Skull Session: Remembering Darron Lee's Dominance, TBDBITL Goes to Digital Tryouts, and Ohio State Owns the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Award

As a Cincinnati Reds fan, this is the happiest I've ever been to see baseball in late July since I was still in high school.

Undefeated, baby!

Word of the Day: Desultory.

REMEMBER THE MANIMAL. Of all the players from the 2014 and 2015 teams, I probably overlook Darron Lee way more than I should.

I distinctly remember being very terrified when we rolled out a former three-star high school quarterback at outside linebacker in 2014 and he promptly capped his first game as a Buckeye with a defensive score to seal the game.

The dude was an absolute monster for two seasons and deserves to be remembered as such.

#TBT is the perfect time to revisit Darron Lee's all-around skills.@DLeeMG8 | @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/kapptoO5Nc
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) July 23, 2020

There was an extremely brief period of time when Buckeye fans waited for the next Darron Lee just like they spent years clamoring for the next Devin Smith. I think that pretty faded fast when folks quickly realized The Manimal was one of a kind.

We had a 235-pound linebacker that ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and I really just expected another one to waltz out of the wings once he took his talents to the next level.

I'm gonna try this new thing where I appreciate the great players while they're here instead of just expecting the next guy to be equally as great. Lord knows I didn't do that with Darron Lee.

TBDBITL GOES VIRTUAL TRYOUTS. Attention all future i-dotters, drum majors and other feather hat wearers – your journey to the Best Damn Band in the Land will begin where I live most of my life: online.

Tryout adjustments for the 2020 Ohio State University Marching Band:

1. Music auditions will be conducted via video submission and will be required of all new candidates and all veteran band members.

2. Marching audition requirements will depend on the start date of the football season and will be conducted either via video submission OR live. All new candidates must complete a marching audition.

3. Veteran band members need only complete a marching audition if requested to do so by the marching band staff, based on their music audition.

4. Any student who needs an instrument for tryouts should contact the band office at 614-292-2598 OR osumb@osu.edu. Instruments will be available beginning July 31 (for squad leaders) and August 7 for all others.

MOST OF THE BEST. There are 14 teams in the Big Ten, and this past decade, you could basically just flip a coin to determine whether or not Ohio State or the field would have the best offensive player in the conference.

And the reigning king is returning to his throne for another year.

5 of the last 10 @bigten offensive player of the year awards have gone to @OhioStateFB

Who's taking it home this year? pic.twitter.com/dZ7TlzOE71
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) July 23, 2020

I'll take "The same guy who won it last year" for $800, Alex!

The best part is, if they would have looked at the Chicago Tribune Silver Football instead of the offensive player of the year award – the more prestigious of the two – they would have had to add another Buckeye to the list, because J.T. Barrett shared the award with Saquon Barkley in 2016.

Also, you can do the same thing for the previous decade on the other side of the ball. Ohio State claimed 5 of 10 defensive player of the year awards between 2000 and 2009: Mike Doss (2002), Will Smith (2003), AJ Hawk (2005), and James Laurinaitis (2007, 2008).

Let's just go ahead and dominate both awards this next decade, cool?

SCARLET & GRAY ON OPENING DAY. Opening Day doesn't feel quite the same without dime hot dogs and cheap beer at the Stube on a refreshing spring day, but I'll take live sports however I can get it.

And for those of you with no MLB loyalties who still want someone to root for, we've got a Buckeye representing on Opening Day.

Former Buckeye Travis Lakins on the @Orioles Opening Day roster#GoBuckeyes https://t.co/Cq88zTJK0L
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) July 23, 2020

Best of luck to Mr. Lakins. Until, of course, he meets my future World Series Champion Cincinnati Reds, who definitely won't lose three-straight home games in the playoffs this time!

FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS! I'm not generally the type of guy to root for the global pandemic against someone's business, but if CampusParc becomes a COVID-19 casualty, I will gleefully tap-dance on their grave like I'm Fred Astaire.

The good news is, they seem to be hemorrhaging money!

CampusParc has processed more than 7,000 permit cancellations since the university’s emergency declaration. In some circumstances, the company can demand money from the school if policy changes cut into revenue.

But CEO Sarah Blouch says the current shutdown wouldn’t qualify.

“If the university somehow decided 'we don’t like red cars and we don’t want any coming to campus,' or something that,” Blouch offers as an example. “Or if they make a significant change like, 'We don’t want a certain group to park on campus anymore,' or 'We want to change where people park and things like that,' that could be, but this is not that.”

While Blouch wouldn’t offer specifics, she acknowledged the parking company’s losses so far are in the millions of dollars. Still, she said CampusParc isn't going anywhere.

“We’re assuming an impact through fall,” Blouch says. “We are looking at potential impacts going beyond that. I won’t say they won’t hurt and we may have to restructure some things we do as a business, but at no point in time in the foreseeable future would we need to say we just can’t do this anymore.”

This makes complete sense, because when you remove a blood-sucking parasite from its victim, the parasite does tend to suffer. The only bad news here is that CampusParc will likely survive, which is truly a shame.

SONG OF THE DAY. "Blackbird" by The Beatles.