Buckeye Recruiting and Spring Game Players to Watch

So it appears that the Ohio State football team is quietly out building a dynasty, while most of you weren't even paying attention. With yesterday's commitment from linebacker Tuf Borland from Illinois, the list of players committed to Ohio State for 2016 has grown to 10.


Which doesn't sound impressive until you consider they are all four stars or better, including


1. Three of the top four running backs in the nation (1. Kareem Walker 3. George Hill 4. Demario McCall)


2. A four-star quarterback from Desoto, Texas, (Tristen Wallace) pursued by Texas, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Mississippi State and Louisville among others


3. Along with Borland, Ohio State also has defensive commits Shaun Wade (CB from Fla) and Terrell Hall (DE from Washington)


And while rankings aren't exclusively predictors of how well a team will do in the future, just take a look at what head coach Urban Meyer has been able to accomplish without all of the players he wanted.


And speaking of OSU football, here are some names to watch in this years spring game


Cardale Jones- An obvious name of course but this might be the junior signal-caller's shot to cement himself as the starting quarterback.


Stephen Collier- First look at the freshman(redshirt) quarterback from Georgia whom coach Meyer labeled a 'developmental guy'


Malik Hooker -safety from PA should get plenty of work in today


Gareon Conley- cornerback is looking to have a breakout season in the secondary


Jamarco Jones- interior lineman from the Chicago, Ill area


Tyquan Lewis -the sophomore defensive end is someone Joey Bosa has called a 'freak'


Jalyn Holmes- another sophomore battling for a starting spot on the defensive line


Terry McLaurin- 2nd year receiver out of Indiana will be trying to fill the void left when standout Devin Smith graduated.


Among the notable scratches in this year's game due to injury include J.T. Barrett, Braxton Miller, Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel among others.

Blue Jackets Play Inspires Hope for the Future

The Columbus Blue Jackets have two games remaining on their 2015 schedule.  While they were eliminated from playoff contention over a week ago, many people would say their season has been a failure.


Yet there are many reasons that Blue Jackets have been anything but a failure this year. For starters, the team will post its second consecutive season of 40 or more wins, and do so having lost more players to injury than any other team in the NHL. In addition, even if Columbus loses their final two, the worst they can finish is 40-37-5. This means they will finish the season above .500 for the third consecutive year, another franchise first.


Individual performances that should give fans reasons to be excited for the future include winger Nick Foligno, who scored 30 goals for the first time in his career this season. Foligno would also post the first hat trick of his career in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season.


Also notching hat tricks (3 goals in the same game) for the Blue Jackets this season were Scott Hartnell and Cam Atkinson in victories over the Ducks and the Blackhawks, respectively.


The Blue Jackets are also 5th in the league on the power play, something that should carry over into the 2015-2016 season. With a little luck when it comes to player health next year, Columbus could be a top 5 team in the Eastern conference.


So while in previous years a CBJ finish outside the playoffs would be cause for concern, this year's team is clearly different. Look out NHL, here come the Jackets.

Pro Athletes and Personal Conduct

As I was reading ESPN.com's article regarding the closing arguments in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial, it got me thinking about the NFL's personal conduct policy. More specifically, what standard should players be held to with respect to off-the-field conduct? And where is the line in which athletes should no longer be allowed to pursue a professional football career?


For starters, let's use the Aaron Hernandez case as an example. Even if he is found not guilty of murdering Odin Lloyd, he still awaits trial for the murder of two other individuals in 2012 (For the record, I maintain that Hernandez did murder Lloyd. His defense that he saw his two friends committing the murder, but was too shaken to do anything, is weak at best. I mean, you're really telling me that Hernandez, upon seeing two people he knew killing the someone he was more than acquaintances with, wouldn't even call 911?) If he were to somehow beat that indictment as well, I guess he would have a case to return to the NFL. Not that I would want him to play for my Browns. Of course, should he be convicted on any of the charges I think this point would be moot, as might be spending the remainder of his life in prison.


What about the case of Ray Rice then, or any player that commits domestic violence? Again, I am not certain I would want Rice playing for my team, but as long as he serves his sentence according to the law, and satisfies his punishment/rehabilitation with regard to the NFL, who am I to say he can't return to play? But taking it a step further, should Adrian Peterson be allowed to return to the NFL? I understand the need to discipline your kid. I should also state I am not (nor have ever been) a parent. But I also understand that his kid was four when Adrian punished him with a switch, leaving him with very visible bruises. From my experience being around my best friend's kid (who isn't much older, btw), someone that old barely even knows right from wrong. So there are many people who would say what Peterson did was more than excessive.


