We begin today with a small sermon from Bishop Mickey Marrotti, who has the floor:
One must have blind faith to truly GRIND. It must be your entire world. No bullshit! Grow up, embrace, believe !!! Clear mind heart and soul
— Mickey Marotti (@MickeyMarotti) July 1, 2016
Thank you, Bishop.
SERVICE GETS REAL FOR BUCKEYES. Urban Meyer debuted Patriot Week with his program during the week of Memorial Day. Meyer isn't one to attack anything lightly, however, so those lessons continued into the Fourth of July weekend.
Meyer and the university compiled a list of deceased Ohioan military veterans. Ryan Stamper, the director of player development, then matched service men and women with players by hometown.
Staff Sergeant Mark. A Wojciechowski grew up 20 miles from Cincinnatian Justin Hilliard, and died at age 25 on April 30, 2009, while supporting combat missions in Iraq.
Meyer had players write a letter—on program letterhead—to the families of the deceased soldiers.
Needless to say, they have a deeper appreciation for next week's Independence Day.
From espn.com:
"It is so inspiring to see a young man so selfless and determined," Hilliard wrote. "This week has given me a newfound respect and appreciation for what Memorial Day is all about and learning about the hard times and sacrifices people made to provide me with the right to vote and many other freedoms. From now on, every time I hear the national anthem before a game, I will think of your son, and be thankful for every selfless hero who has put others before themselves in making an extreme sacrifice for the people of this country. Though I have never met your family, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for the rest of my life."
Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin wrote to the family of First Sergeant Ricky L. McGinnis, a Hamilton, Ohio, native who died Oct. 26, 2006, at age 42 when an explosive device detonated near his patrol in Iraq. McLaurin noted in his letter that he had an uncle and a grandfather who served in the armed forces, which gave him an even greater level of respect for everything people in the service must endure.
"However, this week I learned so much more from multiple representatives of the armed forces and walked away even more blown away," McLaurin wrote. "Mr. McGinnis risked everything just so I can have freedom but also play the game I love. I in no way take that for granted and am eternally grateful for his sacrifices along with other members of the armed forces. I express my deepest condolences to your family, but I hope you all know he is not forgotten and his legacy will live on forever."
It's something so small and obvious, yet will impact these players for the rest of their lives. It's one thing to read their names on the bottom of a news channel ticker and say, "Wow, that person was from around here." It's another to correspond with the human element that bears the burden for the rest of us.
It's another example of how Meyer is building something special at Ohio State. I recommend that article in full.
LEE MENTORED BY COMPETITION. 30-year-old Erin Henderson starts for the New York Jets at inside linebacker along David Harris.
Henderson went undrafted in 2008 before catching on with the Minnesota Vikings and cobbling together an NFL career entering it eighth year. As Henderson isn't getting any younger, the Jets drafted Darron Lee with the 17th pick in this year's draft.
Some veterans are known to be icy to rookies trying to take their playing minutes. Lee will have the blessing of learning from a veteran who is more than willing to teach.
From nj.com:
"Because this is a competition, and this is a business at the end of the day," Henderson said. "And we are in competition. But I think the better he plays, the better it'll be for all of us. So it's my job as an older guy to try to help him as much as I can.
[...]
"One, it's a completely different scheme, so I obviously don't know anything about it," he said. "So obviously I'm learning in that aspect. I've never been necessarily an inside backer when I was at Ohio State. I have a lot to learn.
"If I were to come in and think that, 'Oh, I know this and that,' one, that's just stupid. That's just dumb. I don't know how anybody, if you've never played in that scheme before, how you could come in and think you know what you're doing. Come in having the confidence that you can play. But if you come in and think that you know what you're doing already, that's asinine. That doesn't make any sense."
Those are the kind of relationships that make for a respectable franchise, which the Jets haven't been in my lifetime despite Rex Ryan's flurry of playoff flameouts. Perhaps it's headed in the right direction.
YEAH, THAT SEEMS RIGHT. Folks, I don't mean to carbon-date myself, but I was there in 2014 when Ohio State ran roughshod over Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon for a national championship. Some of you kids might not remember it, and that's one thing I'll hold over you even as you're urinating on my tombstone and talking shit about me.
