My Airing of Grievances: Big Ten Media Days

Hello everyone, it has been a while. I apologize for the hiatus and promise it won't happen again. At least until the next time, anyway. Lol

So, there is this segment on local Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan in Columbus Ohio called 'Airing of Grievances' with Common Man and Company. It's a call-in segment that allows listeners to air any grievances they may have on-air for 20 seconds, as long as they follow certain guidelines As I am typing this the host of Common Man and Company-- Mike Ricordati-- is ripping his audience a new one because, unfortunately, a lot of them have trouble following the simple guidelines of decency and common sense.

It made me think what grievance would I have called in to "air" had I the opportunity? Really, it's quite simple. During the Big Ten Media days in Chicago, Illinois, when Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer stepped up to the podium, reporters had the chance to ask him any question they wanted. Yet 8 of the 10 questions presented to coach Meyer centered around the recent off-the-field incidences that have led to four players being either suspended or removed from the team altogether.

I understand that this is a big issue, not only for the players involved but also for the Ohio State football team and the university at large. I also understand that, given Urban Meyer's past with the University of Florida, there are many people who believe his coaching philosophy is 'win at all costs.'

Yet Ohio State is on the verge of accomplishing some very distinguished firsts, too. Like being the first team in school history to win a national championship a year after finishing the season undefeated. And the first Ohio State team to win a national championship, and have a player (quarterback Braxton Miller) win the Heisman, too. Finally, an Ohio State victory in the BCS championship would end the Southeastern Conference's current streak in the title game at six.

And all the media could focus on was, as Urban Meyer so eloquently put it, ' the few knuckleheads who were trying to ruin it for the rest of us.' In the words of former Ohio State wide receiver and current ESPN analyst Cris Carter, "C'mon, Man!!" It seriously seemed like they were all waiting for some pearl of wisdom to come from Meyer on why these incidents were happening.

Yet here are at least 8 questions I think that, given the season the Buckeyes just finished, the 'knuckleheads' in the media should have asked:

1. From what you've seen of Braxton Miller this offseason, what appears to be the biggest improvement in his game?

2. With all the trouble it appeared you had at linebacker in 2012, how do you feel about the talent you have on the roster this season in regard to the position? Do you believe there is more or less depth at LB in 2013?

3. You stated in the spring of 2012 that there also appeared to be a 'lack of playmakers' on the offensive side of the ball, especially at the wide receiver position. A year later, how has your opinion changed on the subject? Besides Philly Brown and Devin Smith, obviously, who are guys you believe have the potential to 'break a big one' this season?

4. According to ESPN, you have the number two recruiting class in the nation this year behind Alabama. From what you've seen so far, which freshmen do you see making an immediate impact/starting this season?

5. There were a number of wins last season that were very close, including six games that were decided by 7 points or less. As you look at the schedule, which teams concern you the most this year?

6. Replacing John Simon and Johnathan Hankins this season on the defensive line won't be easy. If there is a guy on this year's team whose effort mimic's Simon, who would it be?

7. The Buckeyes don't play either Michigan State or Nebraska this season. Are you worried that not playing either of these Big Ten 'heavyweights' might allow your guys to get complacent?

8. The SEC has dominated the national title picture for the last half decade. Do you think this year's squad can legitimately challenge an SEC team for the national title?

Granted, he might have been as non-committal with some of the answers to those questions as the ones he was actually asked. But I don't understand why when given an opportunity to ask questions about football, the media insists on asking questions that don't pertain to the field. Especially when many of those questions happen to be loaded anyway (meaning Meyer isn't going to answer it).

In my opinion, Meyer is an individual of the highest integrity and moral fiber. I may be a bit biased as an Ohio State fan, but I am not going to apologize for that, either. And truth be told, he may be trying to be proactive for the sake of his image. But the truth is that most parents would rather send their son to a school where the coach is a disciplinarian than to someone who doesn't care at all.

But I digress. The point is that despite all these issues, Ohio State football is still a team on a mission. And a few bad apples will not sour the hard work the rest of the players have put in. And hopefully come mid-January, this will all be a distant memory--a bump in the road on the way to a championship.

Why I Hate LeBron James--And I Don't Care If You Do Either

In the wake of the Miami Heat's second consecutive NBA Championship, I had prepared a very nasty post concerning one LeBron James.

And although I am going to tone down some of that rhetoric, I will explain why I don't like the so called 'chosen one.' Not that I need to defend myself to the LeBron Apologists, who believe everyone should be a fan. That they should bow before his greatness, as if he has somehow found the cure for cancer or AIDS.

No, to me LeBron has become more hated than the Pittsburgh Steelers, John Elway, Art Modell, and Ray Lewis combined. Anyone who knows even the slightest about Cleveland Browns' football understands why that is such a huge statement.

