Howdy, folks. Today is the summer solstice, and in honor of the longest day1, I will bring you the longest Skull Session of the year.
Except, not really. It's the offseason. If this happened to turn into that lengthy of a Skully, then we'd be in trouble. No one wants a repeat of last year.
Regardless, the sports world never sleeps. Taking a 3-1 series lead against the Thunder last night, the Heat are just one win away from the NBA title. I know it's not what most people are hoping for, but luckily, such likable and easy to root for teams have already claimed championships in the past year. For example...
Well, maybe Air Bud conquered another sport. You'd have to ask Johnny.
Speaking of, this is a friendly reminder to send any questions you may have for the Dubcast to elevendubcast@gmail.com or else half of you will get your wish and we'll end up using the last segment to discuss nothing but the Reds (last night's game excluded).
WIN AND JUICE. In a bit of comic timing that would make the late Bea Arthur proud, mere hours after it was announced that ESPN lost its lawsuit against Ohio State, the WWL launched BuckeyeNation.
One of the inaugural pieces was about the competitive juice that flows through the coaching staff, and by extension, the players. As wide receivers coach Zach Smith explained:
"If you love something, you're going to do a great job. That's why we try to get that from our players and cultivate that within our team. There are going to be days when you don't want to practice, so we look for that in kids who are out there in a competitive situation with a smile on their face."
"With juice, they perform at a different level -- and they enjoy it."
The "juice" is not limited to just the team, though. The fans are amped up, too, and while that helps merchandise sales, it also generates high expectations, which isn't exactly unfamiliar territory for Buckeye fans. The hope, of course, is that Urban Meyer's Midas touch will soon include national championships2.
Still, his relentless attitude has already paid off in one way:
Even better: when considering only the current players, the team GPA jumps to 2.95. If they can raise it up to 3.0, then Urban gets a bonus.
CROSSOVER EVENT. Adam Rittenberg ranked the crossover schedules of the Leaders division, factoring in both the challenge and the intrigue that the match-ups created. Leading the way was Ohio State, who will face off against what should be the three best teams on the Legends side: Michigan State, Nebraska, and Michigan.
Not that anyone has forgotten, but the Buckeyes lost all three of those contests last season. Fortunately, those last two are home games this year.
At the bottom of the rankings, where they often find themselves, is Indiana, who even with what Bruce Feldman calls the third easiest nonconference schedule, will still be Indiana. Before B1G play begins, the Hoosiers' slate includes FCS Indiana State, two MAC opponents in UMass3 and Ball State, and then Navy.
And for those wondering, three SEC teams made that particular top 10 list of Feldman's.
He's coming for you, QBs.BIG HANK MADE IT HERE. CollegeFootballNews.com previewed their 2012 All-America teams. The only OSU representative was Johnathan Hankins, who CFN predicts will be first teamer.
Their description of the junior:
At 6-4 and 317 pounds he has tremendous size and shocking quickness off the ball, able to both be an anchor against the run while also dominating as an interior pass rusher. Steady, he came up with a great midseason stretch and was at his best in the biggest games.
Most anticipate that Big Hank will have a monster year, and it certainly doesn't hurt his chances playing alongside John Simon and the rest of the highly-regarded DL. If he puts up All-American numbers, that would icing carrots on the cake salad.
SATCH EL RAGE. For all the jokes about how Sully's got back, it's his actual back that's causing problems. Jared's father, Satch Sullinger, believes that it's a business decision and that an NBA team leaked that he was a medical risk so he would fall in the draft.
According to Satch, "Someone might be (picking) at 12 or 13 (and) puts out that kind of information hoping he's still around at that time so that they could possibly get him."
Detroit is one team that seems more concerned about his athleticism and size than whatever may or may not be wrong with his back. With the ninth pick, it looks like the Pistons, as well as others, will pass on Sully. Right now, USA Today projects him dropping to the 24th pick, where he would be selected by Cleveland. If that happens, at least it'd be easier for Satch and the rest of his family to watch him play.
THE HEAD AND THE HEART. With the news that the Big Ten and Ivy League are working together to research sports-related head injuries, Adam Jacobi points out that more importantly, Michigan is already doing something about it and that the rest of college football should take similar preventive measures. That's where real change occurs.
Not only does Michigan football have a full-time neurologist on staff, but the Wolverines also focus on tackling technique4 and provide helmets that properly fit each player as ways to thwart concussions.
We've unfortunately seen the effects that head trauma can inflict on athletes, especially football players. And while I don't make a habit of complimenting the team up north, kudos to Michigan for making this issue a priority.
LINK PROGRESS. Track and field Buckeyes, including Christina Manning, who are trying to qualify for the Olympics... The University of Terry Bowden's football schedule... Ugh, your daily Sandusky trial update... Good luck finding an impartial jury, Harvey Updyke... Movie stills in children's book form... Shots from the Back to the Future set... Why we need to teach kids about proper grammar... It's probably best not to troll Bryan Cranston.
- 1 Though not the John Wayne D-Day movie or the episode of Dawson's Creek where Dawson finds out about Joey and Pacey.
- 2 Not soon enough, eligibility-wise.
- 3 TIL: UMass joined the MAC.
- 4 Miss you, Greg Robinson.