Of course, I also feel that NFL players should be held to the same standard as society as large. So, in the case of Peterson or Rice, if their actions would result in them being blacklisted from a lesser profession, why should there be a double standard just because they are professional athletes? In many instances an ordinary citizen who commits a felony might have a hard time getting a job in his previous profession. Just because these guys can run or jump faster than most people should not make them special.


Ultimately, however, this issue falls on the league and commissioner Roger Goodell to formulate a consistent policy on the issue. It doesn't necessarily mean we have to agree with his decision (or indecision, for that matter). Of course we also don't have to go to the games, either.

2015 NCAA Tournament- Duke Keeps My Bracket Hope Alive

The field of 64 has been narrowed down to two, and I couldn’t be happier. After all, not only did Kentucky lose to Wisconsin, thus ending its perfect season, but I still have a legitimate shot to win the office tourney pool. Even better than that is the possibility that I could win $300 in my friend’s bracket challenge as well.

And while the majority of my friends and co-workers might be rooting for the Badgers on Monday night, I will most certainly be in Duke’s corner. It doesn’t matter that Wisconsin represents the Big Ten, or they will more than likely be the underdogs.  Also of little importance is that guard Traevon Jackson is not only from Ohio, but also happens to be the son of former Ohio State standout Jimmy Jackson.

(As a side note, while I would normally root for the Big Ten, even at the expense of my own bracket, when you wager $50 to win $300 in a winner takes all format, your perspective kind of changes.) 

The fate of my brackets rest on the ability of the Dookies (sic) to get Coach K his fifth championship, and his third in Indianapolis at that. Duke already defeated Wisconsin once this season, but this is not the same Badger team. It should also be pointed out that Duke is not the same team, either. Is it possible that team that beat both Michigan State and Wisconsin in the regular season by 10 points apiece has played even better in the postseason? Not only is it possible, it seems downright plausible.

So the million-dollar question then becomes, how did I end up picking the Blue Devils to win it all, when most everyone and their brother had the Wildcats? Is it because Duke is not only the one of my favorite teams(according to this blog), and unlike Ohio State they had a legitimate chance of advancing? I wish I could say that was the case, but my affinity for the Blue Devils had little if any affect on my decision. What about freshman sensations Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor? I must admit the blue-chippers, the former averaging 11.5 ppg and 3.5 apg and the latter averaging 17.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg, are a rare inside-outside combination. But alas, as I watched less than a handful of Duke games, I didn’t know much about the duo.

So how exactly did I end up picking Duke, when less than 20% of the nation even had them in the national finals? Let’s just say that like most other people who have won their tournament pools in the past, I went with my gut. While other people agonized from 30 minutes to several hours on their bracket, I filled out mine within 10 minutes. And although it’s safe to say my round-by-round performance isn’t stellar (I’m currently 44-18 through the final four), it doesn’t matter how you start, only how you finish.

Yet it is far from a given that Duke will win their fifth title tomorrow night, or that I will win my first tournament pool ever(in what I have estimated is over 25 years of filling out an entry of some form, whether it be for school or work or online just for fun.) This time around not only do they have to account for a fully healthy Sam Dekker, but if they are going to win they must do so without the services of junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon, dismissed from the team before the regular season had even ended.

A tall task for the Blue Devils (literally and figuratively), but my gut tells me they have one more win left in them. After all, in an imperfect bracket, they are the only team that has been perfect for me thus far.

College Football Week 3 Its Been A While

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I can't believe it's been more than 3 months since my last post! I am slacking indeed. Well, enough about that, it's down to business.


After two weeks of the 2014 college football season, a couple of things have become crystal clear. First is that there is no clear frontrunner in the race to make college football's first ever playoff.
The second is that the Big Ten might be picking up right where the Big East left off.


And as for the continued SEC dominance? Well, if I had my power rankings out now, there would be about five teams in my top 10, no question. But that doesn't mean I believe more than one team from that conference should make the college football semifinal. (But I'll leave that discussion for another place and time down the road).


Speaking of the college football playoff, it appears we couldn't even make to midseason without a little controversy. Appears that University of Southern California AD Pat Haden, also a member of the playoff selection committee, appeared to influence last Saturday's contest between USC and Stanford when he stepped onto the field to talk to the officials. And while both the school and the PAC-12 have formally reprimanded Mr. Haden, I am curious to know what action, if any, the NCAA will take against the school.


Anyway, on to this weekend's games. Actually, there is a game going on tonight, not that it will be much of a contest. No. 8 Baylor romps over Buffalo, 50-10, even if Bryce Petty doesn't play. If Petty does play, then make it 65-10.


