Good morning, fellow panic attack sufferers, and welcome to your Humpty-Humpday skull session. Trying to enjoy a Tuesday night of flipping back and forth from baseball to the Heat/Bulls, I was instead watching twitter refresh as Biddle and others spoke of an SI piece on Tressel reaching as far back as his days at Youngstown State apparently set for release next Tuesday.
I fought my mind all night trying to convince myself it's just another story stating everything we already knew going back to Ray Isaac in an effort to sell rags or collect pageviews but the older I get and the longer scandals like this one drag on, I'm smart enough to be surprised at nothing. In the meantime, there are still plenty other sports happenings that can serve as a distraction...
APR - It's Not Just A Finance Charge Anymore. In some good news for the OSU Athletic Department, the NCAA announced their Academic Progress Rate data and all Buckeye sports teams finished "well above" the minimum 925 score which translates to a projected 60% graduation rate. Thad's boys were one of 15 teams to finish with perfect 1,000 scores for the 2009-10 year after coming in at 986 last year following the loss of two scholly's due to Kosta and company darting for the pros before finishing their current term.
Tressel's squad also posted strong results with a 971 score last year, just short of their four year APR of 985, which was good enough for 2nd in the B1G during that span behind Nortwestern (993) according to Ken Gordon. The real KG also notes the footballs scores as 893, 955, 934, 984, 995, 991 and 971 dating back to the 2003-04 school year.
Buckeye Baseballers Bring Home Hardware. John Dezse became the 10th Buckeye to win B1G Freshman of the Year honors yesterday after leading OSU with a .341 batting average, 42 RBI, 89 total bases, a .489 slugging percentage, and a hefty .436 OBP. Out of the 'pen, Dezse also posted a 4-1 record with five saves in 25.0 IP with 29 K's. Do work, son.
Dezse was joined on the all-conference 2nd team by RHP Drew Rucinski. The senior led Ohio State with a 2.88 ERA over 75 IP (12 starts) and 50 punch outs. Along with Dezse, Tim Weztel and Greg Greve landed on the all-conference freshmen team. Wetzel patrolled CF and hit .271 including a 12 game hit streak. Greve was money as the Buckeyes fought for a berth in the B1G tournament winning his last two starts - must wins - in stellar fashion. His clutchness included 13 scoreless frames and he placed 2nd on the team in ERA over conference play with a sturdy 3.51 over 41 IP.
Having taken two of three against Minnesota to secure their spot in the conference tourney, the Buckeyes open play against the Gophers today at 12:05 in Huntington Park. The game will be televised by the BTN.
World's Worst Tenant. Mike McNeil, the Auburn safety that was booted from the team in with four others back in March after they were arrested for armed robbery at a trailer park, clearly needed the money. As capsuled by the good doctor, McNeil and a former teammate were evicted from one apartment back in April 2010 resulting in a $12k tab and McNeil was evicted from a second apartment just one week before he and three teammates barnstormed some crib in the Conway Acres Trailer Park making off with a handheld safe and cellphones at gunpoint.
Looks like the two landlords will have to wait awhile for payback as McNeil and his three accomplices in the armed robbery face arraignment on Thursday and possible trial in June. The charges include five counts each of first degree robbery and one count each of first degree burglary. In other words, these dudes are in deep shinola. Plus, I have to believe McNeil is going to have a tough time finding a roomie once he returns to the outside.
Recruiting Rules Make So Much Sense. Lost Letterman linked to the stories of IU hoops recruit Cody Zeller and former big time 'Cane football recruit Willie Williams, both of which tell tales of the recruiting process that range from causing you to shake your head to clutching your ribs in laughter.
Zeller's tale is far more recent and much more benign. He talks about a coach driving the Zeller family to the edge of campus, dropping them off and making them walk the rest of the way to the destination and of coaches calling, telling him to call back and hanging up quickly to avoid breaking NCAA rules.
The real awesomeness however is contained in the Willie Willams recruiting diaries. I remember reading about this years back in Deadspin but when I saw LLetterman's link to the surreal, I thought it best to make sure any 11W readers who haven't yet had the pleasure could take the time today to relive the hilarity. Williams was a beast LB recruit projected to be the next great one in Coral Gables but things didn't quite work out that way. That's a different story for another day. His recruiting diaries are classic narratives on a kid's take of being recruited by the big boys. Here's a few snippets to get you started:
Speaking of his hotel in Tallahassee:
"He took me to the hotel. This place was beautiful, nicest place I've ever stayed. It was called The Radisson. I was impressed."
On Bobby Bowden's wife:
"Coach Bowden was cool, but Ms. Bowden was the bomb. I swear, she must be related to Betty Crocker or something. When we walked into that house, it was like walking into a Publix Bakery - banana pudding, chocolate cake, cheese cake. I had one of everything. I didn't want to leave."
On female hosts at Auburn offering him spinach dip before a meal:
"You know how it is, those girls are supposed to be there to cheer you up. But I told them, 'I ain't no animal, and I ain't going to eat no plant.' It was disgusting."
On the other girls at Auburn:
"The girls at the party were much better than the farmer girls we'd see all day around campus. I was kind of worried all Auburn had to offer was those farmer girls that talked funny. But the girls at the party weren't farmer girls at all. I thought they must have bused them in from Miami."
Mixtape. Former Buckeye Willie Mobley, now at Arizona, tore his ACL...The Bylaw Blog examines what Full Cost Of Attendance really means...The city of Columbus and Penn National casino developers finally reach a deal...The 10 people on your company softball team...Revenge is sweet...Two things I hate, yet I still laughed.
