Inspiration here.Good Tuesday to you and yours. Good ol Tres de Mayo, when the the Mexican army famously drank delicious horchata that inspired their improbable defeat of the heavily favored French at the Battle of Puebla. I hope you will celebrate by having a delectable glass yourself.
Tuesday, not Wednesday, is always personally my least favorite day of the week. It's usually, for whatever reason, my busiest day work wise but not far enough along for me to feel like the weekend is close in the least. I used to have FX's "Lights Out" calling me like a siren to a sailor at sea, but even the universe had to go and pull the plug on that one (h8 u unchill network TV bros). Sort of a slow day in the Ohio State universe to boot, but at least that meant no one additionally was forcefully removed from the football team nor did any previously unseen scandalous electronic conversations come to light. With Osama Bin Laden still being dead, I'll classify this as a win.
So, a pep talk you say? I did just trash Tuesdays pretty good, didn't I? Gotta dig deep; let's see here: "Thor" and "Hobo with a Shotgun" both drop Friday. "Circuital" is making the rounds (if you know what this means, you're as giddy as I am). The Celtics and Heat play at 7 while THUNDERGRIZZLIES Act II follows at 9:30. The Caps and Lightning head to Tampa at 6:30 and the Canucks head to Nashville at 9 if that's more your cup of tea. There's probably a bar trivia going on somewhere near where you live/work this evening. See, maybe Tuesday's aren't so bad after all. And if that doesn't do it for you, there's always more nyan to go around (always).
Victory Dance. If you missed this yesterday, stop whatever you're doing and read it. If you already read it? Simply cease what you're doing and read it again. Black Heart Gold Pants reader UpUpDownDown sets the gold standard for basically every user submitted diary/blog/otherwise from now until one of you breaks recruits down by zip code and successfully proves the secret to college talent hot beds are, in fact, proximity to Chick fil-A's. None the less, one of the takeaway points certainly worth rehashing:
The Big Ten is indeed the elite player development conference. Recruits that go to the Big Ten add 15% to their NFL chances. The SEC and the ACC did have more draft picks than the Big Ten over the time period in question (the additional team helps), but that was because they started with with more talented recruits (and simply more recruits). The moment players step on campus, the Big Ten starts closing the talent gap through its superior player development. And as a side note, the SECs development profile suffers by its addiction to oversigning. While few doubt that oversigning is advantageous for the programs that do it, the players are the ones that pay the price in the form of a lowered chance of turning their talent into an NFL career.
The second big story in the conference rankings is how badly the Big 12 develops its players. Easily the low outlier, recruits to the Big 12 take almost a 20% hit to their NFL chances when they pick the conference! Is this just a matter of too many weak programs, or is there something deeper in those numbers.
The Big 12 thing was certainly a point of curiosity for me personally. Is it due to the league's emphasis on quick hit, high flying offenses or is the disparity between the have's and have not's really that significant? Remember, the Big XII's pointsplosion roughly only dates back (at least more conference wide) to around 2007 so that fails to account for the early showings.
Circuital. The league colloquially known as but B1G around these and other parts will feature some fairly preeminent pass rushers in the year 2000 and 11. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg has your must read primer on the subject, particularly singling out the likes of John Simon and Nathan Williams:
Williams recorded 4.5 sacks in 2010 and gives Ohio State a speed-rusher on the edge. I expect him to take a big step forward this fall. The same goes for Simon, who can play both line spots but likely will spend more time on the outside. Ohio State has extremely high hopes for the brutally strong Simon, and he could become a star this fall. While I'd be surprised if both players reach eight sacks, one seems likely to do so.
Both of these guys have been personal favorites for the last several years and I'm not about to pass on the opportunity to see them at (or near) the height of their powers.
The Day Is Coming. EDSBS' list of Tom O'Brien's things he finds under whelming is beyond apropos particularly given his dismissal of likely one of the best things to happen to NC State's football program under his tenure, quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson, now free to transfer anywhere in the country with immediate eligibility (sans the ACC, allegedly NCSU's lone restriction on the agreement), is said to be considering 12 possible landing spots, the specifics of which are unclear at this time. Perhaps from a sheer necessity stand point Auburn, Texas, and maybe even LSU (though they already have nameworthy Georgia transfer Zach Mettenberger in the fold and eligible for next season) would be interesting landing spots. Maybe even the likes of a TCU or Louisville could break in with the big boys with a QB of Wilson's skill set under center. Definitely remains a topic worth keeping an eye on.
Wonderful (The Way I Feel). That Hippie Up North took on Michigan's paltry attempt at a zing [via billboard] and pretty much nailed it:
One: Paul Reiser probably came up with the text. Two: it's on I-94, which goes from Canada to Indiana without even brushing up against Ohio. Three: it's derp enough to put up a billboard after you win something. It's extra super derp to do so after not winning since 2003. Five derps out of five.
Co-signed.
Outta My System/Gallimaufry. Ben Folds is some kind of magician (some NSFW lyrics). Philosophy gone real talk. This: infinity times this. We sure hope Johnny's enjoying his vacation.