LeBron Apologists will say get over The Decision, it's more than time to move on. I say LeBron Apologists get over yourselves. Basketball is a team game, and LeBron has chosen himself over the team. Drafted by Cleveland at the age of 18, he was expected to lead the Cavaliers to greatness they had never seen before. And although he didn't get them there, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Or was it? A Cavs team that had been hand picked by LeBron himself--the decision to let Carlos Boozer go, the acquistion of first Damon Jones, then Mo Williams, and later Antwan Jamison--were all moves that had been rubber stamped by the 'King' (makes me sick even saying that) himself. Even the decision to hire Mike Brown as head coach--essentially a James yes man--was an indirect sign of the influence this man had over the Cleveland front office. Yet, at the end of the day, the only thing the Cavs would have to show for themselves was a 0-4 NBA Finals sweep by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

LeBron Apologists will point to the fact there have been other great players to earn championships after leaving their original teams. Shaquille O'Neal, Clyde Drexler, Kevin Garnett are three of the most recent examples. Yet none of these players left their original teams with nearly the fanfare that surrounded James. I'm also pretty sure that before they left town they also thanked the fans for supporting them--something the 'Chosen One' has yet to do for the city of Cleveland (an apology would be nice, too.) And once they got to their new destination, they didn't talk about the number of rings they would win---they just went out and won them.

Then there is the whole  post game interview where James emphatically states " I'm from Akron, Ohio (the inner city)--I'm not even supposed to be here." Give me a break. You're six foot eight inches tall, blessed with natural quickness and a leaping ability that most guys would die for, and have been told you would be great probably since you were 10 years old. I don't think you'll get an ounce of sympathy from me. There are a lot of other people in the world that have overcome a lot longer odds than you have.

But the biggest issue I have with LeBron is the way he helped form the current Miami Heat team. Got together with his buddies Chris and Dwyane and asked them in the middle of the night if they all wanted to play together. Of the three aforementioned individuals who were also high profile free agents, I am certain none of them got to rubber stamp their teammates before they moved to their new location. In fact the struggles between Shaq and Kobe in Los Angeles have been well documented. But each player put aside their personal differences, at least for a little while, in interest of the greater good of the team. To me that is the true definition of being the ultimate team player. Do you honestly think Michael Jordan agreed with every decision that the then Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause made?

LeBron Apologists will say this is all stupid, I need to get over myself. I say get a life. Quit putting hero worship on an individual who clearly values his own legacy before the team. A man who, despite making millions upon millions of dollars doing something he loves, needs an entourage of yes men calling him 'The Chosen One' and 'King James.'  Do you honestly think the man really cares if you root for him? I don't remember him thanking the fans once during the whole Game 7 post game interview that has since circled the internet a million times over.

I'll acknowledge that what he has done is impressive. And if he wins another title next year, he may be among the top five players all-time, maybe top three. But he has a long way to go to win my support back. In fact, I am not sure there is much he could do at this point that would change my mind.

Tim Duncan: Last of the Dominant Big Men?

As everyone prepares for Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight, I 'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge one of the greatest to ever play the game.

That's right folks, I am talking about none other than Timothy Duncan, power forward for the Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.

In fact, regardless of whether the Spurs win or lose this series, we may be seeing the end of the dominant big man era in basketball.

Duncan, drafted No.1 overall by San Antonio out of Wake Forest(and perhaps the last college senior to ever be the first overall pick), would have an immediate impact for the Spurs as a rookie, averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. The following year, a lockout shortened season, the Spurs would win their first ever NBA Championship. Since that time, the Spurs have won three more titles, and they are currently working on their fifth ring.

As the years have gone by, Duncan has quietly gone about his business. And the hardware has kept piling up. He's been selected to the All-Star game 14 times. He's won the league MVP twice, and been named Finals MVP three times. If he wins a fifth ring this June, he will join Kobe Bryant as two of the most decorated superstars of their generation. As a big man, he will trail only the legendary Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics in that category.

And once he retires, it might signal the end of the dominant big man era in professional basketball. It has already become very transparent that teams don't need a big man to succeed in today's NBA, and Dwight Howard has proved with the Lakers that sometimes it can even be a detriment.

Sure there will be people who point to Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert as the changing of the guard. And he had a nice little performance in the Eastern Conference Finals. But until he consistently perform at the level he had during this season, I would say it's premature to call him a dominant big man.

Others would point to Kevin Love and Blake Griffin as examples of dominant bigs. To that, I say call me when either one of those individuals' teams advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. And don't even get me started on Griffin. Let's just say you need to be able to do more than dunk to be considered dominant.

Then there is last year's No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky. Considered the best player in college basketball two years ago, someday he might develop into an all-star. Never mind that Duncan played at an All-Star level in his very first season with San Antonio. There will be other big men drafted No. 1 overall, no doubt, but it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact these kids will ultimately have in the league.

