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

This week we lost a musical legend and great Ohioan… so, this morning’s soundtrack should help you get through the middle of your workweek.

Silver Is Pretty Freaking Awesome

Buckeye 411

• Net Success- Congrats to the Tennis-Bucks, who won this year’s NCAA Indoor Championship earlier this week. In doing so, Ohio State defeated top ranked Virginia (who hadn’t lost in 30+ matches) and perennial power Southern Cal. When you’re led by the B1G Athlete Of The Week, good things happen.
• Decorated And Bona-fied- Tonight as the Buckeye hoopsters face off against Nerdwestern, Braxton Miller will be awarded his second straight silver football as the B1G’s top player. This brings Braxton up to 7 conference year end awards, most for any player according to OSU’s SID.
• Mat Excellence- After falling to Minnesota in the National Duals, Ohio State rebounded with a solid beating of Oklahoma to pick up third in the tourney… although, I’d love to have seen them square off against second ranked Cornell.
• Even More Awarding- The Aaron Craft Tour De Elegance continues, with Swoony C being a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
• Proud Moment- Ignore the misspelling on this thing… I’d be totally down with an annual “Marcus Hall” award as an addition to the Gold Pants, for the MVP of The Game.  Thoughts??
• Next- And this weekend in Indianapolis, six Buckeyes look to continue that legacy: Read More

Tags: Aaron Craft, All Players United, Archie Griffin, Assembly Hall, Bert Bielema, Braxton Miller, Brutus, Dr. Drake, Kain Colter, Malik McDowell, Marcus Hall, Mark Pantoni, NFL Combine, Northwestern, Ohio State Wrestling, Rick Pitino, Sammy Silverman, SBP, Tennis
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

You’re either reading this from home on a “ice day”, or from work after having dug yourself out of yet another mid-week snow storm.  Stupid freaking groundhog…  At any rate, here’s today’s soundtrack… for reasons that will hopefully soon be evident.

In addition to Gold Pants…

Buckeye 411

• Thank You, CB2- Sad news this week for Buckeye Senior and site favorite Christian Bryant, who had his appeal for a medical redshirt denied by the NCAA. Bryant, who missed parts of one whole season due to injury during his tenure in Columbus, had already had his case denied by the B1G Office… this means that his playing career in the Scarlet and Gray is officially over.  Godspeed, Christian… Glad you were a Buckeye, Bro.
• Going Pro In Pro Football- In spite of what the NCAA will tell you, a good portion of D1 Athletes who choose football are looking at careers in that field. Today, we found out which Buckeyes were invited to explore the next step, as Carlos Hyde, Ryan Shazier, Bradley Roby, Jack Mewhort, Philly Brown, and Corey Linsley will be part of the 350+ member NFL combine in Indianapolis later this month. Hyde, Roby, and Shazier are expected to be the highest rated of those six, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Linsley and Mewhort with lengthy professional careers.  Best of luck, gentlemen!
• This Week In “Journalism”- Not going to point fingers, but rumors of an unfortunate incident between Coach Meyer and former Coach Vrabel swirled across the internet after being published on another Ohio State website.  These were shot down from a pretty solid source; but it makes you wonder why some sites continue to get press access while the rest of us merely toil from our basement.
• Some Things, You Just Can’t Run From- Amazing article today about Eddie George’s struggle with depression following his football career, and what he’s done to address it.  If it encourages people to get help, then that’s one more amazing score that number 27 can be credited with.
• Another Former Buckeye Struggles With Past Issues- Linebacker Jamal Muhammed (who left OSU to play at Bethune Cookman) is a part of a class action suit against the NCAA regarding head injuries/concussions.
• Taking Her Talents Closer To South Beach- Our BFF Janelle had some amazing news this week… hope she doesn’t forget us little people when she’s getting her mojito on in Florida.
• Archie Griffin Is Awesome. In case you forgot… I’ve personally declared tomorrow Archie Griffin day.
• RE:Crootin’- When you want the best, you send the best… and Ohio State’s top 3 national class was shaped by amazing coaches, including Scout.com’s top recruiter in the conference, Zach Smith. Smith, who was instrumental in Jalyn Holmes, Noah Brown, Johnnie Dixon, and Terry McLaurin’s joining the Buckeyes talked this week about his relationships with high school coaches in Florida.  The other top guns in the conference are indicative of the power programs, with Michigan’s Greg Mattison and Penn State’s James Franklin also being acknowledged by Scout. You read that correctly- most of the conference was out recruited by a guy who spent three weeks bringing in players that were previously going to Vanderbilt.  Proud.
• Also? Flags Planted- Visualized by Sammy Silverman: Read More

Tags: 2014 Class, Archie Griffin, Bo Pelini, Bradley Roby, Carlos Hyde, Christian Bryant, Corey Linsley, Eddie George, Jack Mewhort, LSUFreek, Malik McDowell, Mike Vrabel, Oversigning, Philly Brown, Ryan Shazier, Sammy Silverman, SBP, SEC, Zach Smith
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Well, given the news today in college sports and elsewhere, I think I’ve got a couple of soundtrack offerings that will draw it all together.  Stay warm people!! (it’s supposed to be down to the 60s in Los Angeles today… brrrrrrr.)

