I quit Westworld.. and that was a mistake. The last episode, Kiksuya, was a certified banger. All my chips are back on the table, and I regret abandoning ship too early.
ICYMI:
- Andrew Lind's latest observations from Ohio State's second one-day camp: Craig Young's looming commitment, Lejond Cavazos’ athleticism, and more.
- James Grega talked with national championship quarterback Rex Kern about his origin as a blue-chip basketball player.
- Have a tailgate recipe the world needs to know about? Submit it to the Official 11W Tailgate Cookbook. The author of the highest-voted recipe receives a $50 gift certificate to the 11W Dry Goods.
Word of the Day: Parched.
PRICE POWERING UP. Fate works in mysterious ways. Billy Price was expected to dominate the NFL Combine bench press. Instead he suffered a pectoral injury on his first rep of a "measly" 225 pounds.
He's now lifting 305 and he's not even 100%.
From Jay Morrison of daytondailynews.com:
Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Billy Price still isn’t able to do any drills against the defense, and won’t be for the duration of this mandatory minicamp, but the former Ohio State center said it’s only a matter of days before he gets full medical clearance on the pectoral injury he suffered at the Combine.
“I’m going to be cleared next week when I go for my all check,” Price said prior to Tuesday’s practice. “I just did 305 this morning on the bench. We’re OK.”
Tilt of the cap to the Bengals. Maybe the Browns can lure him in three years with their Super Bowl war chests.
BLUE IN THE SHOE? Blue and yellow adorn dome panels of the North Rotunda in the around Horseshoe. A decorative decision the Columbus Conspiracy Cartel traced to the Ohio Stadium dedication game in 1922.
From Tom Orr of theozone.net:
In the Ohio State University Archives, you can find a copy of the specifications for the stadium’s construction. They were approved by the OSU Board of Trustees on May 25, 1921, nearly 17 months before that Dedication Game.
One day later, the Ohio Stadium Building Commission, including William Oxley Thompson and Lynn St. John approved them.
In those specifications it says, “the tile in the dome panels shal (sic) be light blue, and the rosettes in the dome panels buff, all subject to approval of sample.”
Oxley and St. John no doubt toasting they didn't make that decision in the Twitter era. A student would have spotted it and put it on Twitter. Folks would light torches and demand their resignations.
That article is worth reading, and that series will be worth watching.
You should also follow Orr on Twitter because he unearthed iconic scrolls like this:
One weird thing I learned while researching this story: Ohio Stadium used to be nicknamed 'Old Stoneface.'
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) June 12, 2018
That's... uhhh... something. pic.twitter.com/irliKC4lJA
I'm not saying I'll stop calling it the Horseshoe. But I will be calling it Old Stoneface too.
SPECIAL TEAMS SHAUN. Shaun Wade drew rave reviews when he practiced last year. Unfortunately multiple injuries prevented him from seeing the field.
Recruiting status doesn't mean anything in the OSU DB rooom. First he must prove he's healthy. Then he'll likely have to shine on special teams first.
From Tim Bielik of cleveland.com:
Wade's redshirt year makes it easy to forget how hyped he was coming out of high school. Now that he's much healthier, he will be on the field in some capacity in the fall. It's possible he could have a season like what Okudah had last season. Okudah was the fourth cornerback on the depth chart behind the top three of Denzel Ward, Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield. Ward's departure to the NFL Draft means a spot in that top three is open, and it will likely go to Okudah.
New Ohio State cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson said in the spring that he is open to rotating three cornerbacks once again. Wade will likely find himself on the outside of that rotation.
Wade should embrace it. He could block three key punts or kicks on the way to a title and he would never have to look far for a credible job in Columbus for the rest of his life.
T.P. TO THE CAVS. Cavs should work out Terrelle Pryor. Just how I feel.
FUN FACT: @TerrellePryor was ranked a better high school basketball prospect than @KlayThompson ... and this is probably one of the reasons why. (via odell31/YT, h/t etras99/Reddit) pic.twitter.com/eroSiXe9ue
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) June 12, 2018
If I had a Buckeye genie, I'd bring Pryor back and let him play under Urban Meyer and Chris Holtmann.
RIP SAVIC. The legendary Pandel Savic passed away at 92. You might, as I once did, be asking—who is Mr. Savic?
He holds a unique place in Buckeye Lore.
From Jeff Svoboda of scout.com in 2014:
When he started at the age of 9 his ambitious trek from his home in Macedonia to his eventual landing spot of Girard, Ohio, young Savic – who spoke not a word of English at the time – couldn’t have had much of an idea of what to expect in northeastern Ohio.
When he enlisted in the Marine Corps to fight in World War II, he had no idea if he’d return to the United States alive from his combat position in the Pacific Theater.
When he did come back and headed to Ohio State to play quarterback, he likely had no idea he’d lead the school to its first-ever victory in the Rose Bowl.
He no doubt got a scarlet carpet welcome at the Big Buckeye Block Party in the Sky.
THOSE WMDs. Settling old scores on the obituary page... The strange case of the missing Joyce scholar... Hiding my depression almost destroyed my job... A company built on a bluff... Where to start with John Steinbeck... Florence Y'all Water Tower... Akron looks to Copenhagen.
