Eleven Warriors

UPDATE: The BTN must have added another C-64 to their cluster because the game is now flowing smoothly. Additionally, Bucknuts is live-blogging the game and 1460 has a radio feed you can grab.

If you live out of state, like myself, or are otherwise unable to attend the spring game in person, you had hoped to be able to turn to the BTN's website for a live telecast of the event. And then your hope turned to frustration when you realized the network was hosting the game on a Commodore 64 in the basement of their Park Ridge operations.

If you do manage to get the game up in your browser, here are the rosters to help you follow the action:

With so many players out (Beanie, Robo, Rehring, Person) and the funky format, it won't necessarily be a great game to watch, but from the perspective of seeing who's looking hot, the game can be a goldmine.

The Vest mentioned that the troubled three should see action, although "not as much as they would like". The Buckeyes are hosting a ton of recruits, including LiC. For a pretty good breakdown on who's coming and what it may mean, head over to Our Honor Defend.

If you are at the game, let's hope the weather cooperates. Right about now, it doesn't look like it's going to. That is, if "definite light rain showers" means the same thing to you as it does to me.

Beanie ran for 480 and 3 TDs at night last year.

It was announced yesterday that Ohio State is slated for two prime time games in Big Ten play, to go along with the USC match-up in LA.

The Buckeyes will travel to Madison on October 4th, their first visit since 2003, when Robert Reynolds tried to perform an emergency tracheotomy on Jim Sorgi and the Badgers ended Ohio State's 19 game winning streak.

OSU will then host Penn State on October 25th, in what could be Joepa's last game in Columbus. Gene Smith is aware he needs extra wattage that night, in case Paterno needs a bright path for his emergency bathroom runs. The Big Ten may believe this is Coach Paterno's last year, as 4 of the 5 prime time conference games involve Penn State.

I have mixed feelings about these prime time games. I know there is an extra level of energy due to the all day anticipation and consumption of barley sodas. I also enjoy dominating in front of a national audience. However, I hate waiting all day to watch my beloved Buckeyes play football. It is bad enough I can't sleep the night before, but then making me wait until 8:07 to watch, is worse than memorizing Brittany Spears lyrics.

I'm curious to know what your take is. Do you like being in prime time or do you like the traditional afternoon game? Do you get annoyed with all the drunkards or do you prefer to be a drunkard? Do you have a problem with OSU playing three night games a year?

But Can He Score without a Shoe?
Sophomore Brandon Saine received praise for his performance in last weekend's jersey scrimmage, but the Vest's assessment of his performance may have topped anything else said.

Tressel pointed out that Saine is adapting to the various wrinkles and schemes the team has been trying to use Saine in, emphasizing his receiving skills. It was his power running, however, that really got Tress going:

"He's got a gear," coach Jim Tressel said. "And he's powerful. ... Sometimes, it's a little like when Keith Byars was here, there'd be people who thought he wasn't going anywhere, and all of a sudden he was running people over. When Brandon sees a crease or sees the goal line or sees some yards to be had, he's pretty special."

Considering Tressel has already been more than candid in his assessment of the performances out of Henton and Bauserman, that quote should be music to the ears of fans. And we know Boom has been doing his thing as well this spring. If the line has the year they're capable of having, we could be in for a season of long runs (culminating with spilled beers and high-fives out of the rest of us).

We Prefer a Simmering Feud
Tressel was asked to clarify his "only between gentlemen" statement over the weekend and as we suspected, it was nothing more than an attempt to be humorous that was blown into something bigger. No hard feelings:

Asked if he had a beef with Rodriguez, Tressel said, "I've known Rich for a long time; no beefs at all. He'll do a good job. I've said that all along."

I guess it was too much to ask for a little OBC in the Ol' Sweater Vest, eh?

For the Eight of You that Get the BTN...
Sure, you'll have to head to the league website to catch the game live, but for fans that are lucky enough to receive the network in their cable/satellite package, the game will be rebroadcast in HD glory on the following days and times:

• Saturday, 11PM
• Sunday, 6PM
• Monday, 4PM & 11PM

As has been pointed out elsewhere, this delayed broadcast schedule is a big F-U to Time Warner customers in the greater Columbus area. How is this network benefiting fans again?

Pelini Exerts Power, Shuts Down Press, Imposes Martial Law
Perhaps high off the news that his first spring game is seeing tickets go for 3 times what the Boss charged, former Buckeye captain and current Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is feeling good enough to take on the student press.

After an editorial was published in The Daily Nebraska that was critical of how he was downplaying recent player troubles, Pelini banned the paper from practice and called to berate the paper's staff:

"After seeing the staff editorial, Pelini called our office and berated one of our board members so loudly that he was heard clearly from across the newsroom. There's no real point in printing the choice phrases he used during that first phone call.

But Pelini informed us the Daily Nebraskan's relationship with the football program would be severed unless an exhaustive retraction was published on today's front page. Athletic Department personnel confirmed Pelini's decision later in the day, and asked that our reporters and photographers not show up at Monday's practice while politely asking the one writer who did to leave."

You do not mess with Youngstown.

Konnichiwa Bitches!
Finally, as we begin to segue into the OSU athletics dead period (no offense, baseball), we may post more random bits, including the following productivity killer: The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time.

Send your boss our regards!

Even though spring football has everyone's attention, there's still plenty going on the world of OSU hoops worth sharing.

On the recruiting front, rivals.com reported Devan Dumes will take an official visit to Columbus this weekend causing Baptist and others to rightly assume Matta will offer the lone remaining scholarship (until Koufos announces) to the 6'2" guard from Vincennes junior college if he verbally commits to the Buckeyes.

If Dumes doesn't verbal, then the Buckeyes will likely extend an offer to a skinnier 6'2" guard, Jeremie Simmons out of Mott CC in Flint, Michigan.

The Buckeyes only need one of these guys and they both know it so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. That said, we strongly prefer Dumes and his more-Big-Ten-ready frame not to mention his 16.9 ppg, 40% from deep and 84% from the stripe.

Meanwhile, Koufos has yet to make his decision though his momma is interviewing agents. Personally, I think it's very plausible he could be headed to Greece to get paid for polishing his game before taking on the NBA challenge and if nothing else, Undrafted Free Agent's thinking the same thing. Tick tock...

Lastly, Joseph Treutlein of Draft Express put Jamar Butler on his All-PIT first team giving Jamar props for being faster in person than on tape while noting his ability to run an offense including the pick and roll. It's a great point as Butler was definitely strong running the 2-man game with Hunter and the pick and roll just so happens to be ran during probably 70% of NBA possessions.

With this in mind, Treutlein speculated Butler could be a serviceable back up point guard down the road. That's certainly not a lock but hopefully he'll get an opportunity with the right club.

Dot Com Done Did it Again

Urban Meyer's boys were the feature attraction Saturday afternoon on ESPN as their spring game was televised live (ESPN has more reach than the BTN, right?), but all is not well in the Gator universe.

Meyer isn't pleased with the performance of USC transfer Emmanuel Moody and would like him to do a better job of taking care of the ball, despite what nefarious internet entities may think:

"He's not very good with ball security, and he won't play tailback at Florida with poor ball security," Meyer said. "He's very talented. You saw some great runs. ... He's got talent but there's no chance you'll see him play regardless of what dot com says and all the e-mails I get and everything else, he will not play football if there's a chance he'll lay it on the ground."

So Dot Coms are calling for Moody to play and the coach isn't having it and we get another classic internet quote out of a college football coach. This isn't as bad as Bobby Bowden blaming people for listening to eBay leading to the dismissal of his son, but we expect more out of such a prolific texter.

(Via Get the Picture)

Saine rising

Since Saturday's jersey scrimmage was closed to everyone but staff, members of the MSM and select members of coachtressel.com, there's not a whole lot I can add to the conversation. We're stuck parsing the accounts of beat reporters.

Everybody's Talking about Saine
Although not quite as bulked up as had been rumored (Gordon mentioned he was 220), Saine is getting a chance to show what he can do during Beanie's recovery from surgery. His touchdown scamper was a combination of speed and power and his versatility and ability to open up the field are a vital ingredient towards a championship run. I'd love to see him used in more of a Harvin role with Beanie, Mo and Boom carving out the traditional carries.

Boeckman is Showing Signs of that Senior Leap
TB scared a lot of fans down the stretch last season and he did assist Bauserman in letting the defense register 8 sacks on the day, but it sounds like he looked like a senior quarterback, at least. There's probably no Buckeye with more pressure on him this season than Boeckman. The starting quarterback of a major program is always a pressure cooker, but the heat is a little bit hotter when LiC is coming.

It's Crowded at Linebacker
So crowded, in fact, that Curtis Terry has been seeing considerable work at the fullback spot, despite supposedly tearing it up in the scrimmage on defense. Thaddeus Gibson was moved to the "Leo" spot and evidently played well, despite a horse-collar call that went against him. The early lead in the battle for Grant's open position appears to be held by sophomore Tyler Moeller, though it was pointed out that Moeller is a bit undersized and could be more of a look to take on the spread offenses the Buckeyes will encounter this season.

The Ghost of Ray Small is in the Doghouse
He's already lost his number (can you remember the last time that happened to someone with so much hype?) and he again showed off his fragility by heading to the sideline with an ankle injury almost immediately after getting some snaps with the 3rd team offense. Don't look now, Ray, but Dane and Taurian are passing you by.

The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises has the scoop on the Ohio State student athlete drug-testing policy:

According to Ohio State's drug-testing policy, any player who tests positive a second time faces an automatic two-game suspension, while any player testing positive a third time is suspended for an entire season and could have his scholarship revoked.

The current system is in place after a series of high profile arrests and altercations, including kicker Jonathan Skeete doing his best Bam Morris, a few years ago. Ohio State announced a more comprehensive testing program in the spring of 2005, which included random drug tests. Prior to this expansion, players were tested once per year.

What's interesting is that it's thought that Clifford's suspension for the LSU game was for enjoying the bud, so to speak, and that was only a one-gamer. Do MNC games count for double a regular season game?

Difficult decisions ahead

Also, is it safe to assume that the punishment for a first offense is held internally without any impact on game time?

If the rumors and the assumptions made above are correct, Clifford could well be looking at his third offense and a suspension for the entire season with the possibility of having his scholarship snatched.

Washington would be in line to receive a two-game suspension and O'Neal is looking at the same or less. This is all based off some more assumptions I'm making, such as the fact that Washington was busted for the same thing in late December, but it was a first, rather than second offense -- hence his availability for the game.

Of course, we may never know the specifics, and maybe that's the way it ought to be. But, from player quotes and Tressel's own quotes, some form of punishment is in the pipeline for these three guys.

I can empathize with them -- just imagine for a second if thousands knew whenever you screwed something big up. The Vest will be firm and fair, but he's also the anti-Woody. For transgressions as trivial as the alleged offenses, that's a good thing.

JB: PIT MVP

Jamar Butler has probably locked up an invite to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando after a strong showing in this weekend's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

Butler earned tournament MVP honors leading his Tidewater Sealants squad to the PIT championship with 18 points (7/16 FG, 4/9 3FG) and 5 assists against 0 turnovers in the title game.

In the semi-final, Butler recorded 15 points (7/13) and 2 assists with 0 turnovers in 19 minutes. Draft Express noted Butler drove the lane more than expected finishing with various pull ups and runners.

Othello Hunter wrapped up his tournament with a 12 point, 13 rebound effort in Saturday's consolation game.

Hunter opened some eyes averaging 12 rebounds and 15.7 points on 68% shooting (19/28) in three games. Draft Express thinks what we think - Hunter's not gonna be drafted because he's so raw but teams should keep him on the radar. Assuming he can polish his game overseas or in the D-League, he could crack a roster in a few years. As we know, he's got the athleticism to play in the NBA.

In other news, Thad Matta continues to look for help JUCO help. After offering a scholarship to wing Devan Dumes last week, Matta has now offered a scholly to 6'9" forward Josh Harrellson.

As DTI notes, Harrellson originally signed an LOI to play at Western Illinois but several issues led him to go the JUCO route where he averaged 15 and 8 last season.

Numerous schools including Kentucky and Indiana are pursuing Harrellson while the Buckeyes are said to have been scouting the front liner since last December. I can only assume Matta's increased push is an indicator that Koufos has informed the coaches he plans to bolt for the pros so playing time for Harrellson would be just as likely in Columbus as in Bloomington or Lexington or St. Louis.

Allegedly

That 2008 Buckeye defense we've all been daydreaming about just took a bit of a hit. The rumors from earlier in the day proved to be correct and Donald Washington, Jamario O'Neal and Eugene Clifford are in a bit of trouble.

The three have allegedly been caught with weed-flavored urine and are facing suspensions or outright dismissals from the team. All three were held out of spring practice and were seen conditioning while the rest of the squad participated in pads.

The coaching staff and athletic department officials aren't saying anything, but the following quote from Hartline seemed to give away the offense:

"And I know the kind of guys they are, and they're great guys. But it just like dumbfounds you, because I hang out with them all the time but I never see it happen, so it's like, `When?'. . .

The buzz is that Clifford is gone, Washington may be and O'Neal will probably stick around -- but on thin ice.

The loss of Clifford would be no real surprise, considering he was suspended for the MNC game for likely the same offense. A tremendous talent, we were hoping a move to safety would be the fresh start he needed to get his groove-on. His loss would suck, but it's not like he's Beanie, you know.

Washington's loss, on the other hand, would be a tremendous blow to the team. A junior with a ton of quality starts under his belt at corner, his future was bright. All of the snaps that Chekwa received last year are huge all of a sudden.

O'Neal had always been more hype than ability. He is a senior backing up a junior, after all, but you never like to see anything like this happen in a guy's final year.

If things unfold as expected, the current secondary features Jenkins, Chekwa, Coleman and Russell. Three returning starters and the nickel guy from last season. The team should still be in incredible shape back there, but if that group gets hit with injuries, things could get delicate.

What a week -- the entire Brew Crew is on the shelf and now this. Any chance these guys can get the Manningham treatment and see the field before USC?

(On a side note, props to Dotting the "I" for breaking this before everybody. And I mean everybody. Blogs, FTW!)

You think this gig cost Mike $3,000?

Would you play through these seasons? We have all wondered what could have been if either or both Michael Conley and Daequan Cook would have stayed for one more year, but when it comes down to it you can't blame them for leaving.

The dynamic duo have endured a combined 121 losses and sit 82 games out of first place. Considering they also took home a combined 5 million dollars, don't feel too sorry for them.

Conley made 3.4 million this year, suffered through a couple of injuries and has started 42 of his 49 games. He leads the Grizzlies with 4.1 assists per game and a 2.38 A/T ratio. The Grizzles are one of the youngest teams, playing 7 dudes under the age of 25 who log at least 13 minutes and Conley has averaged almost 26 minutes a game. With 4 games left on the season, Conley has scored 12.3 points in his last four and raised his season average to 8.8 a game.

His last game against Phoenix was perhaps his best all year, going for 19 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. His season high of 20 came against LeBron back in January and he has shot a respectable 42 percent from the floor. Conley is rumored to be honing his skills in Cbus this summer, so he should be able to tutor PJ Hill and Evan Turner in their fight to settle the newest 11W debate.

Daequan has suffered through a bit more, but has seen a recent increase in playing time. Dizzy is bringing home 1.1 million, so experiencing 64 losses and a stint in the NBDL seems worth it. Cook has shot only 37 percent from the floor and just 32 percent from deep, leading to 8.2 points a game, but his lack of an overall game shows in his 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists averages.

There is no doubt Daequan would have benefited from another year at OSU, but I think he has always wanted to be called a millionaire and the NBA made it happen. I hope his summer workout routine is exceptional, because the Heat are a mess and no job is safe next year.

These two face off tonight in Miami, so the ladies of South Beach better be ready, a couple of former Buckeyes might be clubbing afterwards. Make it rain fellas, make it rain.