Reveille! Reveille! All right, you sandbaggers, time is running out for you to listen to us grovel for cash so pony up.
You only have through Saturday to flex your financial muscles and help your favorite neighborhood po' folk with laptops secure a full time beat writer so we can provide you with even more Buckeye coverage to go along with our insanely attractive internet personas.
If we can push it over $17k today, I propose a swimsuit competition comprised of your favorite 11W talent. Oh, bad news, the ladies of 11W are unable to attend so I guess that just leaves Jason and Ramzy. In that case, we'll award a winner based on which of the uber-fit duo is able to show the most swimsuit after a full exhale. Of course, I think that means even if one of them wins, we're all losers.
In all seriousness, this is the first time I've made a play for your duckets so while I do it, I just want to take a second to offer a sincere thank you to everyone ranging from those that were here in the early years when it was just Jason, myself and Corey holding it down to the huge influx of readers new to our community in the last year or so for all of your support.
I jumped into the 11W hustle back in November of '06 and that was really just to help Jason by covering basketball. I honestly didn't even consider what this thing could become and now I'm frankly astonished at just how impactful this site - the writers and community - has been in the Buckeye blogosphere.
My hat is off to all of you...now throw a dollar in it.
THAD CONTINUES TO BE RAD. The national love fest for Thad Matta, justified and ongoing, was recently visited by Andy Katz, as told through the lenses of both former staffer Sean Miller, now Arizona's head coach, and Gene Smith, the Teflon Don of OSU athletics.
On what Matta and his team have done for the fans and university, Smith offered:
"This means a great deal. We've gone through quite a bit of challenges, and you're trying to highlight the positives. At the end of the day, it's football and basketball where all of the fans' interests are, and when basketball makes a great run like this, it helps remind people what we're all about. It gives people pride. It's significant. It's significant... I'm proud of the work he's done."
Miller spoke of Matta as if he's a personal deity and touched on what makes Thad so special:
"Thad is a very unique coach. It's part of why he's so great at what he does. To me, he thinks differently than a lot of coaches in that he has very little ego. I don't know if his big picture is as important to him as it is to others who have won like him. I don't think Thad aspires to be in the Hall of Fame. He isn't counting his rings, and he has quite a few. He's more into coaching and motivating his team. Thad doesn't think about his legacy as much as other great coaches do."
Matta's former assistant went as far as to call Matta the most successful coach over the last 12 years, citing his eight conference crowns combined at three different schools.
I think most of us, if we're being honest, have had a knee jerk complaint about Matta from time to time whether it be a perceived over-reliance on the starting five, x's and o's that might not be on the same plane as his recruiting prowess or the potentially frustrating stubbornness in refusing to call a timeout to stop an opponent's run but there's simply no question Ohio State can not do better than Thad Matta.
CUE BIZ MARKIE - IT'S SPRING AGAIN! The football Buckeyes started spring ball yesterday and there's already scuttle emerging about Curtis Grant running with 1's at MLB alongside Ryan Damn Shazier and Sabino though it sounds like Klein was limited (you know what I meant), Fragel at starting right tackle, and Philly running with the 2's in the slot.
Here's video from Urban's press conference from our friend Mark Kunz at WOSN:
In prep for the spring throwdowns at the Woody, the university released a pretty tight prospectus that we highlighted in Buckshots yesterday. If you didn't read it yet, print it off and take it with you on your next lunch release, you won't be disappointed.
In the meantime, here's a little taste to get you started:
- Spring drills kick off Ohio State's 100th season of B1G football.
- A two-deep roster will not be created until after spring drills are completed.
- The field in the 'Shoe will have B1G logos at both ends, between the 20 and 30 yard lines, facing the pressbox.
- Work will begin on a new HD scoreboard (larger video screen) in the south stands and a new soundsystem will be installed throughout.
And here's a few nugs on your new head coach, UFM:
- The man is 21-3 in rivalry games including 16-2 against FSU, Tennessee and Georgia during his time in Gainesville.
- In bowl games, he's 7-1 including a 4-0 mark in BCS tilts.
- His .819 winning percentage ranks 10th best all-time in college football history and is 2nd best among active coaches.
There's a scant 158 days until kickoff.
REASON #136 WHY DICK LEBEAU IS ROYALTY AT 11W. As fans of Buckeye legend Dick LeBeau long before 11W was born, we look to celebrate his greatness at every opportunity.
The latest chance came via Smart Football, who found this gem of DLB, as an assistant coach, getting his wrap-on Houston Oilers receiver Haywood Jeffires:
BEST OF THE BEST? ZEBRAS FOR FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCED. The NCAA recently published the list of 10 refs that will handle officiating duties at the Final Four. The NCAA's supervisor of officials, John Adams, proclaims the group "the best of the best". After what we witnessed all season long and in the showdown with Syracuse, let's hope he's right.
Of the 10 officials, three are familiar with the Buckeyes:
- Tom Eades - He worked the loss at Michigan, the blowout of Penn State in Columbus and the November win over the Gators.
- Jamie Luckie - He was part of the crew that got to see the Buckeyes neuter the Bearcats.
- Mark Whitehead - He was present to watch Ohio State win their first game in Madison in what felt like half a century and also called the win at S. Carolina (Deshaun!) and the loss sans Sully at Phog Allen. Basically, he's Sully's kryptonite.
The other seven who will descend on New Orleans include Pat Adams, Roger Ayers, Joe DeRosa, Verne Harris, Les Jones, Doug Shows and Mike Stuart.
No Sanzere, Valentine, Hightower or Hartzell? I hope Rick Boyages noticed that a couple of the B1G's notorious officials weren't invited to the party.
STUFF FROM THE COUCH CUSHIONS. John Groce to Illinois. Is Boals Athens-bound... How Ohio State and Kansas stack up outside the lines... Saban gets raise and extension... Dance ratings off 5% so far... Dion Waiters is NBA bound... David Robinson's kid to play football at Notre Dame... 8-Bit movie posters... Wow, look at all these people waiting in line for Jim Bollman's autograph.