Detractors will point to the fact that Duncan has always had a tremendous supporting cast, including Hall of Famer David Robinson, Tony Parker, Sean Elliot, and Manu Ginobli among others. Yet those people also haven't followed the Spurs all that closely, either. Duncan has made each one of those players better the moment he stepped onto the court as a rookie in 1997. Nor can they truly appreciate the on court battles he did with the likes of Shaq, Dirk Nowitski, Dikembe Mutombo and others.

So whether the Spurs win or lose, enjoy the performance that Tim Duncan has put on throughout this postseason, and his career. We may never see one like it again.

Stepping Up To The Plate

This afternoon I participated in a charity softball tournament with several of my coworkers and their families. It was a fun experience that I am not soon to forget.

To clarify, the proceeds went to charity-- the Susan Komen Fund for the Cure to be precise-- but there were no celebrities present. Of course, in my humble opinion, all of my teammates and the members of the opposing team might as well have been celebrities.

The game was a hit (pun intended) and even though the team I was on lost, I believe everyone had a great time. I can't wait to do it again, even though my whole body aches from the experience. Having played catcher for most of the game, I have a new found respect for the position.

And, along the way, I found out two things about myself that I hadn't considered before. One is that I could really start to like playing softball, to the point that I would like to join a league sometime in the near future. Secondly, I am seriously out of shape if I want to continue to play softball. Haha

This is coming from someone who is a huge football fan, so much so that over 75% of my blogs/articles center around that topic. Don't get me wrong, I follow baseball but I don't really get interested in the sport until the playoffs. I will check box scores on a week to week basis, but that is only because, like most other diehard sports fans, I am a stats junkie.

Speaking of which, although I had decent offensive stats, I will not mention them here. But my defense was somewhat lacking. Okay, so it was terrible. So sue me. Of course, not having played in over two decades may have had something to do with it.

So a big thanks to my fellow coworkers at Cardinal (my day job, how else do you think I pay the bills?). I hope we all get to do this again soon.

Reid Fragel: Former Ohio State Tackle to be biggest Draft Day Surprise

Less than a week away, the buzz surrounding the NFL Draft has already reached a fever pitch.

It all begins with the Kansas City Chiefs, who, with the first overall pick, are expected to select either Luke Joeckel (Left Tackle from Texas A&M) or Eric Fisher(Left Tackle from Central Michigan). Or the Chiefs could trade down, a less likely scenario.

Following the Chiefs, there might be a run on defensive players, among them Dion Jordan of Oregon, Dee Milliner of Alabama, Star Lotulelei of Utah, Shariff Floyd(awesome name by the way) of Florida, and Barkevious Mingo of LSU among others.

The first round should also be another banner day for defending national champions Alabama Crimson Tide, as at least three of their players expected to be drafted in the first round with a fourth-running back Eddie Lacy-expected to go no later than middle of the second round.

Then, of course, comes the debate on which quarterbacks go in the first round. I myself believe that no quarterback in the 2013 class is worthy of being picked on day one, but EJ Manuel might be a value pick if he falls to the second round or later. Many people believe that Geno Smith is worthy of a first round pick; I'd like to know who these people are so I can sign them up for a CAT scan.

But after it is all said and done, the biggest surprise in the draft won't come on day one, and it might not even happen in the first 100 picks. That is because I believe the best draft day gem is one Reid Fragel, offensive tackle for the Ohio State University. Fragel, a four-year senior for the Buckeyes, was asked by Urban Meyer and the coaching staff at OSU to convert from tight end to right tackle in 2012.  He would make the transition better than expected, helping anchor OSU's spread offense and a key reason why Braxton Miller finished fifth in heisman voting last season.

And, although media pundits haven't officially predicted where Fragel will land, I'm guessing he will be drafted somewhere around the third or fourth rounds, if not earlier. Not only did Fragel's experience as a tight end mean he possesses great physicality for a right tackle, but at 6-6 and a very fit 300 pounds( he is said to have around 8% body fat), he is also in better shape than most right tackles. And sure, the left tackle, or 'blind side' gets all the press, that doesn't mean the right side of the line isn't equally as important. In fact, an unbalanced line can be just as big if not a bigger detriment to an offense when it comes to pass protection.

So mark April 25-27th on your calendar, ladies and gentlemen. And while you wonder who your favorite team will draft when their time draws near, remember this: should they draft Reid Fragel, they will be getting the best player no one is talking about. Well, almost no one

.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The New Kardiac Kids?

The Columbus Blue Jackets are the new version of the Kardiac Kids. Don't believe me, I 'll be happy to explain.

