My friend's cousin got hit with a divorce notice and immediately left for Vegas. My friend is flying there today, and his cousin asked him to bring clothes.
Just your annual reminder some folks take "March Madness" more literally than others.
ICYMI:
- The NFL has no comment on a video of Ezekiel Elliott pulling down a woman's top down at a St. Patty's Day parade in Dallas. Zeke's advisors would do well to talk to him. Young people will hear only what they want, though.
- The women's basketball team drew a No. 5 seed and will take on No. 12 Western Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Help put a statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Crapulent.
HOW BARON COULD REPLACE RAEKWON (FOR NOW). Baron Browning is the most advanced and physically impressive linebacker to sign with Ohio State since Raekwon McMillan.
McMillan didn't walk into the starting spot, though. He started on the depth chart behind another five-star recruit, Curtis Grant, the year Ohio State won the national title. Browning will likely start his career behind Chris Worley at middle linebacker, which means he could play a similar role.
From cleveland.com:
Everyone knows Browning is talented, but McMillan knows more than anyone that it's about more than talent when it comes to having a starting role as a freshman.
As a true freshman in 2014, McMillan split reps with Curtis Grant at middle linebacker, but McMillan was absolutely part of the plan. He wasn't an afterthought thrown into the mix when it was convenient. How did McMillan do it? And how can Browning do the same?
"It takes all the mental game," McMillan said. "He can be the best physical player in the world. Not to name drop or anything like that, but Mike Mitchell was one of the most physically talented guys to ever come through Ohio State, and wasn't able to get on the field because he wasn't there mentally. For Baron, man, he's physically gifted. For him to get on the field, he'll have to be mentally gifted."
Mike "The Abusement Park" Mitchell? I haven't heard that name in years.
Thankfully, Browning has already earned rave reviews from the coaching staff. If Browning actually produces in Columbus, can we give him "The Abusement Park" name? Because that's too regal of a nickname to let gather dust with a Texas Tech transfer.
THE RISE OF KEVIN WILSON. Kevin Wilson to Ohio State as offensive coordinator still feels somewhat like a dream. Thankfully, sites will profile him to remind us of that fact from now until opening kickoff... which, by my count, is only 170 days away.
From espn.com:
Wilson has shown throughout his career that he has a knack for developing the kind of chemistry that can create offensive explosions, dating all the way back to his early stints at Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern. His innovative thinking, flexibility with his power-spread offense and ability to mix and match schemes based on his personnel helped build his reputation and put up bushels of points. And all of that also helped disguise the fact that at times he didn’t necessarily have a level playing field in terms of pure skill.
That certainly wasn’t a factor when Sam Bradford was airing the football out with the Sooners or Adrian Peterson was slicing through defenders on the ground. That same willingness to adapt, though, worked every bit as well with Nate Sudfeld putting up huge passing numbers with the Hoosiers just one season after Tevin Coleman rushed for more than 2,000 yards.
Now Wilson gets a crack at putting together a plan for a senior quarterback in J.T. Barrett, who has already accounted for 100 touchdowns in his career. He has a running back in Mike Weber who became just the third freshman in school history to top 1,000 rushing yards, and he’ll have four starting offensive linemen returning up front. And despite the loss of the team’s top three receivers from an inconsistent unit a year ago, the Buckeyes have no shortage of talent arriving from recent highly ranked recruiting classes.
Kevin Wilson had fancy toys at Oklahoma but not like the ones he'll have in Columbus. Still, my favorite storyline about this is a spread godfather having something to prove.
IS THAT... COLLEGE BASKETBALL? Not going to lie, folks. Unless Jesus of Marion descends from the sky to sink Duke in overtime during the Sweet 16, this is likely to be the only "March Madness" you'll see in the Skully this year.
From the Sports Illustrated vault, here is the "greatest comeback you've never seen:" 10 points in 45 seconds for the 2007 D-II national title:
The greatest comeback youve never seen: 10 points in 45 seconds for the national championship pic.twitter.com/wTsNlk9CYW
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 13, 2017
FAST FOOD WARS. Yesterday, I mentioned Chik-Fil-A's intentions to move to High Street. Apparently, the fast food game is about to get fiercer than that. Popeye's Chicken and White Castle are moving into the neighborhood as well.
From Dan Eaton of Columbus Business First:
The Chick-Fil-A would be part of Edwards Communities’ project at 15th and High, which includes 170 apartments.
[...]
Popeyes would be part of a 144-unit Edwards Communities apartment projectunder construction just south of the Gateway.
[...]
The White Castle appears to be a former RadioShack store that was shuttered prior to the electronics retailer’s most recent round of store closures.
Bad news for the Castle. Everybody knows it's an ill omen to move overtop the sacred burial grounds of a Radio Shack.
And I hope these corporations know rent is due to Mama's Pasta and Brew on the first business day of every month. They only take cash, too.
THOSE WMDs. Cybersecurity experts easily infiltrate energy company's networks... Bluejack National: Tiger Wood's debut course... How to become an international gold smuggler... Photographer chronicles Pennsylvania's forgotten towns and people... World's biggest diamond heist... Two of a farmer's three children overdosed. What of the third — and the land?
