Folks, yesterday was a dark day for the Buckeyes. I sincerely hope we can get through it.
Only about a half hour until midnight and no commitments yet for Ohio State today. The first day since Saturday without a commitment.
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) March 19, 2020
Really makes you start to wonder if Ryan Day's maybe past his prime.
It's tough to have much faith in the program going forward, really. Ryan Day really needs to pull it together.
Song of the Day: "Sowing Season" by Brand New.
Word of the Day: Acerbic.
FIELDS DAY. It's going to be a bit before you see another real live touchdown, but thankfully Justin Fields gifted us with enough of them this season to hold us over for a bit.
Cure your March sadness by watching all FIFTY of @justnfields TDs for @OhioStateFB through week 15 of last season pic.twitter.com/crsbxRyInc
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) March 17, 2020
Getting shafted out of a month-and-a-half of spring football and a spring game just before the start of an already nightmarishly long offseason is like finding the last three gas stations closed before you're forced to cross the Mojave Desert.
Thankfully, like a trusty jerry can in the trunk, we've got a whole arsenal of highlights we can burn to get us to the other side, and lord knows we're gonna need them.
“THE” WAR AIN'T OVER. Ohio State's not letting a mere flesh wound halt its quest to trademark the most common word in the English language.
Despite an initial refusal, the university is at it again, attempting to trademark the word "the," this time in retaliation to The Marc Jacobs’ similar application. They also appear lightly salted that they weren't granted the trademark in the first place, as Ben Blavat of The Lantern reports.
Ohio State’s application was refused on the grounds that the mark was “merely a decorative or ornamental feature of applicant’s clothing” and does not distinguish Ohio State’s clothing from others.
In Ohio State’s response, attorney Samantha M. Quimby said Ohio State “respectfully disagrees” with the office’s decision.
“This is a case where the applied-for mark, namely THE (the Applied-for Mark), when used in connection with clothing apparel, is an indicator of secondary source and sponsorship,” Quimby said.
...
“The decision to purchase apparel bearing the Ohio State Marks – including THE – arises from the purchaser’s desire to demonstrate his or her connection to, affinity for, or affiliation with the secondary source, namely The Ohio State University,” VanBrimmer said.
VanBrimmer said “the” has become a more pronounced aspect of the university’s name over time. Ohio State provided other forms of evidence to support the claims, such as university archives and news articles depicting the word’s widespread usage.
At this point, Ohio State just needs to go for broke and snag the indefinite article, too.
"AN Ohio State University" has a nice ring to it.
NO WAIVER FOR WINTER ATHLETES. Thousands of winter athletes got their seasons and careers cut short due to the coronavirus, and even though the NCAA is almost certainly giving spring athletes an extra semester of eligibility, things aren't really looking good for athletes in the winter sports.
Sources: The NCAA is unlikely to grant an extra year of eligibility for student athletes who participated in winter sports and had their seasons cut short due to coronavirus.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 18, 2020
An extra year of eligibility is still in play for student athletes involved with spring sports.
It's extremely bullshit that Luke Pletcher and Kollin Moore won't get their national titles, that Andre Wesson's career ended so unceremoniously, and that both hockey teams and the fencing team missed out on legit chances to win a national title.
But – and I type these words with a full-sized cringe across my face – this is probably the right move by the NCAA. The regular season was over for them, and the entire season was over for all the athletes that didn't make the postseason. Giving everyone another full season because some of them missed less than 5 percent of their season just isn't super justifiable.
That said, I'd love to see the NCAA try to work out a preseason championship instead, but I know damn well that's not going to make it anywhere further than an online hypothetical.
THE NEXT FIVE-STAR. A tale old as time – Ohio State signed an extremely good player to its women's basketball player who's making waves before even stepping foot on campus.
Basketball Coaches Association of New York announced Wednesday Ohio State @OhioStateWBB bound-Kateri Poole @kateripoole5 has been named Miss New York Basketball https://t.co/obHuGcj2sS #NYCBasketball pic.twitter.com/bJvkMl55mB
— Stacey Davis (@NYCHoopsnball) March 18, 2020
The Buckeyes are only losing just one single player to graduation this offseason and add another five-star to a roster that already features four, all of whom will only be sophomores, and that doesn't even count the best player on the team, Dorka Juhasz, who has two more seasons of eligibility.
Needless to say, you're going to want to tune in for the next few years as this death machine gets rolling.
DUKE IS AFTER TOWNS. Ohio State was looking like the frontrunner to land Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns, but a much more formidable blue team than the usual villain seems to be making a late push.
Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns tells me that he's now receiving interest from Duke. Immediately eligible.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 18, 2020
I'm not concerned. All the Buckeyes will have to do is remind him they're the reigning (simulated) national champions and that'll be all she wrote. Duke is washed!
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. A funeral home is indicted for illegally selling body parts... A man accused of reckless driving on the interstate said he was blind but ‘God was guiding him’... A police officer was caught planting marijuana for a second time... A Chinese study indicates blood type might play a role in the coronavirus pandemic... Copper destroys viruses and bacteria, so why isn’t it everywhere?