The Kardiac Kids originally referred to the 1980 Cleveland Browns and their quarterback, Brian Sipe, who won numerous games in the the final moments on the way to an 11-5 record.

Recently it seems the Blue Jackets have stolen a page from those Browns playbook, with two of their last three straight wins coming in overtime, and the other one a shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild. And while it appears controversy can't elude the reincarnated version of the Browns, the Blue Jackets keep on brimming with excitement.

Take last night's game against Anaheim for instance. I tuned in a little late, and the Ducks scored the first goal to take a 1-0 lead in 1st. After the Jackets tied the score at 1 in the 2nd, the game would be a back and forth affair that would end a 2-2 tie in regulation. Then, just as they did two nights before in Denver, the Jackets would escape with another overtime road win.

It's an amazing turn of events, especially since not more than a couple of months ago my best friend and I were looking ahead to the NHL Draft, and the Jackets' prospects of securing the no. 1 overall pick. No way either of us thought that the Jackets had a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. Yet with four games remaining, they are in sole possession of eighth place, with a chance to improve on that tonight vs. the Kings.

And it all starts with the play of their goalie wunderkid, Sergei Bobrovsky.  While I don't totally understand stats such as GAA (Goals Against Average, where  Goalie Bob's 2.03 is .3 better than last years best goalie,) or save % (Bobrovsky's .93 is also better than anyone on Columbus in the 2011-2012 campaign), I really don't need to. The eye test tells me that this kid is good, and that anyone would compare him to the likes of Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, or Henrik Zetterburg after being in the big league for a month is saying something. To be honest, I have watched Marc Denis, Pascal Leclaire and Steve Mason tend goal for the CBJ, and none of them showed the quickness that I have seen in Bobrovsky.

Lost in all of this might be the job that head coach Todd Richards has done with this team, however. I must admit that, following the departure of both Ken Hitchcock and Claude Noel, I thought Richards would be no more than a stopgap coach. But he has the team believing the can play with anyone, and the sky is the limit.

So while many people are quick to look to next season( in addition to their first round draft picks, the Jackets will also return this season's top pick, Ryan Murray, who never set foot on the ice), I am looking forward to seeing the Jackets make waves in this years playoffs. And to all the doubters who say this is just a product of a lockout shortened season, I say this: we shall see.

Weekend Rant: Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, etc...

Tiger Woods is staying put this weekend at Augusta National.

He just might even win his fifth Masters tournament in the process.

As social media is abuzz regarding his controversial drop on the 15th hole, the game of golf needs him to be in contention on the final day. So of course they're going to create an exception for him.

Golf purists can argue all they want that Tiger should remove himself from the tournament, but he's not going to do that. Neither would they if they happened to be in his position. When you're chasing history, sometimes you bend the rules. And if the tournament officials allow it, then you say you're fine with it too.

Look, I really don't like Tiger myself that much. In all honesty, I'd rather see someone like Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, or even Phil Mickelson(known by many as a big choker) put on the green jacket instead on Sunday afternoon. But the PGA understands the power of Tiger, and is willing to let bygones be bygones at this point. Doesn't mean it's right. Or even fair.

And to those who say that no golfer is above the rulebook, I say this: yeah right. From the moment he won his first major, there was already an unofficial rulebook created for one Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods. If you're just realizing that now, well shame on you.

So if Tiger goes on to win Sunday, historians can put an asterisk by his name if that makes them feel better. But it won't really change anything at this point.

...Kobe Bryant may have played his last game of professional basketball.

Well, not really, but even he is sensing the end is near after MRI's reveal that he suffered a tear in his achilles tendon the other night.

Many Lakers fans around the world are hoping that this isn't the end for Kobe.

As for me, while I hope he makes a full recovery, I hope that this indeed is the beginning of the end for no. 24 of purple and gold.

A man called by many the greatest Laker of all time, in my opinion he was merely a superior one-on-one player surrounded by other great players.

He won three titles with Shaq, two more with a list of All-Stars and a coach (Phil Jackson) that even LeBron would be envious of. Now, without Phil and with two of the supposed best players in the league (Steve Nash and Dwight Howard), they're barely making the playoffs.

History has already shown us that LeBron had success in Cleveland with a bunch of castoffs that no other team wants for very long. The proof is the fact that the Cavs haven't even made the playoffs without LBJ, despite the efforts of coach Byron Scott(who actually led the then New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals once upon a time).

And then there is the G.O.A.T., one Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Not only were Jordan's Bulls a contender before Phil, but Jordan also lifted the lowly Washington Wizards to near playoff status. At the age of 40. After he had been out of the game for several years mind you on his second retirement tour.

So Kobe is pissed that, at age 35, this might be the end of the road for him. Well, don't expect me to feel to sorry for him knowing that others have come back and still been successful under less than ideal circumstances.