1. I'm back, Columbus was awesome. However, no basketball was played. However, my body hates me as is, so it's probably for the best.
2. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared to death about Saturday's game versus UM. I thought OSU's defense relied too much on turnovers and could be vulnerable going in. Well, a 42-39 final score doesn't exactly scream 'defensive struggle'
3. Don't get me wrong, I thought OSU would win, but I was not all that confident. There were fans and talk show hosts saying it would be a OSU cakewalk. I don't know how anyone could think that.
4. Troy Smith sealed the Heisman deal right?
5. With Chris "Beanie" Wells and Dan "Boobie" Gibson, I think we're entering a golden age for Ohio athlete nicknames.
6. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense. Lost 9 guys on defense.
7. Suck it Rutgers. Look, I really have no beef vs the Big East, but saying those teams are in the same league as the OSUs, Floridas and USCs is ridiculous.
8. We watched one of the local station's pregame show and let's just say I'm glad those videos weren't on national television. There are some insane people out there and it seemed like most of them were Buckeye fans. Deadspin would have a field day with those local reports.
9. This was (is) funny, but also awkward.
10. Michigan didn't fall in either the AP nor the BCS. Kinda cool/weird. If USC wins out they'll overtake Michigan. But if USC loses....
11. I actually don't know what I want. I'd wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of the two teams, but at the same time I'd like to see the Buckeyes beat someone else. Part of me would've loved to see a Big East team make it and get slaughtered. However, the only thing better than beating Michigan is beating Michigan twice.
12. Pittman has already said he's going to be back next season and he's gunning for the Heisman. I don't know if he'll get it, but OSU is going to have an amazing running team next season with Pittman and Wells.
13. Unfortunately, I wasn't close to campus enough for my tastes. I was around a little bit on Friday and it was already crazy. I chose to watch the game at a friends house instead of a bar, mostly so I could converse without shouting. Of course, shouting ensued.
14. If I had 'em, I would've sold my tickets for the game. There. I've said it. I never really thought I'd say it, but the thing is, I've been to big games. I was a sophomore during the 2002 season and I was at that Michigan game and I was at the Texas heartbreaker last season. Don't get me wrong, I would've loved to go, but $800 a ticket? Sorry, I'd sell 'em.
15. As for 2002... I enjoyed that season more. You know what I felt after Saturday's win? Relief. They did it. They pulled it off; they went through the entire season as number 1. Oh sure, I was thrilled and exited and wasted, don't get me wrong. But that 2002 year was just magical. I was in a student, I was at all the games (with all of my good friends) and the games were close. I don't know how many times OSU should've lost and they kept on chugging. This 2006 team is just so dominate; most of the games are never in doubt and even the close scores really aren't that close (Michigan needed an onside kick recovery and a game winning/tying drive- it wasn't exactly a nail biter). Plus, everyone on ESPN was just hammering OSU that year and it gave the campus a whole 'us against the world' feel. Again, don't get me wrong- this season is amazing and the team is way better, but there's something to be said for those close games.
16. As far as I can tell, there weren't many incidents on campus after the game. In all seriousness, that's awesome.
17. As for the second half of 'Rivalry Weekend' the Browns blew lead versus the Steelers.
18. Usually, this game would crush me. Beating Pittsburgh all game only to lose it in the fourth quarter? Damn. But you know what? After Saturday's triumph, if the Brown won, it would've just been the icing on the cake. Sure, it would've been nice, but for a 3-6 team to lose to another 3-6 isn't just a big deal.
19. Plus, the Browns didn't look awful. The defense played great but just tired out at the end. Josh Cribbs returned a kickoff for TD after a long Pittsburgh scoring drive. That was both a blessing and a curse. Sure, it got the momentum back and put the Browns back up 10, but the defense was thrown right back out there. Plus, the Browns offense didn't exactly wow anyone in the fourth either; the defense basically was out there for a quarter.
20. Frye had another game without an interception! Small victories! Baby steps people!
21. Winslow threw down Joey Porter. It was awesome.
22. Edwards had a pretty good game; I don't remember him dropping anything and he was a factor the entire game (he sometimes gets Drew Goodenitis and fades in and out of games).
23. Cavs-Wolves: Z showed up for the game. That is a great sign. Sure, Minny isn't exactly a defensive powerhouse, but with Hughes out, Z needs to step it up.
24. David Wesley got the start, which is kind of surprising considering he's been getting some DNP-CDs this season. I would've liked to see Pavs start instead. Pavlovic played a lot and committed a couple charging fouls. His court vision is probably his big weakness at this point. He's playing good defense and shooting relatively well, but sometimes he puts his head down and just runs over people.
25. Varejao is going to get punched before the year is done. Kevin Garnett was pissed Friday night and he and Andy picked up double technicals. Good times.
26. Surprisingly, I wasn't exactly interested in the Cavs-Wizards game on Saturday night. I have the game tivo'd, but I'm not sure I really want to watch it. I wasn't really confident going into Washington without Larry Hughes, especially after how Gilbert played in the opener. Well, he torched just about everyone guarding him and the Cavs/LeBron seemed to settle for too many jumpers. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
27. Shaq is out for awhile. It's Antoine Walker time!
28. Pluto says the Tribe is going to be looking for trade options rather than focusing on free agents. He says the FA pool isn't exactly robust and they'd have to overpay for mediocre players. I agree.
29. Speaking of overpaying... I was hoping the Tribe would make an offer for Alfonso Soriano, but the Cubs gave him an 8 year, $136 million deal. Well then. Good luck with all that.
30. Pluto also wouldn't mind dangling Cliff Lee out there. I agree with this as well (the Tribe's strength is their rotation, Lee seems to have plateaued and youngish lefties are always wanted).
31. I saw Borat on Friday and it was awesome. It is at the same time both absurd and cerebral and I can't recommend it enough. However, it'll probably be over analyzed and debated to death; enjoy it, it's delightfully vulgar and outrageous and it's full of slapstick physical comedy. Glorious.
32. However, I'm pretty sure I'm already sick of the Borat impressions. He's gonna be the new Dave Chappelle.
33. The Beatles' Love comes out this week. Buy/d0wnload/steal this album.
34. In case you don't know, Love is the soundtrack to the new Circ De Soli Beatles themed stage show. The show is approved by the two surviving Beatles and George and John's widows/estates. And the remixed music? It's done by the Beatles' original produce, Sir George Martin. So this isn't just some lame remix attempt by some jackass. This guy mixed the originals; he knows what he's doing.
35. As a Beatles nut, it's great just playing the musical version of 'I Spy' throughout the album. "Ah, there's the bass line from 'Helter Skelter'" "Is that the harpsichord from 'Piggies'?" It's great.
35. Stand out tracks? 'Because' is now a capella and is just gorgeous. 'Strawberry Fields Forever' starts with John's demo version and builds to the final cut as the song plays. The ending is simply breathtaking and may be the album's high light. Ringo's 'Octopus's Garden' starts off backed by the strings from 'Goodnight' to my great delight. Just beautiful.
36. The only new material on the CD is on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. Martin added new string backings and the result is just stunning. I can't even explain it. The track is Harrison's acoustic take backed by a dark string section. The result is just haunting. If you listen to only one remixed Beatle track this year, make it this. Honestly, I think George's songs come off best. Of course, Paul and John just have so many, so George's always stand out.
37. Speaking of Beatles, Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance on SNL two weeks ago. Alec Baldwin hosted what was SNL's best overall show in years and the sketch McCartney showed up in was just fantastic. NBC had the video up, but I can't seem to find it. If anyone has a copy, shoot me an email.
38. Road trip to Arizona anyone?
39. I can usually watch anything, but I had a hard time watching this entire video. Ugh.
40. Turkey Bowl: 11:00 AM arrival time, game starts by 11:30, Thursday morning, at Darrow Road park in Hudson. I would recommend bringing cleats, a football and your game face.
2 comments:
Random Responses to Random Thoughts:
Do you really think Ohio State could beat Michigan twice in the span of 52 days? I don't know. I'm really leaning toward not wanting to see a rematch. It just seems like too much to ask.
It's remarkable how the mentality shifts from when you are the underdog to when you are the favorite. I was jumping up and down on the couch in my Bowling Green apartment when OSU beat Michigan in '02. This year, I swallowed my heart back down into my chest when the final gun sounded. Smiles? Sure. Out-and-out elation? Hardly.
Winslow throwing Porter out of bounds was sweet. I can't stand Porter. I acutally like Bill Cowher, but I can't stand Porter.
With Shaq out, the Pistons banged up and the Bulls (surprise!) not as good as the hype, the Cavs have a chance to build up a nice lead in the East. As long as they seize the day. Big game coming up Tuesday against the Grizzlies after the letdown against Washington.
The Cavs are obviously bound to lose some games here and there. It's just losing streaks they have to avoid.
I'm not sure if OSU could beat Michigan again and I'm not really sure I want to find out.
The problem is, there is no good answer. IF USC and Florida run the table, then you have Michigan, Florida and USC all with one loss. I want this, cause then 3 power house schools all have legitimate beef with the BCS (Auburn is great and all, but they're a second tier school. Really good, but not the national power of others).
You can make a case for and against any of those three schools and while some say that's the beauty of college football, I say that's the folly. No one bitches when Duke and Maryland play in the basketball finals because both teams 'earned' it. They won their games. If there was a playoff and OSU and Michigan met up again, people would be thrilled (cause they won their games). I'm not sure people really want to see OSU-UM again at this point (hell, I'm not sure I would, I'm still recovering from Saturday) but Michigan deserves to be in that game just as much as anyone else.
Winslow and Edwards played well and Frye played not-awful. The team is improving but still losing, which is fine by me. That means another first round skill position player and high second round wideout. Hooray!
The only reason people picked Miami to win the East this season is because they won the title. Last year they only won 2 more games than the Cavaliers. Sure, the Cavs probably overachieved and the Heat under achieved, but still- only 2 games last season. Detroit looks as lost as I had thought/hoped and Chicago has been streaky (no way!).
The Cavs have an opportunity to take control of this thing and get the number 1 seed in the East (I believe I'm the first person EVER to type that sequence of words).
I'm not sure if that Wizards games was a let down (I haven't brought myself to watch the tivo yet) but I wasn't exactly surprised that they lost. The Grizzlies should be a gimme and I hope that the Cavs show up for the entire game.
Post a Comment