Good morning Buckeye faithful, lovers, haters, and those who just enjoy a good read. Welcome to your Thursday Skull Session.
This has been an interesting week, to say the least, and I'd like to start by giving a brief summary of my where-abouts the last few days.
I happened to take a cruise to the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, Florida and I am at a loss of words. I have never spent that much time in 'Gator country and met so many interesting1 people.
For all those who disrespect the Buckeye fans who are not associated with the university, may not be as "cultured" as those who are, and are portrayed in a not-so-positive light (Walmart Buckeyes, etc.), you haven't seen anything until you go down to northern Florida.
I tweeted right when I walked on the cruise ship, last Thursday, that it was nice to go down to Florida and see a family decked out in OSU gear. I did not expect that, moments later, a whirlwind of hate would erupt out of no-where. A member of the same family in OSU gear (he happened to be wearing the new "Urban Era" shirt) received an onslaught of verbal assaults from a group of Florida fans also heavily representing their team. Most of these remarks can not be mentioned publicly but went along the lines of "Urban Meyer is not a nice guy and you guys live in the Midwest, so that is terrible. The south is the best and Florida is where all normal people live. I hope Urban ceases to live and you guys get the death penalty, you cheaters". It definitely wasn't as nice as that but you get the picture. This was within ten minutes of boarding the ship.
So much hate for a cruise ship filled with families, honeymooners, and elderly.
There were plenty of Florida State fans on the ship rocking their garnet and gold everyday, but the Florida fans wear their colors way more proudly and tend to be way more vocal, especially when they see Ohio State gear. I can safely say that these Florida fans openly hate Ohio State more than their in-state rival, FSU. I even received a high-five and a "screw Florida" comment from a FSU fan for sporting an OSU draw-string bag for one of my days at the beach.
My week on the cruise turned into a war of Florida fans vs. OSU fans, so ultimately I could only wear two of the eight t-shirts I brought with me to avoid any danger (of course I always represent OSU wherever I go). I spent a good portion of my vacation listening to people cussing at other people over Urban Meyer. The man had a major affect on these people and rightfully so.
Although the individuals on the cruise ship can not represent all of UF fans, it was definitely an eye-opener, despite all you read about how Florida fans have moved on and have forgiven Urban for leaving UF.
I wonder how they feel about Tim Tebow digging the Buckeyes. I didn't want to mention it as I could have easily been thrown overboard by a bevy of angry Gator henchman.
Anyways, I thought it was interesting and I definitely lost some respect for Florida fans after causing so much trouble so far removed from football season.
CRIS CARTER THE BOUNTY PLACER. Former NFL great and Buckeye WR Cris Carter admitted for the first time that he actually placed bounties on certain players in the NFL before or during game. He would offer his teammates "a little change" to protect him from specific opposing players. For example, if an opposing linebacker threatened to hurt Carter before a game, he would offer an offensive lineman on his team a little extra cash to take out that opposing player, therefore protecting Carter from any injuries.
Carter told ESPN Radio's Mark Schlereth:
“Protect me. . . . Protect me from him. . . . Especially if he’s playing a different position where I can’t protect myself.. I’d tell one of them guards, ‘Hey man, this dude is after me, man. Bill Romanowski.’ He told me he’s gonna me out before the game, in warmups. No problem. ‘I’m gonna end your career, Carter.’ No problem. I put a little change on his head before the game. Protect myself, protect my family. That’s the league that I grew up in.”
The whole New Orleans Saints debacle has opened up many new cans of worms across the league. The NFL seems to be leaving an old era of corruption and entering a new era of two hand touch.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO OHIO STATE. Besides not being in Columbus for every football game, I really miss being able to attend events like Student Town Hall - with Urban Meyer. Apparently, there are still a few tickets remaining so I wanted to remind all students, or those in Columbus with a Buck-ID (yes, I still have mine), to go to the event. It is FREE.
Oh the things I would ask coach Meyer! I actually would not ask anything but would enjoy every question fired at him by the students, as long as they were football related.
The Buck-ID is one of the most valuable things you can keep in your wallet or purse, so use it. I honestly still use mine quite a bit, in New York City. With every chance, I get a discounted movie ticket, student discounts and more. So, sucks to be a IU, Michigan or Wisconsin alum in New York because their IDs expire and are unusable.
Even Tressel knows Urban will winA QUICK QUOTE. Jim Tressel was unfortunately quoted, once again, about Urban Meyer. I say unfortunately because it pains me to see Tressel openly speak about the new leadership at OSU. Remember the video of someone asking him about Meyer back in February? It's hard to tell if he is comfortable speaking about the subject and it doesn't seem that way.
Here is the most recent Jim Tressel quote "overheard" in the Columbus Dispatch:
“I saw Urban. ... He’s got a good crew coming back, he will have a lot of fun and they will win a lot of games.”
I think Tressel is right. Do you?
GREG BEING GREG. For those of you who haven't read Mark Titus' most recent piece on Greg Oden, you should. Oden discusses his injury-plagued career starting way back in his Buckeye days. I never knew that his wrist injury in the first half of the 2006 season was not basketball related, nor did most (according to the article). He actually severely hurt his wrist fighting his brother, Anthony, before the Indiana state tournament in High School.
The article discusses Titus' relationship with Oden, how Oden feels about fans and interviews, as well as his thoughts on some not so fond memories (refer to: someone posting his nude photos online).
If you haven't had a chance to read Titus' book, Don't Put Me In, Coach: My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench, I highly recommend that as well. He tells great stories about he and Oden's friendship, Greg as a person, and his relationship with many of the players throughout his Buckeye career.
Titus has made me a huge Greg Oden fan.
THE ADAMS FAMILY. The Adams just got a whole lot happier. Former Buckeye offensive tackle Mike Adams inked a 4-year, $3.54 million deal, including a $1.01 million signing bonus after being drafted in the second round by the Steelers.
I am extremely anxious to see what former Iowa OT Riley Reiff signs for after being taken towards the end of the first round. Many thought that Adams could have been selected around that time in the first round, so we'll see how much testing positive for marijuana at NFL Combine hurts his pockets.
Anyways, his contract is a nice chunk of change so congrats to Adams and his family. It's always good to see a Buckeye do well.
TO ROCK OR RHYME THAT'S RIGHT ON TIME IT'S CLICKY. Steve Kerr thinks the NBA and it's players will benefit from having a 20 year old minimum. New Illinois transfer was pretty profane when deciding on his new school. Lexington Herald Leader posted a cartoon of Calipari that has UK fans beyond angry. A good video and Q and A on OSU target JaQuan Lyle from Inside the Hall (class of '14). For those who hate Pryor, this O-Zone article makes him seem a bit better. Indiana Football coach Kevin Wilson said his assistant turned down a 200K raise to stay with the IU program...why? UK commit Nerlens Noel's eligibility is in question by the NCAA. What's not in question by the NCAA?
- 1 Not interesting at all; these actually were the people being kicked out of the fine dining room for showing up shirtless and shoeless, then arguing with the hosts to let them in.
