Yesterday, Ohio State held its ninth spring practice, after which Zach Smith and Columbus' Loko Baron, Kerry Coombs, held court.
TV REMINDER: Urban Meyer and select Ohio State footballers will be honored before the Pirates-Reds game tonight in Cincinnati (7:10, FSOH). Urban Meyer and former Cincinnati prep standouts Adolphus Washington and Joe Burger will throw out the first pitch(es?).
MARSHON RISES. With yesterday's mention of Big Stick Erick Smith, I figured why not lead today's session with another mention of a Glenville almunus?
While Erick Smith showed flashes last season, fellow 2014 signee Marshon Lattimore suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in August. The redshirt freshman cornerback, however, is hot on the comeback trail.
From Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:
"I saw enough of him before he had surgery to know that this guy can play," Coombs said after the ninth practice of spring football. "I think he's hungry. I think he's tired of sitting around. I think those are dangerous guys. I can't wait to see him play. He's a big strong corner that in my opinion is going to be a dynamic football player."
The question is when. Glenville High School teammate and OSU sophomore safety Erick Smith said last week he thought Lattimore was close to 85 or 90 percent. Smith said he knows Lattimore is ready to do more. Coombs, who said Lattimore took part in six of the lighter practice periods on Tuesday, sees the same thing.
[...]
"We've been building toward [Lattimore's return]. Everything is going well," Coombs said of Lattimore's return to full speed. "I think the next two weeks are important for him, and then the summer is going to be critical, but I expect him to play."
Injury is every athlete's worst nightmare, but I'd think it's especially so in a baller-saturated program like Ohio State. (And it's not like these guys can demand a trade either.)
WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS, COLUMBUS? It takes the wantonly grotesque to turn my stomach, but I thought I got Cosby'd yesterday when I read this story (emphasis mine).
From Dispatch.com:
It was March Madness like you'd never seen before! Past and present Columbus mascots went head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament from which only one mascot could emerge.
Or maybe two mascots, in this case, because the 2015 Mascot Madness champions are Max & Erma!
You voted for your favorites in each round, and in the final matchup, fans of Columbus-based restaurant chain Max & Erma's rallied harder than even Buckeye Nation! The current Brutus Buckeye earned just 32 percent of the votes in the championship round.
I get that internet polls are a joke, and it's not like Max & Ermas is awful, but have you ever SEEN Max and Erma in the flesh? Behold:
My gosh, Purdue Pete's creepy grandparents look like their pantry is stocked with pounds of pickled human flesh. Would you pick them up if you saw their broken-down 1984 Get-Out-And-Push on the side of the road? Only if you had an interest in being butchered with an axe. And yet they beat... Brutus Buckeye... in a popularity contest? WHAT?
Who are these people that rallied to this couple's banners? Please identify yourselves so I can avoid you like I do anybody under the age of 23.
TYSON GENTRY FACED REDDIT. Yesterday, former preferred walk-on, Tyson Gentry, who was paralyzed during a 2006 scrimmage, did a Reddit AMA. As these things tend to be, it was fascinating.
Do you stay in contact with Coach Tressel and the former coaches at Ohio State? Also what's the best pizza in Columbus and if you don't say Hound Dogs, you're wrong!
Thanks for supporting New Prospective Foundation! Yes, Coach Tressel and I text and call a few times a year to stay in touch. I know he loves what he's doing at Youngstown State and I'm sure he's grateful to be in a position to impact lives. I keep in touch with a a few of my teammates. It's similar to high school, where you have a few people are really close with and keep in touch, and others you catch up with when you cross paths.
Haha I have never had Hound Dog's, but now I really want to try it!
Jim Tressel is one of the greatest criminal minds of his generation and a real life Gus Fring. Does this make-up for Tatgate? I can't answer that until I get a reading from my moral compass: CBS' Dennis Dodd.
As for Hound Dogs: No. Both times during college that I ordered Hound Dogs the delivery driver was drunker than me, and — judging by the pizzas — so were the workers. I never thought I'd get #internet #fired #up over pizza, but if Hound Dog's is the best pizza Columbus can offer then maybe we should shut down this city and pawn its scrap metal to China (like we did to Detroit).
Yet, I digress.
If you could go back to before you started college, would you still play football?
That is definitely a tough question on the surface, but I wouldn't change a thing. It was my dream to play for Ohio State. If you told me right now that I had to go back and re-experience the ICU and first year of the injury, I would not be happy. However, I have met so many amazing people (my wife included) and done a lot of great things that I would not have been able to do, had I not been injured. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but I am thankful for everything that has come of it.
Dang, that's a ballsy answer, and I have nothing to add other than a tip of my cap.
If this question is too personal, I apologize, but is there any chance you'll regain some function as time goes on?
Not at all, it takes a lot to offend me! The short answer is yes. The long answer is, every injury is different. There are two types of SCIs, complete and incomplete. Complete SCIs statistically have a very small chance of recovery below the level of injury. Incomplete SCIs (like myself) statistically have better chances of regaining feeling/function below the level of injury. Initially I couldn't feel or move anything below my shoulders, but I was able to regain sensation (mine pain or temperature) throughout my body as well as use of my biceps.Since then, I have pretty much plateaued as far as regaining other functions.
Good to see Tyler hasn't lost the faith. In 50 years, I bet the amount of medical mysteries we've cracked will be insane. (Do you like I slipped that "we" in there?)
Again, the full interview is worth checking out.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMETHING IN WHICH YOU MAY BE INTERESTED? I just want to go on the record as saying I will trade the 2015 MLB season and the NHL/NBA playoffs for Ohio State kicking off in Blacksburg next Monday.
Ohio State will have Jalin Marshall, Michael Thomas, Curtis Samuel and Zeke Elliott on the field at the same time next yr. Think about that.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) April 7, 2015
Noah Brown is this year's Darron Lee in terms of the young guy coaches keep raving about during spring practice.
— Ryan Ginn (@RyanGinnBSB) April 7, 2015
Urban Meyer must feel like the most powerful Pokémaster in the world.
I FORGOT CARDS WERE A THING. "They were like Pogs, but for sports, son."
Got some football cards for old times' sake but was disappointed because I didn't get anything good...@RyanShazier pic.twitter.com/deYsHr4oae
— Jack Mewhort (@jackmewhort) April 7, 2015
While Ryan Shazier has been a legend to me since he played against Michigan on one leg in 2011, the Pittsburgh Steelers will forever be bad.
THOSE WMDs. From 1965: The Motorcycle Gangs... From 1966: Frank Sinatra has a cold.. The guy who created the Trollface meme has made $100k from it so far... SEC charges former N.Y. Giants player with fraud... What the NBA gets that the other big sports leagues don’t.