According to one formula, Ohio State's three-game spree is the greatest stretch of college football since at least 2007.
Fromm reddit.com:
GFEI Game Ratings are the opponent-adjusted single game data used to produce overall FEI team ratings. Adjustments factor in home field advantage and the strength of the opponent. Each team table includes the rating (FEI) and rank of each FBS opponent, plus the game location (Site) and final outcome. The non-garbage game results -- possessions (Po), points scored (PF), and points allowed (PA) -- are used to produce unadjusted game efficiency (GE) data. Game ratings include the national rank and percentile (Pct) of each game performance. The weight (GW) each GFEI rating receives in the FEI formula is a function of the relative strength of the team and its opponents.
| RANK | TEAM | GFEI | WEEKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014 OHIO STATE | 2.458 | C, B, B |
| 2 | 2008 OKLAHOMA | 2.403 | 13, 14, C |
| 3 | 2008 TEXAS TECH | 2.309 | 9, 10, 11 |
| 4 | 2012 ALABAMA | 2.308 | 13, C, B |
| 5 | 2008 FLORIDA | 2.297 | 9, 10, 11 |
| 6 | 2008 FLORIDA | 2.230 | 10, 11, 12 |
| 7 | 2010 STANFORD | 2.166 | 12, 13, B |
| 8 | 2010 AUBURN | 2.158 | 13, C, B |
| 9 | 2008 FLORIDA | 2.151 | 11, 12, 14 |
| 10 | 2008 FLORIDA | 2.146 | 14, C, B |
Hmmm... seems like Meyer has an ability for zoning in his team as it approaches crunch time. I also can't figure out why looking back at Florida's run of dominance no longer fazes me...
FUTURE VOICE OF THE BUCKEYES? When I think of "the Voice of the Buckeyes," I think of Paul Keels. One day maybe it will be Matt Andrews.
From dispatch.com:
Matt Andrews, the radio voice of the Louisville Bats baseball and University of Louisville women’s basketball and baseball teams, is taking a job with Ohio State’s IMG Sports Network.
WDRB-TV reported that Andrews will be a sideline reporter during for football broadcasts and will become the play-by-play voice of the OSU women’s basketball and baseball teams. That job had been held by Marty Bannister, who was let go after the basketball season.
“I grew up going to the Horseshoe with my great uncle,” said Andrews, an OSU graduate. “I’d sit there every game and listen to the radio broadcast. … It’s emotional, and it’s something that I look forward to.”
Getting paid to talk about sports sounds amazing until you try it. Have you ever tried to talk for more than 20 seconds in front of a large group of people? It's soul-crushing.
Best of luck to Mr. Andrews on his endeavors.
DON'T FORFEIT YOUR FREEDOM THIS WEEKEND. It's the Fourth of July weekend, which means some of you are going to poison yourself into an alcoholic stupor. That's fine—it's an enshrined right in this country—but don't be an idiot and forfeit your freedom over something stupid.
Besides, Monday is a holiday and you wouldn't get out of jail until Tuesday.
From theintelligencer.net:
“With the Fourth of July weekend being four days this year — Friday (today), Saturday, Sunday and Monday — we expect more people to be traveling, because there is that extra time built into the weekend,” he said. “And with gas prices being lower than what they were last year, we expect a lot of people to take to the roadways to visit friends and family," [Lieutenant James Faunda said].
[...]
“During the holiday weekend, all the troopers here are scheduled to work,” he said, adding that patrol will be proactive in looking for warning signs from drivers.
“The main things that we’re emphasizing this year are impaired drivers, drivers not wearing their safety belts and anybody committing what we refer to as a crash-causing violation,” he said, noting that such violations include excessive speed, reckless driving, weaving in and out of traffic, improper lane changes, and running red lights and stop signs.
Stay frosty this weekend.
THOSE WMDs. The Battle of the Somme, as it happened... In 1955 "Rock Around the Clock" went to the top of the charts... A woman's terrifying night on the Chesapeake... The Portuguese-to-English phrasebook cult comedy sensation... Fake fingerprints: The next way to protecting privacy... A lime grower lead an uprising against a drug cartel.
