Feb. 9 was a good day in Buckeye Kingdom.
- Four-star 2017 DT Haskell Garrett committed to the good guys. (Birm's impact piece: here.)
- The men's basketball team avoided its first home loss to Northwestern since 1977, 71-63. Better yet: They closed out the game!
BRAXTON'S ON TEAM #SANDALSOCKS; LET'S GO. The great thing about the Ohio State family is it takes care of each other. This is true for people like Braxton Miller all the way to mediocre bloggers like myself (thank y'all for the charity keeping me from homelessness).
So when Miller tweeted a picture of him and Cris Carter down in Florida preparing for the NFL combine, I wasn't shocked. That's what Buckeyes do.
OOoooH .. Grinding in Florida w/ @criscarter80 .. The empire is being built daily. #Charg1ng #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/pf9h0oMYH8
— BRAXTON MILLER (@BraxtonMiller5) February 9, 2016
What did shock me is Braxton Miller, fashionista, wearing socks with sandals. I rank this moment above his lightning strike against the heart of Virginia Tech back in September.
People that slander the silky sartorial choice of socks with sandals lack hardihood. They've also never worn socks with sandals, which is a luxury I place next to slippers. They also keep foot sweat from soaking into your sandals and making them smell like Swamp Thing's trundle.
No #teen's dipshit commentary is going to stop me from running everyday errands in socks and sandals. We may both live in our parent's basements, but I'm at least good enough for $20 on the weekly grocery bill.
As President of the Socks with Sandals Society, I'd like to welcome surprise member Braxton Miller.
BROWN DOESN'T WANT TALIB SUSPENDED. Philly Brown torched Denver CB Aqib Talib early in Super Bowl 50. Talib, never accused of being the sharpest tool on the shelf, responded by nearly ripping Brown's head-off.
It earned a flag (and kept Brown out of the end zone), but not an ejection. Afterwards, Talib didn't mince words to NESN:
"My teammates knew what it was," Talib said of the play. "He was on the 3-yard line. (With) a personal foul, he was on the 1 1/2-yard line, so it is what it is."
Many people I think Talib's eventual "SUPER BOWL CHAMPION" epitaph shouldn't save him from a suspension next season.
Philly disagrees:
I don't think talib should be suspended. I hope he plays when we travel to denver next yr. He was frustrated that's what immature pros do
— corey brown (@phillybrown10) February 9, 2016
If somebody is immature, are they truly professional? Makes you think.
BUCKEYE FOOTBALL GEARS INTO SECOND SEASON. Urban Meyer's pumping of talent into the NFL makes for a nice break in the post-NSD offseason calendar.
With the Senior Bowl behind us, the NFL Combine next, and a pro day unlike "anything ever seen" coming next month... the Buckeyes are looking frosty enough to knockdown some longstanding draft records.
From cbssports.com:
The 2003 BCS title game between the Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes showcased dozens of future NFL players. The 2004 NFL Draft was well represented by prospects from that contest as both school set records -- Miami for first round picks (six) and Ohio State for total draft picks (14).
Fast-forward to the present and Ohio State has a legitimate chance to break both of those marks in the 2016 class.
[...]
Ohio State is the only program with at least 14 draft picks in a single draft, but could reach 15 this year. The Buckeyes had nine underclassmen declare for the draft early and along with seniors Decker, Miller, Nick Vannett, Adolphus Washington, Joshua Perry, and Chase Farris, 15 draft selections is reachable milestone
I'd love to see Chase Farris drafted; I think he could add value to a roster as a guard in the NFL.
That article also includes Dane Brugler's latest mock draft. Every AFC North team drafts a Buckeye... except the Cleveland Browns, who Brugler predicts will draft North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz.
| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | SAN DIEGO CHARGERS | JOEY BOSA |
| 10 | NEW YORK GIANTS | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT |
| 16 | DETROIT LIONS | TAYLOR DECKER |
| 18 | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | DARRON LEE |
| 24 | CINCINNATI BENGALS | BRAXTON MILLER |
| 25 | PITTSBURGH STEELERS | ELI APPLE |
| 29 | ARIZONA CARDINALS | VONN BELL |
The favorite for the No. 1 pick is Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil. (Save that thought.)
THIS SEEMS GOOD. There's a new boss freshman on campus, and her name is Francesca Di Lorenzo. She plays tennis, and the Big Ten named her Tennis Athlete of the Week on Tuesday. It was deserved.
Per Ohio State release:
- Guided Ohio State to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship semifinals, with three wins over top 30 players at No. 1 singles and three victories in doubles play
- Defeated No. 26 Mayar Sherif Ahmed of Fresno State (6-2, 6-1), No. 24 Sydney Campbell of Vanderbilt (6-4, 1-6, 6-3) and No. 5 Maegan Manasse of California (6-2, 7-6 (2))
- Partnered with Olivia Sneed to earn doubles victories over Sofia Maylsheva and Olivia Noble of Fresno State (6-4), Frances Altick and Fernanda Contreras of Vanderbilt (6-2) and Lynn Chi and Maria Smith of California (6-4) at the No. 3 position
- Earns the second weekly award of her career and second in as many weeks
The last Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week at Ohio State? Francesca Di Lorenzo on Feb. 2.
REBELS 'BOUT TO TAKE ANOTHER L. Remember when the NCAA reportedly charged Ole Miss with 30 violations in three sports? Ole Miss spun it to friendly reporters as "Nothing to see here" in regards to Hugh Freeze's program.
Turns out those reporters got sold a bill of goods to stave off any bombshells before National Signing Day. Eventually, the other shoe was going to drop like it did on Tuesday.
From the Associated Press:
Mississippi's football program was cited by the NCAA in nearly half of the 28 rules violations levied against the school in the Notice of Allegations the university recently received, said a person with knowledge of the investigation.
The person said Tuesday that 13 allegations involve the football program, and nine of those occurred during current coach Hugh Freeze's tenure. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The violations are a mix of Level I — which the NCAA considers most serious — and Level II and III. Many have already been self-reported by the school.
If a booster was really cited for bringing recruits to Ole Miss campus six times, thats a problem. A big problem.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) February 10, 2016
Laremy Tunsil, one of the eyes of the storm, is already off to the NFL. I have no problem with Tunsil (or anyone) taking money or cars from people giving them away, but I will feel bad the NCAA is going to drop the hammer on a bunch of 18-22 year-olds who played no role in the violations.
I will not, however, shed any tears for Rebel fans.
THOSE WMDs. FDA recommends adding a little Tabasco to that bad boy... Russians make best truck in the universe for $50k... Woman makes prosthetic pinkies for ex-Yakuza members... Sugar Ray Robinson made Jake La Motta his bloody Valentine in 1951... Taking Shergar: Horse racing's most famous cold case... I've been working out all wrong.