Squirtgun In January

Buckeye 411

• Chosen Frozen- We’ve got to give major kudos to Buckeye coach Tom Herman, who was stuck for 12 hours in the Atlanta Traffic crapstorm following their epic blizzard of about one inch or so of snow.  Seriously, I guess the folks in the Snow Emergency Conference are in need of someone from the north to show them how to deal with the cold.
• RE: Crootin’- Last time we chatted, it was Demetrius Knox that had Buckeye Nation wringing their hands in worry of a last minute exodus from #TheDream14. That was addressed by Coach Meyer and Coach Johnson, and ‘Meech is fully locked and loaded once again.  Now, though, we’ve got another offensive lineman who may be wavering, this time Illinois’ Jamarco Jones who is reconsidering his choice of Ohio State over the Spartans from East Lansing. Jones, who has several friends headed to Sparty in the fall, has his official “in home” from Dantonio and staff today, with Ohio State’s Warriner and Johnson following up tomorrow.  Jeremy Birmingham at Eleven Warriors has the best overview of the situation, and it will definitely be worth watching… if Jones heads to East Lansing this weekend for his “official”, then I think the writing is on the wall.
• Four! More! Years? Well, if you’re not a fan of current Athletic Director Gene Smith, this won’t make you happy: It was announced today that he’s been promoted to Vice President and given a contract extension/raise.  Hooray?
• Final Visit, Final Answer? Also of note this last weekend of “recruiting season 2014″ is that H-Back David Njoku will be in Columbus on an official visit, as will Michigan defensive lineman standout (and one time Wolverine “lock”) Malik McDowell.  Again, Birm’s got the latest.
• Presidential News? Rumors on Tuesday began swirling (I think they started on Scout, but I saw it on twitter and other OSU boards) that The Ohio State University would soon be naming Michael Drake as their next President. Drake currently serves as the Chancellor at the University of California at Irvine, and is notable for his work with the health sciences within the UC system.  Given the significance of Ohio State’s medical centers, that may be an important skill set to bring to the table. Even though he’s currently an Anteater, there’s hope that Mr. Drake can bring something else to Columbus with him…
• This Week In Silverman- Another great design from Ohio State’s master of visual excitement: Read More

Tags: Brendan Gibbons, David Njoku, Demetrius Knox, Gene Smith, Jamarco Jones, Kain Colter, Malik McDowell, Mekka Don, Missouri Tigers, NCAA Reform, Northwestern, Oversigning, Rutgers, Sammy Silverman, Taylor Lewan, Tom Herman
Categories: Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

Quick change of title format for our Wednesday update, for reasons that will soon be evident.  Also taking a beat from the news, today’s soundtrack goes all Roger Goodell on life.

Buckeye 411

• 

  21 And Over, Please

  Tight End, Loose Cannon? Kyle Rowland of Eleven Warriors broke the news late Tuesday that Buckeye tight end Marcus Baugh had been suspended from the team indefinitely for yet another issue with underaged alcohol usage.  While many of us would file this either under “meh” or “college lyfe!!”, it’s important to note that this would be Baugh’s third “incident” while a Buckeye, and his second involving alcohol.  He was removed from scholarship last summer, and was removed from team activities in September as well… it will be interesting to see if Coach Meyer believes in a “three strikes and you’re done” policy.  Baugh has always been seen as an amazing athlete, but his absence will mean that the other tight ends in the system (Heuerman, Moore, and Vannett) may be asked to bear the burden during the spring and beyond; the 2014 recruiting class does not have a tight end in the mix as of yet.

• Happy Birthday! One day late, but still- Jack Nickalaus turned 74 on Tuesday. I would have mentioned this yesterday, but like most things involving my golf game I was way off target.
• Hard Knox? Buckeye verbal Demetrius Knox made news on Tuesday with the announcement that he would be making an official visit to UCLA this weekend in spite of his commitment to Ohio State. Many feel as if this is a “vacation” opportunity, but it should be noted that the Bruins have several of Knox’ teammates in the fold and only have one offensive lineman in the class thus far.  Interestingly enough, though, Coach Meyer, Warriner, and Herman will all have their “in home” with him today, so it remains to be seen if the trip to Westwood actually occurs.  If it does, I might need to head that way myself to wander around campus with my Ohio State swag on.
• Speaking Of Recruiting- It was an interesting day in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, with their number one recruit for the 2015 class, 5 star running back Damien Harris decommitting from That Team Up North. What makes this worthy of the “Buckeye 411″ you ask? Well, his recent two twitter follows include Stan Drayton and Tim Hinton, and it’s rumored that he spoke with Urban Meyer over the weekend.  Hmmmmm…
• The Future Is Now- Sammy Silverman with a look at the early enrollees in the Dream 2014 class:

Read More

Tags: 2014 Recruiting, Academics, Christian Bryant, Damien Harris, Demetrius Knox, Jack Nicklaus, Marcus Baugh, Mekka Don, NCAA Reform, Purdue, Sammy Silverman, Veneric Mark
Categories: College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting