Ohio State is back at practice today. Follow Eric Seger and Tim Shoemaker for updates on Twitter, but check that Eleven Warriors dot com page for more in-depth news.
And as good as Justified has been this season, The Americans showed last night why it's in its own class right now. (Better Call Saul and Vikings are coming in hot though.)
OSU KEEPS IT LAND-GRANT. We start today with Ohio State doing an extremely good thing.
From WTNH.com:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State is committing $400 million over five years to lower students’ costs and improve the value of their education, the university’s new president announced Tuesday.
Students should be focused on learning, not worried about paying for college, Michael Drake said during his formal installation ceremony.
“Despite the long-term value of a degree, we must be sensitive to the debt burden associated with a college education, especially for low- and middle-income families,” Drake said during his speech.
I know some people have #DrakeTakes so scorching they type them in oven mitts, but I think this is a good move. OSU isn't perfect, but it does deserve props for this; $400 million over five years is dumb money no matter how you cut it.
There's also this good news for students graduating this semester from Michael Huson of TheLantern.com:
Archie Griffin will return to his old stomping ground, Ohio Stadium, on May 10 as the Spring Commencement speaker.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be asked to do commencement, here at Ohio State University,” Griffin said. “To me, it’s a huge moment.”
Griffin, president and CEO of the OSU Alumni Association, is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football history, and was a three-time All American in 1973, 1974 and 1975.
I love Archie, but I'm still not wondering if the power move was to delay graduation until Fall semester after football season.
OSU'S FUTURE TRI-HYDRA RB MONSTER. You may have forgotten, but three of the top four 2016 running backs are committed to Ohio State. Barring a rules upheaval, there will still only be one ball, however.
It's a good thing that Kareem Walker, Demario McCall, and George Hill are all different players.
From 247sports.com:
Walker certainly is deserving of being the No. 1 running back prospect in the country. He was tops on the board of several other programs prior to committing to Ohio State on Jan. 12, including several from the SEC. He’s probably not as crazy-fast in a straight line, but his running style is similar to former Georgia running back Todd Gurley.
[...] McCall is the type of elite, versatile talent that Ohio State and prior to the Buckeyes, Florida, made a living on underUrban Meyer. He can take a direct snap and make things happen. He can make things happen in the passing game. He’s elite carrying the ball from scrimmage and he’s extremely fast. All of those attributes mean he will have a prominent role for the Buckeyes, who really are the premier program in the country for this type of “do-everything” offensive talent. McCall is the No. 3 running back prospect in the 2016 cycle per 247Sports Composite rankings.
[...] Hill is like a lot of great running back prospects from Ohio- he’s a tough runner, deceptively fast and very quick with his feet. The 6-foot, 200-pounder runs in a manner which makes you realize he loves contact and loves playing the game of football. He's also versatile and could very well end up being a receiver for Ohio State when all is said and done (or from the moment he steps on campus, even). Hill is the fourth-ranked running back prospect in the country for 2016 per 247Sports Composite rankings, but look for him to be re-classified to athlete in the near future.
I love the fact 2/3rds of this monster will come from Ohio. I also love that there's zero doubt Urban Meyer's offense can feature all of them.
Ohio State won a national title with a "third-string" quarterback, but what a lot of non-OSU fans (pray for them) don't realize is Ohio State runs deep like that in pretty much every position. Oh, and that's before the majority of a No. 7 recruiting class gets to Columbus.
CRAZY PHIL STEELE STATS. I don't care if I had to go homeless for six months; I would love to attend an Ohio State-Yale game in New Haven. Those people in the Yale Bowl would hate me by the third quarter with Ohio State up 60 and me bathing in a puddle of FourLoko.
Yale over Ohio St? Last year Yale beat Army that beat Connecticut that beat UCF that beat ECar that beat VTech that beat Ohio St.
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) April 1, 2015
I will give Yale credit for this: Their mascot's name is Handsome Dan, which I thought was a corny white guy (I can write that because I'm a corny white guy), but it's actually a bad-ass dog.
Barring injury, Ezekiel Elliott could break some records next year:
In the last 4 games LY Ohio St RB Ezekiel Elliot had more yards rushing than 3 TEAMS (Wash St, Wake Forest ULM) had on the ENTIRE year.
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) April 1, 2015
This will shock you: Those three teams combined for 10 wins last season. (Could you imagine if Ohio State won ten games... over three years? The sky would turn red from the reflection of the blood running through the Olentangy and Scioto.)
MIKE CONLEY THANKS RON LEWIS EVERY DAY. I don't thank Ron Lewis every day... but I wouldn't hold it against you if you did. Ron Lewis was bossy during his Buckeye tenure, and his shot to sink Xavier is one of the greatest shots in my lifetime. (Push Xavier into the Ohio River, IMHO.)
I'd never thought about how much that meant to Mike Conley's career, however.
From Mike Conley of ThePlayersTribune.com:
I thank Ron Lewis every day for making that three-pointer. You never know, without that shot, my road to the NBA might have looked much different.
More than a comeback victory resulted from that play in our second-round game against Xavier in 2007. A confidence and belief in myself that I hadn’t known existed also came to the surface that day.
Throughout the first-half and during some of the second-half, we just weren’t playing with enough hunger and motivation to get back in the game. The score was 59-50 with less than three minutes left and we were thinking, We’re going to run out of time here shortly. We have to get something going soon in order to put ourselves in a position to win.
Hmmm. Let's see what happened next:
I don't even want to dwell in a world — for a second — where Mike Conley and Greg Oden lost to the Musketeers.
In case you were wondering where Ron Lewis is balling these days (you're damn right he's still balling): Wikipedia says he plays for Italy's PMS Torino.
LOOK OUT, CORN FARMERS! Stay woke, folks: Could Ohio State's men's basketball team's season mean a $107,000,000 loss in 2015 corn production?
From Columbus-based CommunityResearchPartners.org:
Is this for real?
Yes! The figures are real. Alas, as tempting as it is to assume a cause-and-effect relationship between these two measures, this correlation does not imply causation. So, no, we can't say that a good year in OSU BBall predicts a good corn crop (or vice-versa). Be a smart data consumer - don't be FOOLED into making cause-and-effect assumptions about unrelated datasets!
I don't know... all it takes is an official looking graph on the internet to sway my opinion. (Seriously, try attaching a graph to your next hot take. It's like strapping a bullet proof vest to your uzi.)
ANYONE GOT A SPARE $23,000? Sometimes I walk through Ohio State's RV tailgating lots in amazement but also in search of the Monopoly Man. Do you know how much it takes to fill one of those things? Like ~$75,000 a trip. (That's just a guess, y'all.)
Are you a millionaire? Do you need a rolling Ohio State castle for seven weekends a year? Take a walk with me then, friend.
From Columbus.Craigslist.com (via BustedCoverage.com):
For Sale 1996 Ohio State Pace Arrow Vision RV. Chevy chassis with strong 454 V8 engine. This 33ft RV has been totally refurbished inside and out. Custom scarlet & gray paint with Ohio State decals. Inside the seats, dining area, J couch and valences have all been reupholstered . The carpet is all new OSU gray. RV has been serviced regularly and very well maintained!
1996 you say? Hell yeah, buddy. I could see me and the gang drinking beers while also lighting 100-dollar bills on fire:
Another possibility: You finance your purchase by turning it into a mobile meth lab in the offseason.
BOOOOM RE-UPS WITH COLTS. Tip of the cap to Boom Herron.
Running back is a brutal position in the NFL, and he's not the most talented or physically-imposing guy on the field, yet he's maintaining his spot on one of the NFL's most promising teams.
From Colts.com:
INDIANAPOLIS – The formality of Boom Herron signing his exclusive rights tender ended on Wednesday afternoon.
Herron will be back for another season with the Colts, after he was one of the most indispensable players to their postseason run last year.[...]
He finished the 2014 regular season with 83 rushes for 384 yards (4.6 yards per carry). In the postseason, Herron was the Colts workhorse in the backfield and recorded 128 receiving yards on 20 catches.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland...
MODERN PROPHETS. I watch Modern Family and it makes me laugh. I don't care; fight me at Waffle House if you want to, but I thought this was cool:
How did the @ModernFam cast, back in 2011 at an @OUAB event, know @OhioStAthletics would be CHAMPS in THOSE sports? pic.twitter.com/8GAW1dc399
— Matt Couch (@Matt_Couch) April 1, 2015
Sure, synchro-swimming and pistol team have been winning titles... but not wrestling.
LIL NICKY'S CRUMBLING ALABAMA KINGDOM. We're now living in a world where Alabama can't even poach Wichita State's coach:
Since I am at the Final Four, basketball news. Bama, still looking. pic.twitter.com/XqoNYvZzmB
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) April 2, 2015
I never want to leave the Year of Wario.
WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS, MOTHER NATURE? I'm not one to complain about nature — what else is there to do but suck it up and get on with it? — but this is ridiculous:
Lots of rain Thursday & Friday. Thunderstorms likely. Some hail possible. 72 on Thursday. 60 on Friday. Snow possible Saturday
— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) April 1, 2015
If Ohio State had even Tennessee's climate... what would the haters have left then?
THOSE WMDs. LeCharles Bentley put abs on a 345 lbs man... How I Grade Quarterback Play... Popular Rappers Paired with medieval artworks... Here's how to clean your oven without lighting yourself on fire... 20 Reasons Ohio is the most underrated state... Depay... PHOTOS: Inside the world of shipbreaking... Which one of y'all hurt this sorry-ass Cowboys fan?
