Well. It looks like I'm going to have to fight Sister Jean. Rules are rules.
Word of the Day: Indisposed.
WORLD FAMOUS. I'm sure Saturday Night Live gets mixed reviews around these parts, but I know The Best Damn Band In The Land sure doesn't. And SNL name-dropped the world's most famous marching band on (as you may have guessed) Saturday night.
cortana, play dont stop belevin by the ohio state university marching band pic.twitter.com/FIzvk3amXF
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) March 13, 2022
My lone complaint: those ain't tubas, they're sousaphones. Other than that, A+.
B1G HEAVY. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, a bad thing or a medium thing, but for yet another year, the Big Ten has by far the most representatives in the NCAA Tournament.
The Big Ten's out here with nine, which is three more than the conference with the next most.
NINE teams for the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/oBGgAJXjRy
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 13, 2022
Objectively speaking, I don't think either Michigan or Indiana belong in the field compared to some teams that got left out, but even if they didn't make it, that would still give the Big Ten seven teams, which would still be good for the top spot.
Regardless, it's pretty telling that the conference has by far the most teams in the field but not a single team seeded higher than No. 3. It's been a conference full of above-average teams just slugging it out all year.
The obvious bad news for anybody hoping to see the conference break that dismal natty streak is that there's not a clear favorite to win the whole damn thing, but the good news is pretty much any of these teams could make a run and I wouldn't even blink.
HOCKEY ASSIST. Ohio State's regular positioning in the team rankings tells me that the Buckeyes don't really need all that much help on the recruiting front these days.
But if a local hockey hero is volunteering, who are they to say no?
It’s not every day that Blue Jackets 6-foot-5 forward Patrik Laine looks up to make eye contact. He’s a towering figure in most NHL dressing rooms, but that changed this week when a mountainous 18-year-old walked through the doors.
Olaus Alinen, a 6-7, 315-pound offensive lineman from Finland, spent a few days last week with Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen and his family. Kekalainen is friends with Finnish football legend Klaus Alinen, Olaus’ father.
It was all part of an unofficial visit to Ohio State, which is one of more than 40 FBS programs with scholarship offers on the table for Alinen. He’s currently a senior at Loomis Chafee School, a college prep boarding school in Windsor, Conn.
“I was really impressed with him,” Kekalainen said. “I’m not a football expert, and I’m not going to try to be, but I was impressed with him as a person, just how mature he was and how he seemed to be handling the process he’s going through, with so many scholarship offers.
“Hopefully he comes to Ohio State and makes us football fans, too. It was an unofficial visit, but I was happy to help. Finns stick together.”
We appreciate the assist, Patrik. When your hockey days are done, hit up Mark Pantoni for a job in the recruiting office. You can tell him I sent you (he will not know who I am, but you can certainly tell him I sent you).
I, too hope that he comes to Ohio State, but I'd like to formally invite Patrik to become a football fan even if he does not.
CERTIFIED FREAK. I knew from his football tape that Sonny Styles was an absolute monster, but it just hits a little different when you see him throwing down monster dunks and swatting kids into oblivion while helping send his hoops team to the state finals.
Pickerington Central is HEADED TO STATE @DevinRoyal7 @sonnystyles_ @PCTigersHoops pic.twitter.com/89alVg4Auj
— Jake Spegal (@JakeSpegal270) March 13, 2022
Oh, and he can pass, too.
One of seven assists for Ohio State football signee Sonny Styles in Pickerington Centrals win over Upper Arlington tonight.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 10, 2022
On the receiving end: Devin Royal, who has an Ohio State basketball offer and scored 24 points tonight.
PC plays Gahanna Lincoln in regional finals Sat. pic.twitter.com/ojVi1WSV8p
In a world where kids are increasingly specializing in one sport at younger and younger ages, it's refreshing to see an athlete like Sonny Styles so indiscriminate in which sport he chooses to dominate.
If it's an athletic contest, he's gonna be better than you. It doesn't matter what it is. And I appreciate that.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. There are five fewer Doritos per bag now thanks to inflation... Geologists have closely analyzed two bizarre 'blobs' detected deep inside Earth... A company is planning to dig the world's deepest hole to unleash energy... The uninhabited Henderson Island has been marked on charts in the wrong place for 85 years... Inheriting Bitcoin is harder than it sounds... The internet’s meth underground, hidden in plain sight...
