursue in-state kids that are sure to be 100% Buckeye but may not be the caliber of other recruits, or would you rather that they continue to pursue out of state players who may not end up in Columbus but could make a bigger impact? I look forward to your answer in the comments; be sure to show your work.
• Next Man Out? As if the Edwards news wasn’t discouraging enough, Tuesday’s Canton Repository had the following blurb about one of the other OSU verbals in the 2015 class:

There was a relatively serious altercation involving McKinley quarterback Eric Glover-Williams and another McKinley player during the school day last week at the high school. New McKinley football coach Thom McDaniels declined to comment on the situation, other than to confirm there was an altercation between Glover-Williams and a player who is a senior.

There had been speculation that Glover-Williams had a previous incident in the fall as well, so it’s possible that this could be the issue that costs him his shot at an OSU opportunity.  Eleven Warriors has video of the end of the altercation in question, even though it’s in “crappy cell phone quality” it does serve as an interesting Rorschach test for folks to judge what might be the consequences/outcomes for EGW, both from the school and from Ohio State.  Stay tuned…

• Interim President Senator? Hey, guess who’s a finalist for the top position at Akron? That might just be the coolest thing to come out of the Rubber City this summer… well, almost.
• Paying It Forward- It’s always a good time to do a good thing… and it may just end up helping the Scarlet and Gray as well as saving a life.
• Seeing Is Believing- particularly if you believe the wizard of Ohio State graphic design: Read More

Tags: Akron, Ben Edwards, Bradley Roby, Cameron Heyward, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati Bearcats, Columbus Blue Jackets, Eric Glover-Williams, Indiana Hoosiers, Jim Tressel, NCAA, Northwestern, Ryan Shazier, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Terrelle Pryor, Uniforms, Unions
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football, Pay It Forward

Those of you who play along with us during Fall liveblogs know my propensity for helping make stadium sound effects on third down as a way to manage my ADD help the team. As such, today’s news hit me with a bit of both nostalgia and sadness… The band that gave us the bell may be no more. We’ve only got one choice for today’s soundtrack, then… Happy Wednesday!

For Those About To Rock…. Fire!

Buckeye 411

• SMRT- Monday night, Aaron Craft and Allison Elber were awarded the B1G Ten Medal of Honor for athletic and academic excellence.  W00t!
• Going To Miss You- Courtesy of Ben Alexrod, we find out that Amadeo Della Valle signs autographs with “Rock Me”.  But of course he does.
• Gonna Miss You Too- Huge shout out to our friend Janelle, who graduates really soon and will be headed to UCF for warmth and grad school… and a graduate assistantship!
• Night Moves- Ohio State’s television schedule came out today, in part; the home opener against Virginia Tech will be a night game, as will the trips to Happy Valley and Illinois’ visit to Columbus in November.  There’s still a chance that the game in East Lansing will be at night as well; illuminated, as is tradition, by burning couches.
• Feed Me, Seymour! I’m guessing that Coach Mick and Sarah Wick’s jobs just got more interesting, with the NCAA’s decision to allow student athletes to have unlimited meals and snacks (the well-known “Hoke” plan), and to allow walk-ons to join the team for training meals.  While Josh Perry and Mike Bennett are certainly excited about the changes, the most ecstatic persons have to be the nutritional staff in Lexington.
• Cultural Shift- We’ve heard a lot about Ohio State’s work to build on the culture for the coming season and beyond.  Get ready for soundbites galore regarding “4 to 6, A to B”… and Sammy Silverman highlights this in today’s graphical excellence: Read More

Tags: Aaaron Craft, Amadeo Della Valle, Bowls, Brady Hoke, Ed O'Bannon, ESPN, Gary Harris, Glenn Robinson III, Josh Perry, Michael Bennett, Michigan, Missouri, NCAA, Night Games, Nik Stauskas, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Tattoo Gate, Title IX, Unions
Categories: Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Bruce came to visit Ohio last night… and at least one person had a great time at the event. UPDATE: Video Evidence. So, today’s soundtrack is one of my favorite songs from The Boss… even if it’s somewhat new, it’s still a classic.

Ohio State Quarter Back

Buckeye 411

• Representing In North Texas- Aaron Craft was involved in this weekend’s festivities, although not in the way that any of us would hope. Not only did he get his one shining moment, but he was honored as the National Defensive Player of the Year as a part of the Final Four events.  He was also a part of work that the honorees did with Special Olympics basketball players, who undoubtedly left the opportunity more scrappy and tenacious for their efforts.
• Taking One For The Team- Great article in Tuesday’s Dispatch about Joel Hale, a starter at nose guard last season and his decision to request a move to the offensive side of the ball for his senior season.
• Good Gig If You Can Get It- Ohio State will be paying Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, and Kent State to bring their talents to the ‘Shoe for 2014.  This isn’t really all that unusual, but the $2 million total is pretty significant. It should be noted, though, that the Hokies will more than likely return the favor next season when the Buckeyes travel to Blacksburg.  The Buckeyes will see $850k return to their coffers when they face Navy to open the season, given that it’s a “neutral site” game in Baltimore.
• Congrats, We Think- Dan Sanzenbacher has been re-signed as a professional athlete!  But it’s with the Bengals… so it’s hard to know whether or not to send flowers of celebration or condolences.
• Gear- While there are a lot of reasons to be concerned about the welfare and circumstances of “student athletes”, “lack of awesome apparel” should not be one of them, as the latest offering from Sammy Silverman shows: Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, Brady Hoke, Dane Sanzenbacher, Joel Hale, John Calipari, Maryland, NCAA, Nike, Penn State, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Taylor Lewan, UConn, Unions
Categories: College Basketball, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Sorry, Iowa and Tennessee- the tournament don’t get rolling until tomorrow, no matter what you told people yesterday. So, we’ve got one more day of work before distraction takes us all… it’s madness, I say!

Come March, Foucalt knows of which he speaks

Buckeye 411

• Welcome Back! The Scarlet and Gray returned tanned and rested from Spring Break, and hit the field today
• Students Of The Game- Coach Meyer announced this week that the annual “student day” will be April 5th… no foolin’.
• Spring Game Sprung? After an article this week positing that many coaches would prefer a 15th practice to a “spring game”, Coach Meyer today said that this wouldn’t be the case at Ohio State. He talked about the value that he has in watching his team perform “in front of a crowd”.
• We Come Here To Play Football- According to Coach Meyer, Cardale Jones is a “changed man” and leading the first string offense as Braxton heals from his shoulder injury.
• Effusive- High praise today for Darron Lee and Raekwon McMillan, and said that Taylor Decker has taken a real obvious leadership role this spring.
• Running On Ez? Not as of yet, as Meyer points to others that are having decent spring practices thus far. Elliott may end up being “the guy”, but it’s great to hear that the stable is still full.
• Bell’s Toll- Missing Vonn for the spring (knee) has impacted the secondary a bit, but Cam Burrows and Tyvis Powell have stepped up their game thus far
• More Walking Wounded? One of the whispers from Tuesday is that redshirt freshman Jalin Marshall may have also been banged up a bit in practice as well… while no injury is a good one, thank goodness it’s spring ball, right?
• Matta Wins Again! Great three-peat for Coach in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge... and great win for the Ronald McDonald House.
• The Bigger Picture- Remember, these are “students”, so another solid measure of success is brought to us by Sammy Silverman: Read More

Tags: Bracketology, Bruce Pearl, Cardale Jones, Darron Lee, Ezekiel Elliot, Jalin Marshall, NCAA failures, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Spring Practice, Thad Matta, Urban Meyer
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football