In other top 25 action


East Carolina vs.  No. 17 Virginia Tech


Hokies have become my new sleeper pick to make the college football playoff, and not just because they humbled the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend. Michael Brewer might be the best quarterback no one has ever heard of , and their defensive line is impressive. Plus they have one of the easier schedules in the ACC. Seminoles beware, you might just be facing VA Tech in the championship game. Virgina Tech 48, East Carolina 7


UCF at No. 22 Missouri


Anyone remember that it was Maty Mauk who almost led the Tigers, down starter James Franklin, to the SEC championship vs Alabama last season? Of course you don't, no one remembers the guy who almost got there. But it looks Mizzou has missed a beat, however, as they throttled Toledo on the road last weekend. Central Florida wishes they had Bortles for another season. Tigers 38, Knights 21.


No. 21 Louisville vs Virginia  No Charlie Strong. No Teddy Bridgewater. No problem for Louisville, as they cruise over Cavaliers, 28-13


No. 2 Oregon vs Wyoming  After defeating Michigan State in its first test of the season, the Ducks get a bye. Not really, but this is almost a scrimmage. Oregon 68-7.




Louisiana Monroe at No. 10 LSU  Its been two years since the 'Hawks shocked the nation by beating then No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks. Can they repeat history again this year? Not quite, but the 30-24 victory for Les Miles Tigers is a lot closer than he would have liked.


Tennessee at No. 4 Oklahoma  Possibly one of the hottest teams in the nation right now are the Sooners, and they are one of my favorites to make the playoff. Trevor Knight has a career day. Oklahoma 45, Tennessee 17


No. 6 Georgia at No. 24 South Carolina  Todd Gurley and Bulldogs expose Gamecocks as the most overrated team in SEC East. Georgia 36, South Carolina 10


That's all for now folks. Be sure to look for my power rankings to come out this Monday

The NFL and Painkillers: Get Over It

I was going to make this post about Cleveland and Johnny Football, but I've heard about all I can handle on that subject until August.

Anyway, moving on to more pressing issues. As you may or may not be aware, several former and current NFL players have filed a lawsuit against the league claiming they knowingly hid (or downplayed) the after effects of painkillers. The plaintiffs in this case are basically arguing that the NFL treated players 'like lambs being sent to the slaughter' when it came to dealing with issues of pain and/or injury.

As someone who works in the prescription drug care industry, I am warned on a continual basis of the dangers of drug abuse. I have also taken painkillers on a couple of different occasions, most notably for back pain. Yet as someone who is reluctant to take medication in the first place, I have not become addicted to painkillers.

On the other hand, I do know people who have become addicted to painkillers, even if they were aware of the consequences. I am also not as naive to think that the league informed all its players equally on the lasting impact that drugs could have. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if teams failed to inform players sufficiently because, in effect, they didn't know themselves.

But for me the bottom line is that these former players need to get over it. As much as they believed the owners were hiding something from them, they also wanted to be out on the field more than anything. Their whole lives revolved around playing football, and very few of them prepared for a life outside of football. Many people would argue they were as much a part of the culture of violence as management.

So while these former NFL stars sue the league on a question we may never know the real answer to, they would be better served by educating the current generation of athletes. Because, after all, they may be just as guilty as the league itself.

Kardiac Blue Jackets Have Made Me A Believer

The Columbus Blue Jackets had just fallen to 3-0 in the first period of game four of the best of seven series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It looked as if their window to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals was slowly closing.

Watching from home as I had done for the past three games, I wasn’t worried. In fact, armed with the knowledge the previous three games were all come from behind victories, I watched the next two periods with relative calm.

The Blue Jackets did not disappoint, as they slowly clawed their way back to a 3-2 deficit more than midway thru the 3^rd period. Center Ryan Johansen once again showed a flare for the dramatic, as it was his power play goal that would cut the Penguins lead to one.

Yet there was still work to do. Columbus needed at least one more goal to send the game into overtime, or they faced the prospect of heading to Pittsburgh facing an elimination game. I still believed they could do it. After all, this team has literally faced adversity all season long, and every time it seemed they bounced back even stronger.

Within the final minutes, my best friend and I sent dozens of text back and forth. Such as who would 

be the hero to send the game into OT (I said Johansen, naturally), and also that if the CBJ were to pull out game four, I would get tickets to game six.

As the game entered the final minute of regulation, it appeared that it was over. Then Brandon Dubinsky became the hero Columbus fans were looking for, and my friend and I are of course heading to game six on Monday night.

The outcome has typified what is now a very different hockey club. A few years ago I had almost written off the Jackets completely. Yet now the mixture of veterans such as Dubinsky and RJ Umberger, along with rookies such as Ryan Murray and Boone Jenner—both of whom are playing like veterans—has transformed this franchise into a contender. They are also making me believe that the Blue Jackets—who have established three franchise firsts in the past three weeks—have a legitimate shot to win this series.