Damn, I guess Michigan ain't a baseball school either, huh?
ICYMI
- Ben Christman commits to the good guys.
- What Christman's commitment means for the Bucks.
- Offseason football mailbag.
- Top targets face dead period decisions.
- Ramzy makes fun of Michigan.
- The Buckeye-heavy team at The Opening.
Word of the Day: Doss.
HE'S HOME. I know a lot of folks were at least a little upset about Brendon White taking on this new bullet role over the offseason. I mean, we just figured the whole safety thing out, now they're going to start toying with it again?
I get it – "don't fix what ain't broken," and all – but the more I hear the bullet position described, the more I feel like White was absolutely built for it.
From Steve Helwagen of Bucknuts:
“I’ve been playing the safety position and that linebacker position. That has been kind of cool to be a big part of the defense. It’s humbling. I know I need to get to work and get that position down to help my team win.”
White discussed the new Bullet position and his responsibilities.
“It’s kind of like being a Troy Polamalu,” White said. “You are a safety but you are down playing at five yards. I have to make the run fits and fill the run gaps. But at the same time, you have to play like a deep half or deep third (in coverage). You have to be able to play both.
“I’m coming in for extra film work. The biggest thing is being able to make those run fits and fill those run gaps. Being a safety, you’re not used to taking on an offensive lineman. I like it a lot. It keeps me busy and keeps me focused.
“We can play multiple defenses with it and confuse the defense. They won’t know what kind of defense we’re in. I love it. I love every bit of it.”
It's wild that at this point last year, White wasn't even sniffing the two-deep and now we're looking at him as the prototype of the most versatile position on the defense.
Kid'\s, never give up, or something.
CRAFT TALKS BUCKEYES. We're officially at the "reminisce about the old Buckeye basketball days" portion of the offseason with the TBT kicking off in Columbus this weekend.
And you know what? Hell yeah.
Reveling in the last time Ohio State was good at basketball with a bunch of guys – now playing overseas – reuniting for an annual exhibition tournament in a gym the size of the YMCA was the most Michigan thing we've ever done as a fanbase.
But now that the team is actually good again, he'll yeah I'll reminisce about Aaron Craft and his grittiness.
From WLTW44:
Craft is a Liberty Benton alum, and an Ohio native, Craft reflected on what it was like to play for the Buckeyes. “When you grow up in Ohio, Ohio State is almost like the professional team you root for. So, to have an opportunity to represent that university on such a stage, like basketball, was amazing for me.”
During his run with Ohio State, Aaron realized he had an opportunity to keep going. “It wasn’t until my junior year that I really realized I had an opportunity to play [at the next level.] Fortunately, I’ve had a great job for the past 5 years, every year since being out of school.”
The way Craft talks about Ohio State, and the way Buckeye fans continue to talk about Craft, it's hilarious to think he was once committed to play for Bruce Pearl at Tennessee. What a wild alternate reality that is.
Personally, I'm happy with this version of the multiverse. May his rosey cheeks bring the Buckeye alumni team a TBT Title (and $2 million).
'CROOTIN BY COUNTY. Ever wondered who the last Buckeye player was from your neck of the woods? Now we have it!
Tom Orr, who always does fantastic and creative things over at The Ozone, and gave us an excellent look at the latest Ohio State player from each of Ohio's counties.
The Ohio State football program was built on the strength of Ohio high school football.
The Buckeye State is annually one of the top producers of football talent in the nation, and has been for decades.
Every Buckeye Heisman Trophy winner except for one came to OSU from inside the state borders. Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Howard ‘Hopalong’ Cassady, Archie Griffin, and Troy Smith were all in-state recruits.
Eddie George is the only exception.
And those players come from all over the state. While big cities like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati have sent a huge number of players into the program, the team’s roster has been populated from virtually every part of Ohio from big cities to small towns, and everything in between.
Some counties have multiple members of the team right now. Others haven’t had one in decades.
Follow that link to the article to see whole table and admire the Legendary Tom Orr's hard work. All in all, 85 of Ohio's 88 counties have been represented by at least one Buckeye player.
Sounds like Ryan Day's got some work to do...
WEED(S) KILL(S). Stay frosty, wild plant consumers/sniffers/close-starers – two deadly weeds are on the loose.
From Alexis Mathews of WHIO.com:
Poison hemlock is one of the deadliest plants in North America. It contains highly toxic compounds, which cause respiratory failure and death in mammals.
The toxins must be ingested or enter through the eyes or nasal passages to induce poisoning.
The roots of the weed are more toxic than the leaves and stems, however all parts of the plant including the seeds should be considered dangerous.
Wild parsnip contains psoralens, which kill skin cells that are responsible for protecting us from sunlight radiation.
Severe blistering, burn-like symptoms, and skin discoloration can occur as a result.
Both weeds can be identified by their short flower stalks rising from a common point like the ribs on an umbrella.
Hemlock already took my boy Socrates, I ain't about it let it take my readers.
BURN OF THE YEAR! Michigan football is in such a desperate for relevance they're claiming victories in recruiting battles that didn't exist for prospects Ohio State wasn't fighting for.
#Michigan beat Ohio State for VIPER William Mohan this past weekend, and may beat OSU again tomorrow for RB Blake Corum. As coach Gattis tweeted yesterday, it all starts with recruiting. Then comes development.
— Adam Ghabour (@Qb9Adam) June 26, 2019
Spoiler: Blake Corum ain't committing to Ohio State today, and it's not because Michigan won some hard-fought recruiting battle. It's because the Buckeyes are probably going to land a five-star, top-25 overall player in the country who plays that same position.
But I'm not going to tell them Santa isn't real just yet. They need all the fantasy they can get after their transition to a baseball school didn't go too well last night.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. Throwback to when Pepsi had the world's sixth-largest navy... The guy who bought a monorail for $1,000... Folks are buying their own cosmetic fillers online and injecting them into their own faces... Why phone batteries suck so bad... An insane Japanese robot restaurant...
